Joseph H. Astrachan

Joseph Astrachan is Emeritus Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship at Kennesaw State University, where he previously served as Executive Director of the Cox Family Enterprise Center. He is a Family Business Fellow with the Smith Family Business Initiative at Cornell University, visiting scholar at Germany’s Witten/Herdecke University, the Institut für Finanzdienstleistungen, Luzern Switzerland, and Affiliated Professor at the Centre for Family Entrepreneurship and Ownership at Sweden’s Jönköping International Business School.

He has received numerous awards for his research and service from family business, entrepreneurship, management, and research-oriented associations including awards form the Family Firm Institute and the Family Business Network International. He is author or coauthor of more than 25 book chapters, 50 scientific publications, and ten books. He is a frequent speaker on the topic having given more than 300 speeches around the globe. Dr. Astrachan is founding editor and past coeditor of the scientific publication the Journal of Family Business Strategy, past editor Family Business Review.

He has over 40 years experience studying and working with family companies and has spoken in over 35 countries. He has served on a total of 19 boards of privately owned family businesses (currently serving on nine) in a variety of industries including: heavy equipment, automotive, restaurants, building materials, food manufacturing, retailing and distribution, commercial and multifamily real estate, and healthcare. Dr. Astrachan comes from a family business background (container and tanker shipping, coal mining and pharmaceuticals). Dr. Astrachan earned his B.A., M.A., M. Phil., and Ph.D. degrees at Yale University.