Viva Ona Bartkus

Viva Ona Bartkus
Occupationsauthor, academic, and business consultant
Academic background
EducationYale University, Magdalen College
Academic work
DisciplineManagement
Development Economics
Security studies
InstitutionsUniversity of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business

Viva Ona Bartkus is an American author, academic, and business consultant whose work focuses on the intersection of business, conflict, poverty, and security.[1] She is professor emerita at the University of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business and the founder of the Meyer Business on the Frontlines (BOTFL) program.[2] She is the co-author of Business on the Edge: How to Turn a Profit and Improve Lives in the World's Toughest Places (2024).[3]  

Early life and education

Bartkus grew up in Indiana and is the daughter of World War II refugees from Lithuania.[4] She graduated as valedictorian from Phillips Academy, Andover.[5] She earned both her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees in Economics from Yale University, graduating summa cum laude and as a member of Phi Beta Kappa.[6]

She later studied at the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, completing both an Masters and Doctorate in International Relations at Magdalen College.[7] Her doctoral research involved extensive fieldwork with insurgent and secessionist movements across Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas, and was later published as The Dynamic of Secession by Cambridge University Press.[8]

Career

Bartkus began her professional career at McKinsey & Company, where she worked from 1993 to 2003.[9] She was elected a partner in 1999 and was, at the time, the youngest partner and the first partner without an MBA in the Chicago office.[3] Bartkus served healthcare, industrial, retail, and high-tech clients to overcome their strategic, operational, and organizational challenges.[10][9]

Bartkus served as a strategic advisor to the CEO of Baxter International and as Chair of the Board of Directors of Precision Time.[7] From 2008 to 2015, she served on the Board of Directors of Catholic Relief Services (CRS).[11]

Bartkus has worked with U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC), advising on initiatives integrating business development with conflict prevention. In 2014, US Special Operations Commanded awarded her the SOCOM Outstanding Civilian Service Award.[7]

Academic career

Bartkus joined the University of Notre Dame in 2004 as an Associate Professor of Management at the Mendoza College of Business.[12] In 2008, she founded the Meyer Business on the Frontlines (BOTFL) program, which applies market-based and business solutions to post-conflict recovery and extreme poverty.[13][14]

By 2025, BOTFL has led over ninety projects in more than thirty post-conflict and fragile societies, partnering with multinational corporations, international humanitarian organizations, local NGOs, faith-based institutions, and government and military entities, creating markets and employment opportunities for tens of thousands of people.[13]

The BOTFL course was recognized by Forbes as one of the “Top 10 Most Innovative Business School Classes in the United States.”[15]

Research

Bartkus' research spans international relations, management, development economics, and security studies.[16] She has examined secessionist movements[17], executive decision-making[18][19], social capital[20], service learning, and the role of markets in isolated, impoverished and frequently fairly lawless environments.[21]

She has led randomized control trials in Colombia, Uganda, and Brazil studying the effects of business and market interventions on poverty and security.[22]

Bibliography

Books

  • Bartkus, Viva Ona; Block, Emily S. (2024). Business on the edge: how to turn a profit and improve lives in the world's toughest places (1st ed.). New York: Basic Books. ISBN 978-1-5416-0420-9.
  • Bartkus, Viva; Conlon, Ed (2008-07-23). Getting It Right: Notre Dame on Leadership and Judgment in Business. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-0-470-38309-4.
  • Bartkus, Viva Ona; Davis, James H. (2009). Social Capital: Reaching Out, Reaching in. Edward Elgar. ISBN 978-1-84720-072-3.
  • Bartkus, Viva Ona (1999). The Dynamic of Secession. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-511-05205-7.

Articles

References

  1. ^ Mundeva, Hayley (2025-04-08). "Hard places, high returns: Rethinking crisis markets with Viva Ona Bartkus". Devex. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  2. ^ Walch, Tad (2025-04-11). "Notre Dame professor: BYU-Pathway Worldwide may become Latter-day Saints' 'biggest gift to the world'". Deseret News. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  3. ^ a b Yu, Belinda. "Author Talks: Building business and improving lives on the front lines". Mckinsey.
  4. ^ Mendler, Adam (2024-07-18). "Achieving on the Frontlines: Interview with Viva Ona Bartkus, Former Partner at McKinsey & Company". Adam Mendler. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  5. ^ "Notable Alumni: Long List (1900s)". Archives & Special Collections. Archived from the original on 2024-09-14. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  6. ^ "Never underestimate the inherent dignity in a good day's work. Viva Ona". ThinkND. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  7. ^ a b c Elliot, Carol. "U.S. Special Operations Command awards Outstanding Civilian Service Medal to ND business professor - Notre Dame Business Mendoza College of Business". Mendoza College of Business. Archived from the original on 2025-11-12. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  8. ^ Bartkus, Viva Ona (1999). The Dynamic of Secession. Cambridge Studies in International Relations. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-65032-8. Archived from the original on 2025-08-04. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  9. ^ a b Block, Emily S. "Follow the Money (SSIR)". ssir.org. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  10. ^ "620: Former McKinsey partner on How to Turn a Profit and Improve Lives in the World's Toughest Places (Strategy Skills classics)". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
  11. ^ "Relief...Rebuilding...Renewal". Archdiocese of New York. 2010-08-26. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  12. ^ Eyre, Aubrey (2020-10-15). "President Eyring, Sister Eubank highlight interfaith cooperation at BYU's 27th Annual International Law and Religion Symposium". Church News. Archived from the original on 2025-07-19. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  13. ^ a b Elliot, Carol. "An expanded vision - Notre Dame Business Mendoza College of Business". Mendoza College of Business. Archived from the original on 2025-12-10. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  14. ^ Risser, Paige (2024-09-13). "Business on the Edge: A new book from the Business on the Frontlines founder". Business On The Frontlines. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  15. ^ "The 10 Most Innovative Business School Classes". Forbes. Retrieved 2026-03-09.
  16. ^ "An economist considers conflict – The Frontlines Institute". Frontlines Institute. Archived from the original on 2026-01-17. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  17. ^ Toft, Monica Duffy (2000). "The Dynamics of Secession by Viva Ona Bartkus" (PDF). Political Science Quarterly. 115 (1): 134–135. doi:10.2307/2658044.
  18. ^ Mannor, Michael J.; Wowak, Adam J.; Bartkus, Viva Ona; Gomez‐Mejia, Luis R. (2016). "Heavy lies the crown? How job anxiety affects top executive decision making in gain and loss contexts". Strategic Management Journal. 37 (9): 1968–1989. doi:10.1002/smj.2425. ISSN 0143-2095.
  19. ^ "How Anxiety Affects CEO Decision Making". Harvard Business Review. 2016-07-19. ISSN 0017-8012. Archived from the original on 2026-01-30. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  20. ^ de Boer, C. (2009-12-01). "Recent Books in the Field of Public Opinion Research". International Journal of Public Opinion Research. 21 (4): 555–560. doi:10.1093/ijpor/edp053. ISSN 0954-2892.
  21. ^ Bartkus, Viva (2025-09-30). "Why and how corporations should seek to expand to frontline regions". The Business & Management Collection. Archived from the original on 2025-12-14. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
  22. ^ "Viva Bartkus | Women Lead 2019 | University of Notre Dame". Women Lead 2019. Archived from the original on 2024-09-13. Retrieved 2026-02-20.
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