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Jeffrey (Jeff) R. Williams

Jeff Williams, professor emeritus of business Sstrategy, led a noteworthy, varied, and prolific career. A passionate educator, he joined the Tepper School of Business (formerly known as GSIA) faculty soon after receiving his Ph.D. and remained for the next 44 years.

jeffrey-williams-headshot.pngHe was an authority on sustaining advantage in changing markets and authored 40 papers and the acclaimed book, “Renewable Advantage: Crafting Strategy Through Economic Time."

Williams’ work was featured in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and Fortune, he spoke to executive audiences, and he advised companies around the world, including AT&T, Bristol-Myers Squibb, National Semiconductor, Mellon Bank, Cummins Engine, Goodyear, Bell Labs, Holiday Corporation, IBM, Lockheed Martin, McKinsey, and Seagate Technologies.

He earned his undergraduate degree in electrical engineering, an MBA, and a Ph.D. in finance from the University of Michigan and held engineering and managerial roles in high technology industries, including the Apollo 17 and Space Shuttle programs.

Among his honors, Williams was a three-time recipient of the Tepper School’s George Leland Bach Teaching Award.

“Do you remember that on the last day of class I promised that most of you would end up making more money than you knew how to spend? Maybe that reflects on the education you had here. How many of you remember the paper you wrote for me? So it stayed with you in one form or another. How many of you remember the lobster case? If you can manage lobsters, you can manage just about anything - that was one of the basic principles of the course. I have been here quite a while and it has been quite a journey that I have shared with a number of you. I am delighted to be able to talk to you about something that I care very deeply about and that is the ability to turn creativity and imagination into value.”

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