Faculty Fellow Viva Bartkus was featured in Women Lead 2019, a Notre Dame initiative to celebrate International Women's Day by highlighting the work of seven influential faculty members. As an immigrant from Lithuania, Bartkus was drawn to research about why communities decide to fight for independence. After obtaining her PhD by exploring this question and spending a decade in business consulting with McKinsey & Co., she joined the Mendoza College of Business faculty in 2004. In her role as professor and researcher, she cofounded the Business on the Frontlines course for MBA students. This unique course seeks to examine how to harness the dynamism of business to rebuild war-torn societies as a means of bringing about peace. Bartkus said, "Business on the Frontlines is, in many ways, very much drawn from my Catholic faith that came from my grandparents and parents and community. We should never underestimate the human dignity associated with a good day’s work, particularly for those who have come through conflict.”