Meet Dr. Elissa Marek

Dr. Elissa Marek started this semester as an assistant professor of business law at the McCoy College of Business. Most of her students are first-year students and seem to be genuinely interested in learning about law, and she has enjoyed teaching.

After graduating from Boston College Law School, Dr. Marek was a clerk for a judge on the Supreme Court of Texas and practiced appellate law for several years in Austin. She simultaneously went back to school for her Ph.D. in American Studies at the University of Texas at Austin with the goal of focusing on interdisciplinary studies and looking at topics through multiple lenses. 

Dr. Marek spent a year as an assistant city attorney and then worked for a judge on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals for three years. Her passion for teaching and research brought her to the McCoy College of Business.

“I would love to teach courses that highlight social justice in business and that incorporate some of my research,” said Dr. Marek. “For example, a course on food that would foster discussions of marginalization in the workforce as well as opportunities that various organizations offer in promoting access to food and employment.”

Dr. Marek is looking forward to collaborating with faculty interested in entrepreneurship as her research and advocacy have focused on post-incarceration employment. Additionally, she is interested in working with other groups around the university — like the Department of Agriculture, the Translational Health and Research Center, and the School of Criminal Justice and Criminology — to look at food insecurity among vulnerable populations. 

“I feel like there are a lot of interdisciplinary connections to be made,” said Dr. Marek. “I think it is really important for students, as they go out into the world, to have a more interdisciplinary and holistic education.” 

In the future, Dr. Marek looks forward to starting a podcast that explores social justice in the business world. She enjoys spending time with her husband, two kids, and her 15-year-old dog, Hank. They keep busy attending the kids’ sporting events, hiking, listening to live music, and taking road trips for family vacations. ✯

For more information, email Twister Marquiss, manager of marketing and communications for the McCoy College of Business, at twister@txstate.edu.

About the McCoy College of Business

Established in 1970, Texas State’s business school officially became the McCoy College of Business in 2004 following a donation of $20 million by Emmett and Miriam McCoy. The college, which offers classes in both San Marcos and Round Rock, is accredited by AACSB in both business and accounting, and has graduated nearly 42,000 alumni.