John Mahon named 2017 Distinguished Maine Professor

An internationally recognized professor of management and one of the world’s foremost experts on corporate social responsibility has been named the 2017 Distinguished Maine Professor by the University of Maine Alumni Association.

University of Maine Professor of Management John Mahon, the John M. Murphy Chair of International Business Policy and Strategy in the Maine Business School, is known for the depth and breadth of his state, national and global business experience that informs his teaching and mentoring, and is reflected in his scholarship.

The Distinguished Maine Professor Award, sponsored by UMaine’s classes of 1942 and 2002, annually honors a professor who exemplifies the highest qualities of teaching, research and public service.

The award will be presented at the UMaine Alumni Association’s Dining with Distinction event April 20. Mahon also will be honored as part of the President’s Faculty Recognition Luncheon on May 13.

Undergraduate and graduate students know Mahon as a talented, memorable teacher across a spectrum of UMaine courses — from first-year introductory classes to specialized MBA consulting courses and eight travel-study classes to five countries. He also connects students in capstone projects and internships with state and international companies. Mahon is a leader in curricular innovation and helped redesign UMaine’s MBA program.

Mahon was a finalist for the 2014 Faculty Pioneer Award of the Aspen Institute’s Business and Society Program for his leadership in helping establish and co-teach an innovative interdisciplinary course on climate change, business and public policy. He also was the founding director of UMaine’s School of Policy and International Affairs.

In the Maine Business School, Mahon received the 2014 Outstanding Teaching Award, and the 2013 and 2015 Graduate Student Mentor Award.

Mahon’s research interests focus on how organizations and public interest groups shape and influence public policy and regulations, how reputations of those organizations either hinder or advance their positions, how organizations plan and execute strategies, and how both public interest groups and organizations respond to crises.

He has received 12 national awards for his research and writing in peer-reviewed journals, cases and books. His scholarship has been cited by other researchers more than 5,200 times and he is the author of four of the 50 most cited articles in Business & Society.

For his scholarship, Mahon received UMaine’s 2011 Presidential Outstanding Research and Creative Achievement Award.

As a sought-after executive educator and consultant, Mahon has made presentations in countries worldwide, speaking to Fortune 500 firms, government agencies, public organizations and trade associations. He is affiliated with the Centre for Corporate Public Affairs in Australia, the European Centre for Public Affairs in England and the International Centre for Corporate Public Affairs Research at the University of Chester, England.

Among his global distinctions, Mahon was one of the first three elected Fellows of the International Association for Business and Society.

Prior to joining the UMaine community in 2001, Mahon was a professor and chair of the Strategy and Policy Department at the School of Management at Boston University. He received a DBA from Boston University.

The Alumni Association’s news release about the award is online.

Contact: Margaret Nagle, 207.581.3745