Prior to joining the faculty at McIntire, Abby Fifer Mandell served for 17 years at the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business, where she directed the Brittingham Social Enterprise Lab; co-taught the Min Family Challenge with the Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship group at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering; produced the USC Social Venture Coaching Competition (SVCC); and co-produced the Aging is Now | Aging is the Future Entrepreneurship Symposium, an annual gathering of practitioners, researchers, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders regarding business opportunities for the emerging market of older adults. 

Fifer Mandell is a frequent lecturer, workshop facilitator, and keynote speaker and has authored many works on user-centered design and strategy, including Human-Centered Design for Social Innovation Toolkit, 1st-13th ed. (2016-2023) and Design Strategy for Social Innovation Toolkit for Educators (2016). In 2018, she won the Academy of Management Innovation in Entrepreneurship Pedagogy Award. Fifer Mandell received a 2023 USC Mentoring Award for Faculty Mentoring Undergraduate Students and a 2025 USC Marshall Golden Apple Award. 

Outside of the classroom, she performs ethnographic research for corporate and civic clients and guides organizations on fundamentals of user-centered design and strategic planning. Fifer Mandell was UVA Student Council President, is a Wexner Heritage Fellow, and serves on the advisory boards of United Parents and Students and Seismic Capital.