Gloria Urrea
Assistant Professor
Strategy, Entrepreneurship and Operations

Koelbel - 418C

Gloria Urrea is an Assistant Professor of Operations Management in the Strategy, Entrepreneurship and Operations Management (SEO) Department at the Leeds School of Business. Gloria studies operations of humanitarian organizations (HOs), whose mission is to alleviate human suffering and improve the quality of life of the most vulnerable population. Her research focuses on three main questions. First, how HOs can make their operations more efficient. Second, how HOs can access and manage the required donations to perform their work. Third, how HOs can leverage emerging technologies such as crowdfunding and online volunteering platforms to raise the monetary and time donations needed to deliver aid to those in need. To answer these questions, Gloria uses empirical methods, such as econometric analysis and behavioral experiments.

Before joining the Leeds School of Business, Gloria held a position as Visiting Scholar at the Kelley School of Business, Indiana University. She holds a Ph.D. from the Università della Svizzera italiana (University of Lugano), Switzerland. She also holds a Master’s in Economics with major in Management, and another Master’s in Humanitarian Logistics and Management. Gloria also worked as a manager and entrepreneur for several years in the private sector, and has collaborated in applied projects in the humanitarian sector with UNICEF and the Red Cross Movement.