Exploring Equity: Highlights from the Inaugural (Re)Production of Inequality in Evaluations Conference
Tristan Botelho, Associate Professor of Organizational Management at SOM, served on the Organizing Committee for the inaugural conference at Columbia Business School.
On May 14–15, 2025, leading scholars gathered at Columbia Business School’s Manhattanville campus for the first-ever (Re)Production of Inequality in Evaluations Conference, a pioneering event focused on advancing research and dialogue around inequality in professional assessments.
The conference was organized by Mabel Abraham, Barbara and Meyer Feldberg Associate Professor of Business at Columbia Business School; Tristan Botelho, Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior at the Yale School of Management; and Gabrielle Lamont-Dobbin, PhD candidate at Columbia Business School. The event was supported in part by the Program on Entrepreneurship at the Yale School of Management.
Drawing from their recent theoretical article published in the 2024 issue of Research in Organizational Behavior, the organizers examined how evaluation systems in the workplace can unintentionally perpetuate gender and racial disparities. The conference aimed to build on this foundation, exploring how evaluation processes can be reshaped to promote greater fairness and accuracy.
Attendees represented a broad spectrum of academic institutions, including Berkeley, Boston University, NYU, Wharton, Stanford, Harvard Business School, Columbia, Yale, MIT, Cornell, Kellogg, Emory, Dartmouth, Carnegie Mellon, and USC. This diverse group of scholars brought rich perspectives to a program that blended paper presentations, panel discussions, and informal networking.
Sessions delved into how evaluations are influenced by context—ranging from organizational culture to interpersonal dynamics—and how these influences might contribute to unequal outcomes. Through robust discussion and exchange of ideas, participants began to chart possible interventions and future research directions.
Below is a look at some of the sessions included in the conference:
- Do Employers Change their Recruitment Choices Based on Past Interview Outcomes?
Santiago Campero, Shiobhan O’Mahoney - Equity Crowdfunding and Underrepresented Entrepreneurs
Melody Chang, Sarah Thébaud - Changing Investor Assessment: The Effect of Evaluation Frameworks on Gender Disparities in Funding Across Innovation Startups
Amisha Miller, Mathijs de Vaan - Getting in the Door vs. Winning It All: How Gendered Outcomes Change Across Evaluation Stages in Entrepreneurship
Ethan Poskanzer, Kate Weisshaar - Racial Matching and Inequality in Punishment: How Teacher‑Student Racial Similarity Shapes Discipline in Schools
Jayanti Owens, Adina Sterling
The event fostered not only academic insight but also collaboration, creating a vibrant community of researchers committed to addressing inequality in evaluative processes. As the conversation continues beyond the conference, the momentum generated in Manhattanville promises to shape the next wave of scholarship in this critical area.
