Faculty
University of San Francisco Executive MBA faculty include current industry professionals, as well as PhD educated experts in a breadth of business fields.
Full-Time Faculty
Associate Professor Zachary C. Burns specializes in managerial and organizational behavior with research in the psychology of morality and ethics, applications in law, and judgment and decision-making. His works surrounds behavioral patterns, intellectual property and intentionality. Dr. Burns previously taught as a Visiting Assistant Professor and Postdoctoral Fellow at Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University.
He has had articles on his research published in the Journal of...
- Ph.D. Managerial and Organizational Behavior, University of Chicago Booth School of Business Center for Decision Research, 2013
- Masters Business Administration, University of Chicago Booth School of...
Professor Mark V. Cannice is an internationally recognized scholar, teacher, and speaker on entrepreneurship and venture capital. He is a Professor with the University of San Francisco, School of Management.
Cannice writes the widely-followed quarterly Silicon Valley Venture Capitalist Confidence Index Report® which is published by ProQuest and EBSCO, indexed globally on Bloomberg Professional Services in 170 countries (Bloomberg ticker symbol: SVVCCI), and has been referenced in the...
- Ph.D., Indiana University (1997)
- M.S., Indiana University (1996)
- MBA, University of San Francisco (1992)
- B. S., United States Naval Academy (1984)
Roger Chen brings to USF forward-thinking expertise in the fields of corporate innovation and growth, competition and global strategy - areas he views as entirely interdependent. By developing a balanced approach to his research endeavors - devoting equal time and effort between pure quantitative/academic research and case research methods - Dr. Chen embodies academic rigor, benefiting his students, fellow academics, global corporations and communities with his egalitarian work philosophy.
Pr...
- Ph.D., Strategy and International Management, University of Texas at Dallas, 1996
- M.S., Industrial Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China, 1986
- B.S., Operations Management, Shanghai...
Assistant Professor Fernando Comiran brings to USF both an enthusiasm for accounting and a philosophy that attempts to integrate real-world application and leading-edge research in the classroom. His research areas of interest include Earnings Management, Accounting Fraud, Voluntary Disclosure, Financial Statement Analysis, and Security Valuation.
Currently, Professor Comiran is focusing his research on individual investor behavior and company incentives to better understand how disclosure...
- Ph.D. Business Administration - Accounting, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 2014
- M.Sc. Finance and Accounting, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, 2009
- B.S...
Associate Professor Rebekah Dibble investigates the impact of national culture and government on organizations, the adjustment processes in cross-cultural teams and collaborations, and the theoretical implications of boundary fluidity in teams.
Engaging her students in discussions on leader effectiveness and cross-cultural team performance—
- Post Doctoral Research Fellowship, Thunderbird School of Global Management
- PhD, Management, University of California, Irvine
- MBA, Brigham Young University, Utah
- BA, Business Management...
Associate Professor Tatiana Fedyk is an experienced financial analyst and consultant who, before teaching at USF, held teaching positions at the University of California at Berkeley and Arizona State University. Her research interests include R&D investments, real earnings management, financial management tools, accounting value relevance, and underlying volatility.
In her teaching, Dr. Fedyk combines her entrepreneurial consulting experience with her technical and business education to give...
- Ph.D., Accounting, University of California at Berkeley, 2008
- C.P.A., Certified Public Accountant, Moscow, Russia, 1996
- M.S., Mechanical Engineering, Moscow State University, 1990
- B.S...
Professor Tom Grossman likes to see non-technical people harness the power of analytics and technology to lead their organizations. His interests include business analytics, spreadsheet engineering, spreadsheet information systems, managerial communication of analytical work, and analysis-driven process improvement.
He spent the early years of his career at an analytics consulting firm working on large-scale systems for operations and planning in the United States and Scandinavia. His...
- PhD, Management Science & Engineering, Stanford University, 1994
- MS, Engineering-Economic Systems, Stanford University, 1985
- BS, Mechanical Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana, 1984
Keith Hunter's primary research interests revolve around organizational networks, power, and leadership. He is particularly interested in how social networks both influence and reflect active mental models and power dynamics within groups and organizations. His investigations of the patterns of interaction among people and their implications for human behavior and organizational outcomes are of critical significance to tomorrow's business leaders.
His rich background inspires his research and...
- Carnegie Mellon University, PhD in Organizational Behavior and Management, 2011
- Carnegie Mellon University, MPhil in Public Policy and Management, 2011
- University of Central Florida, MS in...
- Social network analysis
- Power and influence
- Community engaged learning
Assistant Professor Ryan Langan’s research area lies in branding and corporate social responsibility with a focus on understanding how consumers perceive and respond to firms who engage in corporate philanthropy. His current projects explore the potential for corporate giving to elicit feelings of gratitude on the part of consumers. Langan’s research has been published in the Journal of Brand Management, Journal of Business Research and the Encyclopedia of Public Administration and Public...
- PhD, Marketing, University of South Florida
- MBA, Marketing, University of Portland
- BS, Sports Management, University of Wisconsin at La Crosse
Kevin Lo is a professor at the University of San Francisco, School of Management. He is also a graduate of the USF joint Master of Business Administration (MBA) - Master of Arts in Asia Pacific Studies (MAPS) program. His scholarly work and teaching focus on emotional and cultural intelligence.
- University of Hawaii, PhD in International Management, 2007
- University of San Francisco, MBA, 2001
- University of San Francisco, MA in Asia Pacific Studies, 2001
- Brown University, BA in East...
- Emotional and Cultural Intelligence
- Mindfulness and Self-Care
- Experiential Education
- Community-Engaged Learning
Dr. Courtney Masterson teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on topics including diversity and inclusion; work and well-being; research methods; and community-engaged learning. As a teacher, she strives to create an engaging learning environment that enables students to cultivate knowledge and develop personally and professionally. This includes providing students opportunities to partner in meaningful ways with the University’s surrounding community.
Courtney is also an active...
- PhD, Organizational Behavior/Human Resource Management, University of Illinois at Chicago
- Master of Business Administration, Management, DePaul University
- Bachelor of Arts, Political Science...
Professor Vijay Mehrotra serves as a professor of Business Analytics at the University of San Francisco, where he has recently developed an innovative module for his MBA students that is focused on Customer Success Management (the first such academic program in the world). He also leads the Business Analytics concentration within USF's MBA program and teaches courses in Business Analytics, Predictive Modeling, and Data Mining.
Since 1992, he has been active in the world of analytics...
- Ph.D., Operations Research, Stanford University, 1992
- M.S., Operations Research, Stanford University, 1989
- B.A. Mathematics, Economics and Statistics, St. Olaf College, 1986
Frank Ohara is recognized for his dedication to teaching excellence by the School of Management as the eight-time recipient of the Outstanding Teaching Award. Establishing the USF National Honor Society Chapter of the International Financial Management Association, Ohara continues to serve as faculty advisor for the organization today. With over fifteen years' financial management and administrative experience in the computer manufacturing and financial services industries, he brings extensive...
- Post Doctorate, Finance & Accounting, Hough Graduate School of Business, University of Florida
- J.D., Santa Clara University, CA
- B.S., Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Professor Jennifer Parlamis's academic career has centered on pioneering social-psychological research in the areas of negotiation, conflict resolution, communication, and organization dynamics. Specifically, she studies the impact of technology on negotiation outcomes and the role of anger and incompetency emotions in negotiation and conflict contexts. In addition, she has written on ageism in organizations as well as negotiation pedagogy.
She employs the latest scholarly research to help...
- PhD, Social and Organizational Psychology, Teachers College, Columbia University, 2001
- The Moscow Institute of Social and Political Studies, Moscow Russian Language Certificate, Moscow, Russia, 1994...
- Negotiation and Bargaining
- Team Dynamics
- Self-as Instrument
- Consulting Practices
- Mindful Leadership
Anthony Patino is a renowned expert in entertainment, advertising, and promotion, consumer behavior, public policy and marketing analytics. He holds degrees in marketing, business administration, planning and social policy from Duke University, Harvard University, and Temple University. His widely-published research takes him to conferences all over the U.S.
During his career in entertainment, Patino worked in marketing, sales and research at leading entertainment firms like Sony Picture...
- PhD, Business Administration, Marketing, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 2006
- MBA, Marketing, Duke University, North Carolina, 1991
- MA, Administration, Planning and Social Policy...
William (Billy) Riggs, Ph.D., AICP, LEED AP is a professor at the University of San Francisco School of Management and the Director of the Autonomous Vehicles and the City Initiative. He has worked in venture capital and management consulting and been an advisor to multiple companies and start-ups on technology, engineering, smart mobility and urban development. His experience also extends to academic administration, curriculum design, and finance having held academic appointments in city...
- Ph.D., City and Regional Planning, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 2011
- Master of Urban Planning, Economics and Spatial Analysis, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, 2003
- Bachelor of Arts...
Dr. Shivani Shukla teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in the application of machine learning and AI to business. She is committed to creating a dynamic learning experience that equips students with the professional skills and personal growth needed to thrive in varied business roles.
Shivani is an active researcher in the fields of reinforcement learning, optimization, and computer vision applied to cybersecurity and intelligent systems. Her research has been published in prominent...
- University of Massachusetts, PhD in Management Science, 2017
- Gujarat University, MS in Statistics, 2009
- AI
- Computer vision
- Optimization
- Probability
- Reinforcement learning
Dr. Marco Tavanti is a professor of Leadership and Sustainability at the University of San Francisco’s Masagung Graduate School of Management. He serves as Program Director for the Master in Management - Sustainable Business Management (MIM-SBM) and Faculty Lead for the Sustainability in Management Education (SiME) Impact Area. With over 30 years of global experience, Dr. Tavanti has led programs across Europe, East Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America, focusing on sustainable development...
- PhD, Sociology, Loyola University, Chicago, IL, 2001 (with distinction)
- MA, Sociology, Loyola University, Chicago, IL, 1999
- MA, Cross-Cultural Theology, Catholic Theological Union, Chicago, IL...
- Sustainability management
- Sustainable development leadership
- Social economy organizations
- Indigenous & human rights
- Refugee education & services
Neil's principle area of research is the role of virtue and morality (or the lack thereof) in organizations, specifically the presence of courage and cowardice within organizational life. His work explores the psychological mechanisms and consequences of virtuous behavior as part of expected occupational roles. By focusing on high-risk occupations such as ordnance disposal, private military contracting, and air-traffic control, Neil attempts to develop greater insight into how workers construct...
- Birkbeck College, University of London, PhD. in Organizational Psychology
- Institute of Work Psychology, University of Sheffield, MSc. Organizational Psychology
- Queens' University of Belfast, BSc...
- Ethics & Morality
- Qualitative Data Analysis
- Organizational Ethics
- Evidence-based Management
Part-Time Faculty
Stephen Lanza is the Principal at Tri-Valley Advising LLC, focused on developing and driving strategies and organizational leadership for start-up and mid-size companies. He is also a Group Leader for Vistage International Peer Advisory Group for CEOs and Business Leaders, and has been a lecturer for the last twenty years on Business Strategy for MBA programs.
Stephen has over 20 years at the VP+ level, including: Functional Global Leadership experience for teams in operations, finance, sales...
- MBA, Golden Gate University
- BS, Business Cal Poly SLO
- Certified Management Accountant (IMA)
- Certified Leadership Development and Succession Strategist (HCI)
- Certified Change Management (ProSci...
- Business strategy
- Business operations and planning
- Finance
Professor Jonathan Reichental is a multiple-award-winning technology and business leader whose career has spanned both the private and public sectors. He’s been a senior software engineering manager, a director of technology innovation, and has served as chief information officer at both O’Reilly Media and the City of Palo Alto, California. He also creates online education for LinkedIn Learning and has published six books on technology-related topics.
- PhD, Information Systems, Nova Southeastern University
- MS, Management Information Systems, Nova Southeastern University
- BS, Computer Information Systems, University of Tampa
- BS-equivalent...
- Smart cities
- Blockchain technologies
- Emerging technologies
- Data governance
Faculty Emeritus
John Veitch, Professor of Finance, and Director of the M.S. in Financial Analysis program, is an esteemed faculty member with over two decades of academic and chief administrative service to the university. Specializing in financial analysis and risk management, Dr. Veitch is the co-author of a number of articles on country risk in Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and South Africa due to contributing factors of financial integration, currency devaluation and currency contagion. Professor Veitch served...
- C.F.A. (Chartered Financial Analyst) designation, 1999
- Ph.D., Economics, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, 1985
- Degree: B.A., Economics and Mathematics, Trinity College, University of...