Heatherjean MacNeil is an Assistant Teaching Professor of Organizational Behavior in the D'Amore-McKim School of Business at Northeastern University. Professor MacNeil bridges scholarly research with extensive leadership experience across multiple industries including music, fashion, non-profit, and start-up accelerators. Her unique teaching approach focuses on cultivating psychological safety in the classroom and creating an environment for students to explore how lived experience informs their leadership strengths and approach.
Professor MacNeil received her PhD from the University of Massachusetts, and her research focuses on feminist studies and methods, and ultimately how social identity shapes entrepreneurs and organizational contexts. Before entering academia, Professor MacNeil founded Proxy Apparel, supporting worker-owned cooperatives worldwide, and co-founded Babson's Women Innovating Now (WIN) Lab, fostering the growth of hundreds of women-led ventures in Boston and Miami. This professional journey informs her executive coaching and advisory practice, where she continues to support entrepreneurial leaders driving organizational change.
Education
- PhD Organizational Behavior, University of Massachusetts
- Master of Business Administration, Simmons University
- BA, International Studies and Biology
Awards & Recognition
- Best Paper Award, Diana International Research Conference, Dublin, Ireland 2022
- PhD Award for Academic Distinction in Organizations and Social Change 2021, College of Management, University of Massachusetts, Boston
- Simmons University Alumnae Impact Award, Simmons University, Boston, MA. 2021
Selected Publications
- MacNeil, H., & McAdam, M. (2025). Fostering inclusivity in startup accelerators: a literature review and research agenda. Gendering Entrepreneurial Ecosystems, 85-97.
- Dy, A. M., & MacNeil, H. (2025). “Doing inequality, doing intersectionality”: intersectionality as threshold concept for studying inequalities in entrepreneurial activity. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, 31(1), 136-154.
- Schoonmaker, M. G., MacNeil, H., & McAdam, M. (2024). Beyond bars: the confining nature of hegemonic masculinity in venture accelerators. International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship. MacNeil, H.,
- Schoonmaker, M., & McAdam, M. (2022). Accelerating alienation: gender and self-efficacy in the accelerator context. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, 28(8), 2083-2102
