Charles O'Quinn

Dr. Richard O'Quinn, whose full name is Charles Richard Vance O'Quinn, is a Lecturer in Management & Leadership at the School of Business, University of Queensland, within the Faculty of Business, Economics and Law. Prior to academia, he had a 23-year career as a commissioned officer in the US Army Special Operations Forces. His academic qualifications include a Bachelor of Arts from Virginia Military Institute, a Masters (Research) of Military Studies from US Army Command and General Staff College, a Postgraduate Diploma from Georgetown University, a Masters (Coursework) of Business Administration from the University of Queensland, and a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Queensland (2020), with the thesis titled "Leaders' practice of strategic decision-making." He teaches courses on leadership, strategic decision-making, and strategic human resource management in graduate, MBA, Executive Education, and online programs. O'Quinn advises leaders and organizations on leadership, strategy, and organization improvement and serves as an affiliate of the UQ Cyber Research Centre.

His research specializations encompass leadership, strategic decision-making, and organization studies using practice and process perspectives. Key publications include the book "Invisible scalpel: low-visibility operations in the war on terror" (2015); journal articles "Scoping review of veterans’ disclosure of mental health concerns or medical conditions in the workplace and other settings: study protocol" (BMJ Open, 2024, co-authored with Emma B. Knight et al.), "Lipstick on the Pig" (Organization Studies, 2023), "Six habits to enhance MET performance under stress: a discussion paper reviewing team mechanisms for improved patient outcomes" (Australian Critical Care, 2016, co-authored with Erich C. Fein et al.), and "Military enthusiasm and political reality: USSOCOM's role in the joint, combined, interagency, global counterinsurgency" (Joint Special Operations University Report, 2006). Additional contributions feature a book chapter "UQ Business School Indigenising curriculum with technology" (2025, co-authored with Ree Jordan et al.), a conference publication "Indigenizing Curriculum through Technology: A socio-technical perspective" (2024), research reports such as "Centre for Australian Army Leadership Research Report 1-2021" (2021), and a public article "Military veterans with PTSD face an agonising choice: the stigma of declaring it to employers or being denied support" (The Conversation, 2024). He has received funding for projects including a pilot study on veterans' disclosure of medical conditions (2022-2024) and development of a strategic decision-making simulation (2021-2022). O'Quinn supervises doctoral students on topics like leader storytelling in organizational change and entrepreneurial leadership in practice.

Professional Email: c.oquinn@business.uq.edu.au