My name is Melanie (Mel) Prengler (Mel-uh-nee Preen-glur) and I’m currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, and starting in summer 2026, will be an Assistant Professor at London Business School.

How do people use their work to make a meaningful difference in their organizations and society? My research investigates how individuals transform social and organizational structures that misrepresent or constrain them, and how they navigate new ways of working that blur traditional rules and roles. I focus on the behaviors they use to make change possible and the inner experiences that shape their path.

I earned my PhD in Organizational Behavior from Texas A&M University, MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Sam Houston State University, and my BA in Psychology from Texas A&M University.