Faculty/Staff

Julia MacGregor

Assistant Professor of Instruction
jem6@usf.edu
Tampa Office: BSN 3413
Vita

Julia MacGregor is an assistant professor of instruction in the School of Management at the University of South Florida's Muma College of Business. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in management, human resource management, organizational change and development, and emotional and social intelligence, combining evidence-based management research with more than two decades of executive leadership experience.

In addition to her teaching, MacGregor is managing partner and CEO of Zennia Research, a consulting firm specializing in industrial-organizational psychology, leadership assessment, and organizational development.

Before joining the USF faculty, MacGregor worked as a personnel research psychologist for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, contributing to the development and validation of employee selection, promotion, and leadership assessment systems for the federal government. Her work included competency modeling, job analysis, structured interviews, assessment centers, leadership development, and organizational surveys.

Prior to her academic career, MacGregor was the founder and CEO of Global Safety Management (now TotalSDS), a venture-backed software company serving highly regulated industries worldwide. Under her leadership, the company secured more than $12 million in venture capital and was ultimately acquired by Enhesa.

Drawing on her experience as an executive, entrepreneur, and industrial-organizational psychologist, MacGregor emphasizes the practical application of management theory through evidence-based decision making, leadership development, and organizational effectiveness. Her goal is to help students become thoughtful, ethical leaders who can navigate the complex challenges facing today's organizations.

Her research examines leader identity and how perceptions of leadership shape individuals' willingness to pursue leadership roles, with a particular focus on women in leadership, culture and organizational effectiveness. She has presented her research at the annual conferences of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology and the Private Directors Association, and her scholarship has appeared in Oxford University Press volumes, the International Journal of Cross-Cultural Management, and practitioner publications focused on leadership and organizational effectiveness.

Her leadership has been recognized with the Tampa Bay Business Journal's Businesswoman of the Year award (2018) and as a finalist for the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce's Outstanding Business Leader award (2018).

MacGregor earned a PhD and a master's degree in industrial-organizational psychology from the Florida Institute of Technology, an MBA with a concentration in finance from the University of Florida, a master's degree in entrepreneurship and applied technology from the University of South Florida, and a bachelor's degree in psychology from Georgia State University. She is a member of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, the American Psychological Association, and the Private Directors Association.

Teaching

• MAN 3025 – Principles of Management
• MAN 3301 – Human Resource Management
• MAN 6305 – Human Resource Management (Graduate)
• MAN 6121 – Emotional and Social Intelligence at Work
• MAN 6289 – Organizational Change and Development

Research

MacGregor's research interests include leadership, leadership development, leader identity, organizational assessment, employee feedback, women in leadership, and cross-cultural management. Her current work is focused on evidence-based management, executive assessment, organizational culture, and translating organizational science into practical management applications.

Selected Publications

• MacGregor, J. E., Milosevic, M., Sbaa, M. Y., Steelman, L. A., & Griffith, R. L. (2026). Performance management in cross-cultural contexts. In A. DeNisi & K. Murphy (Eds.), Performance Management (SIOP Organizational Frontiers Series). Oxford University Press.
• Griffith, R. L., Addis, A., Hesson, Z., & MacGregor, J. E. (2025). Cross-cultural work psychology: Understanding the workplace. In J. B. Olson-Buchanan, J. C. Scott, & L. L. Foster (Eds.), Sustainable Development through the World of Work (SIOP Organizational Science, Translation, & Application Series). Oxford University Press.
• MacGregor, J. E. (Co-chair, Moderator), Morrison, P. J., Peters, B., & Steelman, L. A. (Co-Chairs), Prather, H., & Warren, C. (2025, April). Women's Progression to the C-Suite: A Panel Discussion [Panel presentation]. Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology Annual Conference, Denver, CO.
• MacGregor, J. E., Robbins, V., & Steelman, L. A. (2025, April). The Role of Gender and Executive Experience in Self and Ideal Leader Perceptions [Poster]. Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology Annual Conference, Chicago, IL.
• Caligiuri, P., Sbaa, M. Y., Milosevic, M., MacGregor, J., & Griffith, R. (2022). Assessing cross-cultural performance: Beyond just “being there,” revisited. International Journal of Cross-Cultural Management, 22(3), 413–431.