Faculty/Staff

Adam Kay

Assistant Professor
adamkay@usf.edu 
Campus: Tampa
Room: BSN 3211
Vita

Adam A. Kay is assistant professor in the School of Management at the University of South Florida’s Muma College of Business. His research and teaching explore how leaders can be more mindful, authentic, and wise, helping organizations thrive while making work more humane.

Kay's research examines how mindfulness shapes leadership, ethical behavior, and workplace relationships, as well as how people judge the fairness and integrity of organizations. His work addresses both the benefits and unintended consequences of organizational practices, including mindfulness training and corporate social responsibility initiatives. His research has appeared in journals such as the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Journal of Management Studies, Human Resource Management, The Leadership Quarterly, and Academy of Management Learning & Education, among others. In 2026, his sole-authored research on the "dark side" of mindfulness at work received a Best Paper Award from the Organizational Behavior Division of the Academy of Management.

An award-winning instructor, Kay teaches organizational behavior and leadership in USF’s MBA, Executive MBA, and Doctor of Business Administration programs. He has also designed and delivered executive education programs for university leaders and several external organizations.

Kay has served as associate editor of the Journal of Business Research since 2023, and as an editorial board member of the Journal of Vocational Behavior since 2021. As of October 2026, he will also serve on the editorial board of the Journal of Management. His research has been featured in media outlets such as the Financial Times, Chicago Tribune, and Vancouver Sun, and he has contributed to public scholarship in The Conversation and Times Higher Education.

Kay earned his PhD in organizational behavior from the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business and previously served as Senior Lecturer of management at the University of Queensland Business School. Before entering academia, he worked internationally as an investor-state arbitration lawyer, biotechnology manager, and executive consultant and coach. These experiences inform his commitment to connecting rigorous research with the challenges leaders face in everyday practice.