Abram Walton, Ph.D.
Professor | Nathan M. Bisk College of Business | Florida Tech
Melbourne, FL, UNITED STATES
Director of the Center of Innovation Management & Business Analytics, and Professor of Management, specializing in Technology and Innovation
Areas of Expertise (8)
Project Management
Organizational Development
Blockchain / Internet of Things (IoT)
Human Centered Design
Technology Commercialization
Innovation & Innovation Management
Leadership
Lean Six Sigma
About
Dr. Abram Walton is an author, researcher, and consultant, and his efforts focus on impacting technology-sensitive industries through the deployment of innovative new product, process, and services business models. He is the Co-Founder and former Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Innovation Science. He has authored over 100 publications and conference proceedings, and his textbooks on Leadership and Management have sold over 15,000 copies. His corporate innovation and technology commercialization efforts with companies such as GE, Alstom, Harris, Blum, and NASA, and his grantsmanship with companies like the DOD, PTC, KEEN, and other foundations has yielded over $29mm in funded research and gifts to universities. His University Center’s research-based consulting-focused output has yielded over $5B in new revenue models and external funding for corporations, including many clearance-required projects.
Dr. Walton is a U.S. Delegate for the ISO/TC 307 committee on Blockchain and Electronic Digital Ledger Technologies, and also serves as one of only about 5 U.S. Delegates and Chairs to the ISO Technical Advisory Group for the ISO Standards Committee – ISO 56000, on Innovation Management System Standards, where he helps lead the efforts to write international standards regarding innovation tools, methods, strategy, and intellectual property. He is a Certified Innovation Professional and Chief Innovation Officer. He also holds certifications in Strategic HR, Organizational Strategy & Design, Innovation & Design Thinking, Innovation Systems & Management, Intellectual Property & Knowledge Management, Project Management, Product Lifecycle Management, Job Task & Performance Analysis, Lean Six Sigma, and Emergency Medicine. As the Director of the Center for Innovation Management & Business Analytics, he regularly provides consulting and training on strategy, innovation management, and human capital management, and is also accredited to provide ISO-related Innovation Certifications.
Some of his awards include, Leadership Brevard’s 4 under 40 award, the Emerging Influential Award for Space Coast Public Service Awards & Hall of Fame, One to Watch – Florida Today, People to Watch – Space Coast Business Magazine, and the Volunteer of the Year award by the Space Coast Economic Development Commission. His expertise is regularly recognized in national and international media outlets, with over 40 interviews and media citations.
Media Assets
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Media Appearances (4)
As offices consider hybrid work, can warehouses operate remotely too?
Supply Chain Dive
2021-06-08
The need to put as few people as possible on a warehouse floor and still maintain operations was a real wake up call for warehouse managers, one that is still ongoing, said Abram Walton, professor of management and director of innovation management and business analytics at the Florida Institute of Technology.
Space Coast EDC Driving Innovation, Supports Space Coast Pitch Challenge at Groundswell Startups
Space Coast Daily News
2022-03-16
“The next L3Harris could be a startup or growth stage company just getting underway on the Space Coast today,” said Dr. Abram Walton, Director & Professor, Innovation Management and Business Analytics at Florida Tech and founding chairman of the EDC’s innovation council. “That is why the EDC formed the Innovation Council and supports partners like Groundswell to create the places, such as this pitch competition, where innovation and collaboration can happen.”
ONE-ON-ONE with ABRAM WALTON, PH.D.
Space Coast Business
2019-11-11
Dr. Walton is an internationally recognized expert on innovation, who orchestrated the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) 56000 Innovation Management World Congress, which was held September 23-27 on the Florida Tech campus. This was the first time that the Congress has been held on U.S. soil and was an opportunity to showcase Space Coast, where innovative pursuits have changed the world.
Up Close | Abram Walton of Florida Tech
i4 Business Magazine
2017-12-01
The food and water of sustained business growth for many seem as illusive and abstract as what the future may or may not hold. We are referring to the catalytic qualities of engagement and innovation, the traits characterizing every successful brand from Apple to Starbucks, or Amazon to Patagonia. For Abram Walton, discovering the patterns and practices generating innovation and engagement, then teaching students and organizations of every size and sphere how to produce these qualities, and, moreover, how to measure and monetize them, has been his life’s quest. Recently recognized as one of LEAD Brevard’s “4 under 40,” he has been a professor of management at the Nathan M. Bisk College of Business at Florida Tech since 2012.
Education (3)
Northwest Nazarene University: B.S., Business and Computer Science 2001
Purdue University: Ph.D., Organizational Development and Engineering Management 2009
Purdue University: M.S., Technology Leadership & Innovation 2006
Links (3)
Selected Articles (5)
Educators’ Perceptions of Integrated STEM: A Phenomenological Study
Journal of STEM Teacher Education2018
Increasing innovation through engagement: A critical review of an idea stock market and idea management system
International Journal of Innovation Science2016
Gateway Experiences to Engineering Technology: Development of an Introductory Course
Journal of STEM Teacher Education2015
Open innovation for SMEs in developing countries – An intermediated communication network model for collaboration beyond obstacles
Innovation2014
Product Lifecycle Management: Measuring What Is Important – Product Lifecycle Implementation Maturity Model
IFIP International Conference on Product Lifecycle Management2013
Affiliations (7)
- Center for Innovation Management & Business Analytics : Director
- International Journal of Innovation Science : Deputy Editor-in-Chief
- Space Coast Economic Development Commission : Chairman of the Innovation Council
- Space Coast Economic Development Commission : Executive Board Member
- International Association of Innovation Professionals : Executive Board Member
- Groundswell Startup Incubator : Advisory Board Member
- Space Coast Fab Lab : Advisory Board Member
Accomplishments (5)
Space Coast Business Under Forty (professional)
2019
Emerging Influential Award (professional)
2017 - Space Coast Public Service Awards & Hall of Fame
Graduate Student Excellence in Teaching Award (professional)
2009 - Purdue University
Volunteer of the Year (professional)
2017 - Space Coast Economic Development Commission
Top 4 Under 40 (professional)
2016 - Lead Brevard
Event Appearances (3)
Speaker
Networking Re-evaluated: The Shared, Unknown, and Intangible Benefits of Making Authentic Connections Orlando, FL
Invited Speaker
Leveraging your Intergenerational Workforce to Build a Winning Culture that Creates Competitive Advantage Orlando, FL
Speaker
Talk Nerdy to Me: The Most Common and Costly Selection Myths and the Research That Busts Them Orlando, FL
Social