Faculty Profile for Dr. Elissa Underwood Marek
Dr. Elissa Underwood Marek
Assistant Professor — Finance & Economics
MCOY 504
phone: (512) 245-2547
Biography Section
Biography and Education
Elissa Underwood Marek earned her Ph.D. in American Studies from the University of Texas at Austin, J.D. from Boston College Law School, and B.A. in the Growth and Structure of Cities, magna cum laude, from Bryn Mawr College.Prior to joining Texas State in 2022, she worked as a research attorney at the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, practiced appellate law in Austin, and clerked for the Supreme Court of Texas.
Her research interests include critical carceral studies, food justice, sustainability law, and social entrepreneurship.
Teaching Interests
Business Law; Sustainable Development; Business and Social JusticeResearch Interests
Sustainability Law, Food Justice, Critical Carceral Studies, Social EntrepreneurshipSelected Scholarly/Creative Work
- Marek, E. U. (2024). Establishing a Right to Food for “Justice”-Impacted People: An Abolitionist Strategy to Build Community, Sustainability, and Small Business in the United States. Fordham Urban Law Journal, 52.2, 339–367.
- Marek, E. U. (2024). “Let Us Work, Man”: Asserting Rights to Employment for Individuals With Conviction Histories in Austin, Texas. Fordham Urban Law Journal, 51, 1065–1094.
- Eljourbagy, J., Marek, E. U., & Todd, J. (n.d.). Preventing Disaster Through Corporate-Community Agreements. Oregon Law Review, 103.
- Marek, E. U. (2022). Recipes for Resistance and Abolition: Crafting a Culinary Discourse While Incarcerated. Food and Foodways, 30(1–2), 82–102.
- Marek, E. U. (2018). The Post-Incarceration Kitchen: Food-Based Community Organizing and Employment After Incarceration. American Studies, 57(3), 57–79. https://doi.org/10.2307/45217114
Selected Awards
- Award / Honor Recipient: Nancy Kubasek Award for Best Paper on Environmental Law & Sustainability, Academy of Legal Studies in Business. August 9, 2024
- Award / Honor Recipient: Departmental Teaching Award - Highest Teaching Evaluations for Tenure-Track Assistant Professor, Department of Finance and Economics. May 2023
- Award / Honor Recipient: Homecoming Professor Outstanding Teaching Award, Southwestern University. 2014
Selected Grants
- Marek, Elissa Underwood (Principal). Just Food: Sustainability, Equity, and Food Justice in Business Law, Research Enhancement Program, Texas State University, $8000. (Funded: July 2025 - August 2025). Grant.
- Marek, Elissa Underwood (Principal). Faculty Development Grant - Reframe, Resist, Repeat: A Model for Restorative Practices at Work (Refereed Paper Presentation at the Annual Meeting of the American Studies Association), McCoy College, Texas State University, $2414.06. (Submitted: 2023, Funded: 2023 - 2024). Grant.
- Marek, Elissa Underwood. Faculty Development Grant - Storytelling for Sustainable and Socially Responsible Business: Creating a Podcast, Texas State University, $1453. (Funded: September 2022 - 2023). Grant.
Selected Service Activities
Member
Business Law Curriculum Committee
September 18, 2024-Present
Member
Search Committee for Tenure-Line Faculty in Economics
August 2024-Present
Officer
Academy of Legal Studies in Business Environmental & Sustainability Section
August 8, 2024-Present
Volunteer
The Becker Green Classroom
August 2019-Present
Participant
Responsible Decision-Making and Leadership Workshop
November 15, 2024-November 15, 2024