Dr. Victoria Medvec teaches the highly regarded Negotiations Fundamentals course as part of the full-time MBA program at the Kellogg School of Management.
As a bestselling author, award-winning speaker, consultant, and negotiations expert who advises on critical decisions, negotiations, mergers, and acquisitions for Fortune 100 companies globally, Dr. Medvec’s expertise goes far beyond the classroom; when she teaches negotiations to MBA students, she’s speaking from experience.
Let’s dig into Dr. Medvec’s teaching philosophy, research, and professional experience to understand why her classes are consistently one of the main draws of the program.
Dr. Medvec currently teaches several courses at Kellogg:
Her teaching style, in Negotiations Fundamentals and elsewhere, strongly emphasizes practical skills and strategies with immediate impact. Students engage in a series of mock negotiations and peer mentorship scenarios, with a focus on how interpersonal skills come into play in the real world.
“I wanted to write to you and thank you for the wisdom you’ve poured into teaching our cohort. Your teachings allowed me to negotiate an amazing external title (VP), anchored them at the highest salary they’ve ever paid for someone at my experience, and even got them to up my bonus by $25k.”
A recent Kellogg graduate, in a note to Dr. Medvec
Beyond simple two-party negotiations, the course addresses team negotiations, agents and ethics, dispute resolution, and management of the negotiation process. Drawing on prescriptive and descriptive negotiation theory, Dr. Medvec nevertheless grounds every class meeting in engaging and accurate simulations of real negotiations.
“I’m currently in Negotiations with Professor Medvec. It’s worth the bid points! I’ve learned so much about negotiating for myself (which will definitely come in handy soon).”
Katie Muse, Kellogg Class of 2024
Her frank, pragmatic approach to negotiations has made the class a hit with MBA students.
“Students spend all their bid points to get into Dr. Medvec’s class!”
Francesca Cornelli, Dean of Kellogg School of Management
For her teaching, Dr. Medvec has won many awards over the years:
Dr. Medvec is the author of national bestseller Negotiate Without Fear, published in 2021. The book teaches readers to maximize their outcomes in negotiations at all levels of business and daily life, by analyzing the issues at hand, defining objectives, and establishing ambitious goals. Its practical advice has resonated with countless readers.
As part of the faculty at Kellogg’s Management and Organizations (MORS) department, Dr. Medvec has also published prolifically in academic journals and books. Her research focuses mainly on judgment and decision-making, with a particular emphasis on how people feel about the decisions they have made, and on interdependent decisions within negotiations.
Dr. Medvec’s research interests also include executive decision-making, influence, and corporate governance. She has been published in top academic journals including Psychological Review, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, and Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes.
Listen to Dr. Medvec on the Art and Science of High-Stakes Negotiations.
A few of Dr. Medvec’s publications (this is far from a complete list!) are linked below:
Dr. Medvec’s teaching and research are founded on extensive experience of the negotiation tactics that work in real-world, high-stakes situations. She is the CEO of Medvec & Associates, a consulting firm providing advice to multinational corporations including, but not limited to,
Dr. Medvec is frequently brought in to advise C-suite executives on critical decisions: mergers and acquisitions, partnerships, and major contracts. She also provides executive training on topics including decision-making, influence, corporate governance, and of course negotiations. She has personally served on the boards of several companies, public and private.
On the academic side, Dr. Medvec got her bachelor’s degree from Bucknell University in 1986 and earned a PhD in Psychology from Cornell University in 1995, before holding a series of positions at the prestigious Kellogg school, where she is now a tenured professor.
At Kellogg, she is the Adeline Barry Davee Professor of Management and Operations (2004–present), as well as the Executive Director and Co-founder of the Center for Executive Women (2001–present), which aims to help senior female executives advance to top executive and board positions.
Beyond this, Dr. Medvec frequently gives talks on a number of topics: women in leadership, board decision-making, and corporate governance, among others. Check out one such public appearance below.
David White
Founding Partner
Education: BA
David studied at UC Berkeley and worked as a tech industry professional, including stints at Yahoo! and Efficient Frontier, before co-founding Menlo Coaching. He has been listed among Poets & Quants’ Best Admissions Consultants and featured for his expertise—and tell-it-like-it-is attitude—in publications like The Wall Street Journal and MBA.com.
