Case Study Research and Development Team

Case writing efforts are centrally managed by the Case Study Research and Development Team (CRDT).

Jaan Elias, Director of Case Research and Development

In 2006, Jaan Elias became the Yale School of Management’s first Director of Case Study Research. In his time at Yale, Elias and his team developed the “raw”case study format that draws together Internet links, interactive exhibits, text and video on a multimedia, web-based platform. These cases have been widely used not only at Yale, but in management curriculum throughout the world. Elias received a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior (a joint degree program between the Harvard Sociology Department and the Harvard Business School). 

Jean Rosenthal, Project editor

Jean Rosenthal has been working with the Yale School of Management case writing group since its inception.  She has authored more than 50 case studies on a range of topics.  Before joining the group, she had been an SOM research fellow, a manager at PG&E, the California energy utility, and an editor of college textbooks.  She co-authored the book, Corporate Profit and Nuclear Safety: Strategy at Northeast Utilities in the 1990s with Paul MacAvoy. She has a BA from Harvard and an MBA from California State University.

Greg MacDonald, Multimedia Producer

Multimedia Producer Greg MacDonald brings more than 2o years of film and video production experience to the Case Research and Development team, including broadcast and live TV focusing on culture, the arts, music, education, and social issues. As a researcher and writer, Greg has more than 80 script credits for TV, video, multimedia and film, including programs, documentaries, music videos, interactive presentations, and feature films. Greg received his B.A. in Visual & Envrionmental Studies/Filmmaking from Harvard University.  

Nikki Springer, Project Editor

Nikki brings a background in business, sustainability, design, and development.  A graduate of the MBA program at SOM and the PhD program at the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, her research has focused on the intersection of renewable energy, land use planning, and environmental regulation. Before Yale, she helped design and implement a series of environmental initiatives as part of  Walmart’s corporate facility management team. She has also worked at the White House Council on Environmental Quality, Walt Disney Imagineering, and planning and design firms in NY and Shanghai.