EisnerAmper announces that Matthew Kerzner, a director in the firm’s Center for Family Business Excellence, has earned his Ph.D. in Business Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Matthew successfully defended his dissertation on Succession Planning in Family-Owned Businesses: Owners’ Practices and Perception.
Matt’s doctoral degree adds to his more than 25 years of experience in organizational development specializing in assisting family businesses and closely held businesses with addressing transition, financial stability and sustainability, and human performance management matters. With only a limited number of these types of practitioners and scholars throughout the U.S., Matt works with clients daily to develop a strategic plan that acknowledges the issues and dynamics of both the family and the business in order to develop succession plans that prepare the next generation of leaders to succeed.
Matt commented on how his Ph.D. degree can integrate with his day-to-day activities at the Center: “It definitely adds clarity to what family business owners’ needs are and gives me fresh perspectives on how to address those needs. For example, as part of my dissertation, I had developed a new audit technique to determine how prepared business owners might be for succession based upon 15 distinct categories.”
“We’re extremely proud of Matt on this enormous accomplishment,” said Lisë Stewart, Principal-in-Charge of EisnerAmper’s Center for Family Business. “This invaluable education, combined with Matt’s vast hands-on experience, will only enhance the Center’s capabilities to help family business owners manage often-difficult ownership and transition issues.”