Wake Forest School of Business Faculty Focus - Volume 3; November 2025
Dear Wake Forest School of Business Supporters and Friends,
At the Wake Forest University School of Business, our vision is to help businesses and organizations create a better world. Central to achieving this vision are the tremendously talented and dedicated faculty who are and help us remain “At the Heart of Business” in everything we do.
Our faculty members are more than educators; they are visionaries, thought leaders, and experts in their respective areas. Their knowledge, experience, and passion elevate the learning environment, nurturing students into analytical, ethical business leaders and innovative problem solvers who are prepared to make a positive impact through business.
Our esteemed professors continually push the boundaries of innovation and impact through their forward-thinking teaching methods and dedication to advancing scholarship and creative endeavors. As innovative thought leaders, their groundbreaking research addresses pressing business and organizational issues and key societal challenges. Their work spans critical areas, from working to expand financial access to underserved populations, to investigating factors impacting audit quality, and exploring how behavioral insights help provide a greater understanding of various business decisions.
This next installment of our Faculty Focus showcase is dedicated to highlighting the human stories behind these leaders who exemplify what it means to work, as the University's Pro Humanitate motto proclaims, "for humanity." It serves as a testament to their ongoing achievements and reveals their dynamic range of academic expertise, industry knowledge, and personalities.
I am honored, through this publication, to continue the work of introducing such a remarkable group of people with those such as yourselves who are invested in the future of business education.
Sincerely,
Annette L. Ranft
Dean and F.M. Kirby Foundation Chair in Business Excellence; Professor of Strategic Management
Scott Shafer
Greg Stewart
Stephen Smulowitz
Devon Jefferson
Bill Marcum
Ali Zeytoon-Nejad
Yeongin
Kim
Michelle Steward
Lisa Dragoni
Jenelle Conaway
New Faculty
Michelle Steward
DECIPHERING AMBIGUITY
POSITION
Hendley-Lightcap Faculty Fellow in Free Enterprise & Entrepreneurship; Associate Professor of Marketing
EDUCATION
PhD, Arizona State University (Marketing)
MBA, University of West Florida
BA, University of West Florida (Cultural Anthropology)
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Customer feedback
Customer surveys
Superior firm performance
TEACHING INTERESTS
Marketing Management
Brand Management
New Product Innovation
RECENT RESEARCH
"Patiently winning through virtuous leadership: The impact of virtuous leadership behavior on employee engagement across time"
Journal of General Management. (2024)
with Brower, H.H., and Rea, P.
As an undergrad at the University of West Florida, Michelle Steward studied cultural anthropology, a discipline that examines the connections and variations of human cultures. That background, she says, still informs her work in marketing today.
“I was most interested in how the decisions people make are shaped by their values and beliefs across contexts,. And I've always been absolutely fascinated by how those decisions play out in the marketplace.”
Steward melded those two worlds in her post-graduate studies in marketing—as well as during a stint working for the Ministry of Education in South Korea—applying the behavioral insight of cultural anthropology to better understand how business decisions get made.
“My MBA and my PhD gave me the formal tools to understand those kinds of dynamics in a more systematic way. If you look at the variety of projects over my career on the surface, some of them appear to be quite different from one another. But I think they all illustrate that businesses do not solve their problems unless they solve enough customer problems.”
Steward draws on that background in her research, focusing on how marketing impacts performance for businesses. The notion of how businesses can better solve customer problems remains at the heart of her work.
For instance, a recent research project Steward conducted in partnership with colleagues at Tulane University and the University of Miami looks at why customers withhold honest feedback from companies when those businesses directly ask for opinions.
“We found that customers sugercoat their feedback, while at the same time, businesses think consumers are actually quite frank. The reality is that mismatch of customer sugarcoating and businesses believing that we're very blunt about our feedback can cause a gross misallocation of resources. It can lead a company to solve the wrong problems.”
As a result of their research, Steward and her team developed a technique to deactivate this effect and uncover more
"Credible Effects: The Impact of Disclosure of Material Connections within Online Product Reviews."
Journal of Public Policy & Marketing. (2020)
with Burns, A.C., Morgan, F.N., and Roehm, M.L.
"An Exploratory Study of Business-to-Business Online Customer Reviews: External Online Professional Communities and Internal Vendor Scorecards."
Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science. (2018)
with Narus, J.A., and Roehm, M.L.
"It's all about curiosity and helping them think critically in situations that have a lot of ambiguity."
valuable insights from customers to prevent misallocating resources. She believes it’s important to share this research beyond the academic arena so that businesses can actually benefit from their findings.
“To me, there's a very valuable two-way bridge that we have to have in higher education where we’re offering value, and we’re also addressing real, pressing problems that businesses have.”
Steward also translates that research to the classroom. Teaching both undergraduates and graduate students, as well as in her role as Faculty Affiliate for the Center for the Study of Capitalism, Steward emphasizes the power and nuance of decision-making.
“My mission for my students is to help them build what I call a confident competence to begin to work on solutions. I work to create opportunities for my students to build a mindset around marketing as a problem-solving approach with real consequences.”
Steward presents case studies of real businesses, as well as simulations that allow students to exercise the practice of making business decisions rooted in an understanding of human behavior.
“They get to think critically about data, but they also have to anticipate the human side of decisions,” she points out.
That idea of accounting for the variables of human decisions also presents an opportunity for students to be more creative in problem-solving as they navigate their careers. Steward believes the academic setting allows them to practice that skill in a low-risk way.
“There's a real genuine curiosity in people, and if we rekindle that in all of us, and in my students in particular, I think it will help them provide more meaningful solutions for their companies in the future. It’s all about curiosity and helping them think critically in situations that have a lot of ambiguity, and higher ed is a wonderful arena for them to do that.”
Steward has been at Wake Forest for more than two decades, and she says the University and the School of Business in particular foster an environment that can promote this type of exploration and experimentation for both faculty and students.
“They see how the human side of decisions presents uncertainty and ambiguity just like they will face in their workplaces.”
“For me, part of living Pro Humanitate requires experimenting with a lot of different approaches, both in my research and my teaching. I’ve been very fortunate at Wake to be strongly encouraged to experiment, to recognize that not all experiments are going to come off exactly as we hope, but there will be lots of lessons learned.”
DISTINGUISHED TITLES HONORS
• Hendley-Lightcap Faculty Fellow in Free Enterprise & Entrepreneurship
• Center for the Study of Capitalism, Faculty Affiliate
• T.B. Rose Fellowship in Business for Instructional Innovation, 2021, Wake Forest School of Business
• Reviewer of the Year, 2013, Journal of Marketing Education
• S. Tamer Cavusgil Award, 2011, American Marketing Association; "Most significant contribution to the advancement of the practice of international marketing management"
Stephen Smulowitz
POSITION
McNicholas-Lightcap Faculty Fellow; Assistant Professor of Strategic Management
EDUCATION
PhD, IESE Business School (Business Administration and Management)
JD, University of Pennsylvania
MS, IE Business School
BS/BA, Binghamton University (Psychology/Philosophy)
Strategic management
Corporate governance
Business ethics
Sustainability RESEARCH INTERESTS
TEACHING INTERESTS
Preparing future leaders to navigate complex business challenges while maintaining strong moral foundations; Providing a real-world perspective to questions of corporate governance and strategic leadership
Stephen Smulowitz didn’t always intend to work in academia. After earning a Juris Doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, he began his career as a lawyer clerking in the Delaware Court of Chancery before working with the firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, and with the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) in Washington, D.C.
Years later while working as a lawyer in Miami, Smulowitz realized it was time for a change.
“I realized that practicing law wasn’t where I found the most fulfillment,” he shares. “What truly excited me was the opportunity to explore ideas through research and to help students discover their own ways of thinking.”
Smulowitz enrolled in IESE Business School in Barcelona, Spain, and earned a PhD in 2017. Upon graduation, he worked at the IMD Global Board Center in Switzerland, conducting research and executive education focused on corporate governance and boards of directors. In 2023, Smulowitz and his family relocated to the United States, and he took on an assistant professor role at Wake Forest, teaching strategy to both undergraduate and graduate students.
In both his research and his work in the classroom, Smulowitz focuses on corporate governance and how it can affect sustainability.
“I like to challenge students with the idea that there’s this transition to sustainability. What does sustainability mean, and how can we get there?”
Smulowitz conducted a case study of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, a Winston-Salem institution with strong ties to Wake Forest. The study examines that connection through the lens of Reynolds’ efforts to be more sustainable while still producing a product that can cause cancer.
“Wake Forest would not be here if not for the Reynolds family donating the property to the University, but they also sell a
RECENT RESEARCH
"More risk-averse or more innovative? The effect of women board membership and aspirations on patent activity." Research Policy. (2025)
with Smulowitz, M., and Cossin, D.
"The High Cost of Cheap Talk: How Disingenuous Ethical Language Can Reflect Agency Costs."
Journal of Management. (2025)
with Pfarrer, M. D., Cossin, D., and Lu, H.
"Institutional Logics as a Resource and Risk: Logic Deviance and Categorical Penalties in US Community Banks."
Journal of Management Studies. (2025)
with Rousseau, H.E. and Audia, P.G.
product that kills people. My mother died of lung cancer, so I don’t want anyone to smoke, but I also wanted to look at how Reynolds has been making a transition to investing in things such as diversity and inclusion, environmental sustainability, investing in local communities and using renewable resources.”
The study allowed him to explore the complexities of businesses making these moves toward sustainability, while also encouraging his students to take a more nuanced approach to thinking about companies such as R.J. Reynolds.
Smulowitz also conducts research on diversity and inclusion, along with sustainability in business. These timely topics are more than just buzzwords. He adds that advancing women into leadership roles isn’t only a moral imperative but a strategic one. As women make up most graduates in higher education and professional fields, companies that tap into that talent pool are better positioned to compete.
Moreover, as more women rise into leadership roles, Smulowitz says it’s essential to understand how their presence shapes corporate strategy and decision-making, a key topic in his research. “I have one paper looking at the effect of having more women on the boards of directors and their investments in sustainability. We find that when you have more women on the board, they’re more consistent with their investments, and it leads to firms being more consistent in their sustainable strategies.”
Another study focused on wrongdoing in organizations and how it has significantly increased over time. Smulowitz brings that research into the classroom to illustrate to students how wrongdoing can proliferate even when companies think they’re doing everything right.
“Firms are committing more and more wrongdoing, and I put that evidence in front of the students and ask, ‘Why is this the case?’ Normal organizational structures such as incentive programs and pressures in a hierarchical organization can lead to more wrongdoing. When I present this to executives, they’re
very resistant because they don’t want to think it’s happening at their firm. So we have to get the idea across that yes, it could happen to you, and it takes a significant amount of vigilance to ensure that it doesn’t.”
I like to challenge students with the idea that there’s this transition to sustainability." "
Tying into his work in sustainability, Smulowitz serves as an affiliate faculty member at the Sabin Family Center for Environment and Sustainability at Wake Forest. That connection allows him to tap into the center’s science expertise to enrich his own research and curriculum.
“They’ve been an amazing resource for me, given that my background is in law and management rather than the technical sciences. In conjunction with the Sabin Center, I’m developing a course on business sustainability because we have a lot of students who are interested in careers in sustainability, but they don’t fully know what that means and how it can apply to business.”
Smulowitz says the partnership embodies Wake Forest’s mission to develop leaders who achieve professional excellence while contributing meaningfully to the greater good.
“What I love most about Wake Forest is the idea of Pro Humanitate,” he explains. “My passion for corporate governance is rooted in the belief that business can be a force for good. It’s not just about financial success; it’s about creating value that uplifts people and strengthens communities. That vision aligns perfectly with Wake Forest’s mission. The teacher-scholar model allows me to bring my research into my teaching. Wake has been very supportive of that. And that’s what makes this place so special.”
DISTINGUISHED TITLES
• McNicholas-Lightcap Faculty Fellow
• Sabin Family Center for Environment and Sustainability, Faculty Affiliate
• Allegacy Center for Leadership and Character, Research Associate
HONORS
• Cowan Faculty Research Award, 2025, Wake Forest School of Business
Ali ZeytoonNejad
EXPLAINING ECONOMICS
POSITION
Iglehart-Lightcap Faculty Fellow; Associate Teaching Professor of Business Economics
EDUCATION
PhD, North Carolina State University (Economics)
MS, North Carolina State University (Economics, Theoretical Track)
MS, Azad University of Iran (Economics, Applied Track)
BS, Azad University of Iran (Mining and Mineral Engineering)
AS, Iran University of Industry and Mines (Mining Technology)
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Microeconomics, Behavioral and Experimental Economics, Applied Econometrics, Comparative Economics, and the Economics of Risk, Insurance, and Production
Though Ali Zeytoon-Nejad grew up with an economist father, initially he pursued a totally different field of study: mining engineering. The discipline, which taps into mathematics, physics, chemistry, and geology, allowed Zeytoon-Nejad to learn how to find the most technically viable options in mine extraction, assessing the overall feasibility of mining projects.
As he explored the technical viability of mining methods, Zeytoon-Nejad also began learning about the economic considerations of mining projects.
“I took a course called engineering economics and learned that I’m very interested in economics,” he realized. “In that course, we looked at all the technically feasible options and determined which of them were economically viable or justifiable. The idea of rational decision-making, such as cost-benefit analysis, is what drew me to economics.”
That realization drove Zeytoon-Nejad to pursue economics in his post-graduate work. Initially, he planned to be an economist upon completing his PhD in the discipline at North Carolina State University, but a love of teaching he discovered tutoring a high-school classmate led him to academia instead.
“As I did research in economics while earning my graduate degrees, I began to realize that research and teaching were two of my passions. That was the turning point for me to decide to stay in academia.”
We believe business education is an effective way to serve society. " "
Research and teaching continue to be passions for Zeytoon-Nejad, and he says Wake Forest has allowed him to pursue both with its teacher-scholar model.
On the research front, Zeytoon-Nejad focuses on business
RECENT RESEARCH
"Backward Growth Accounting: An Economic Tool for Strategic Planning of Business Growth." Managerial and Decision Economics. (2025)
"The Big Tradeoff Averted: Five Avenues to Promote Efficiency and Equality Simultaneously."
International Economics and Economic Policy. (2024)
"GENERALIZING THE GENERAL: Generalizing the CES Production Function to Allow for the Viability of Input Thresholds."
Applied Economics. (2022) with Goodwin, B., and Ghosh, S.
economics and managerial economics, examining concepts such as risk aversion, behavioral economics, insurance modeling, and production functions.
Zeytoon-Nejad also serves as a research affiliate for the Center for the Study of Capitalism at Wake Forest University. “In that role, I have an active line of research in the area of economic systems and comparative economics, which studies and compares economic performance across different economic systems.”
That research translates directly to the classroom through practical knowledge and skills that students can apply to the workplace once they graduate and move into their careers.
“As an economist working in a school of business, my first job is to bring economic tools to my students so that they can apply them immediately in their workplace to make economically rational, efficient and optimal decisions. Our students will serve as business leaders for their companies, so these skills are essential for their success.”
Zeytoon-Nejad also co-teaches an undergraduate course with School of Business colleague Rob Nash, entitled Foundations of Capitalism. He says that class allows him to give a wider range of students a deep dive into the capitalist economy of the United States and how it fits into the greater global economy.
“My role in that course is to train students on the U.S. economic system, laissez-faire capitalism, the market economy and the free-enterprise system,” he notes. “We explain the foundations of the market system so that our students can develop a comprehensive, big-picture understanding of how the economic system of the U.S. functions.”
This class and the partnership he has with Nash illustrates one of the greatest benefits of being part of the faculty at Wake Forest— the vast network of expertise on campus.
“Wake Forest University, and the School of Business in particular, is truly a community of great minds. Working and living alongside every single member of this community has been a great pleasure and an absolute honor of my life.”
Zeytoon-Nejad believes the School of Business doesn’t just equip its students with the technical and intellectual tools to be successful in their careers—it also teaches them the role businesses play in society and how they can be a catalyst for good.
“We are an institution that stands by truth and also sympathy to ensure we get things right and also do good,. We believe business education is one of the most effective ways to serve society. A major strength of business as a social servant and a force for good lies in the fact that business is essentially built upon free will, incentive compatibility, voluntary exchange, and mutual benefits, when all are pursued within ethical confines.”
“The motto of Wake Forest University, Pro Humanitate, inspires us to use our skills to serve the community through mutually beneficial trades, value-generating markets, and ethical business practices. This is what we are passionate about at the School of Business.”
DISTINGUISHED TITLES
• Iglehart-Lightcap Faculty Fellow
• Center for the Study of Capitalism, Research Affiliate
• International Journal of Economics and Finance, Editorial Board Member
• Journal of Business and Economic Research, Editorial Board Member
Bill Marcum
EVALUATING OVERSIGHT
POSITION
Wall Street Partners Faculty Fellow; Associate Professor of Finance
EDUCATION
PhD, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Finance)
MA, University of North Carolina at Greensboro (Economics)
BA, University of North Carolina at Greensboro (Economics)
BA, Furman University (Political Philosophy)
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Corporate Finance and Investments (specifically, stock market reaction to dividends), Valuation and the Relationship between Shareholders and Stakeholders, Austrian economics, value perception
TEACHING INTERESTS
Corporate Finance International Finance
RECENT RESEARCH
"To overstate or not to overstate Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): What does Bayes tell us about CSR decoupling and firm value?" Managerial and Decision Economics. (2023) with Sayari Marcum, N.
When Bill Marcum came to Wake Forest more than three decades ago as a visiting professor, he thought he’d only stay for a short time.
“I came here to try to figure out what I wanted to do,” he says. “And I really like Wake, so I guess technically I’ve been here 30 years trying to figure out what my career would be.”
Over the years since first coming to Wake in that visiting professor role, Marcum has risen through the ranks to his current role of Wall Street Partners Faculty Fellow and associate professor, teaching corporate and international finance to both undergrads and graduate students.
Outside the classroom, Marcum’s research taps into his undergraduate pursuits by examining the intersection between law and finance/economics.
“I always thought as an economist, and I saw law as simply dead-weight cost—it basically hindered markets. But as I thought about it more and did more research, I realized you can’t have a market without a robust legal system. So my question is exactly how much does the law need to intercede in financial markets to make them work the way they’re supposed to?”
Marcum’s research also touches on forensic economics, the practice of applying economic theories and methods
"Board systems, employee representation, and neo-institutional theory: The moderating effect of economic freedom on corporate boards and financial performance." Managerial and Decision Economics. (2022) with Sayari Marcum, N.
"Reducing risk in the emerging markets: Does enhancing corporate governance work?" Business Research Quarterly. (2018) with Sayari Marcum, N.
to legal situations, such as personal injury litigation or contract violations.
“How do economists establish losses for people when someone’s injured or loses their life? We have to find an appropriate way to analyze the losses someone has suffered,” he explains. “It can get pretty tricky because you’re looking at what would have happened in the future, and that can be debatable.”
"
How much does the law need to intercede in financial markets to make them work the way they’re supposed to? "
In the classroom, Marcum says one of his biggest goals is equipping students with financial and economic literacy, particularly for undergrads. And his research plays a role in that process.
“When you’re teaching undergraduates, they really don’t have a lot of experience, so anything I can explain about markets brings a lot to the table. They hear words like ‘yield curve,’ things an economist uses every day figuring out, say, forensic economics. When they hear ‘yield curve,’ it likely means nothing to them until you actually draw it out and explain why it’s important.”
Marcum says that even if his students don’t want to pursue a career in finance or economics, this type of knowledge will prepare them for executive-level positions in other business sectors.
“My assumption is that every student in my class, at some point, wants to be a decision-maker and rise in the ranks of whatever organization they’re involved in. And if they’re going to do that, they have to be able, at minimum, to
communicate with the finance people, the CFO. They need to be able to understand the context in which these leaders are making decisions, because ultimately the bottom line is what matters.”
Over the past 30 years, Marcum has encountered hundreds of students in his classroom, and he says they all have one major thing in common.
“Wake students are so easy to work with,” he shares. “They’re career-oriented, and they want to achieve things in their life, which makes it such a pleasure to work with them.”
Along with his students, Marcum says his fellow faculty members in the School of Business have made his tenure at Wake an enriching experience.
“Wake in general is great, and we have a really good finance group—I have some great colleagues. This School is as supportive as it can be, and we often hear people coming in from other institutions say they are much happier here. That’s a pretty strong statement.”
DISTINGUISHED TITLES
• Wall Street Partners Faculty Fellow
PREVENTING STRESS Devon Jefferson
POSITION
Assistant Professor of Accounting
EDUCATION
PhD, Virginia Commonwealth University (Accounting)
MS, Michigan State University (Accounting)
BA, North Carolina
A&T State University (Accounting)
Auditors' performance and well-being; Intrateam interactions; Judgment and decision-making; Remote work impact RESEARCH INTERESTS
TEACHING INTERESTS
Financial Accounting
"I like to understand the mechanisms and factors that impact auditors' behaviors and performance."
Devon P. Jefferson spent nearly 10 years in public accounting, first at KPMG in Washington, D.C., and then as an Audit Manager at a regional public accounting firm when her family moved to West Virginia. She enjoyed the work but also saw that the long hours and stress, especially during busy seasons, can diminish the well-being — and performance — of audit teams.
That practical experience informs much of the research that Jefferson conducts as an assistant professor of accounting.
“I like to understand the contextual mechanisms and environmental factors that impact auditors’ behaviors and how those behaviors drive their performance,” Jefferson explains. Her work has been published in Contemporary Accounting Research, Issues in Accounting Education, and the Journal of Accounting Literature.
Results of one of Jefferson’s studies show that microbreaks of five minutes or less throughout the workday reduce feelings of fatigue among auditors at the end of the day and even into
RECENT RESEARCH
"Supervisor-subordinate communication in the audit environment: a review and synthesis of contextual factors affecting subordinate behavior."
Journal of Accounting Literature. (2024)
"Surviving busy season: Using the job demands-resources model to investigate coping mechanisms."
Contemporary Accounting Research. (2024) with Andiola, L. M., and Hurley, P. J.
"Wealthy Watches Inc.: The Substantive Testing of Accounts Receivable in the Evolving Audit Environment." Issues in Accounting Education. (2022) with Andiola, L. M., Downey, D. H., and Earley, C. E.
the next morning. The study also shows that a one-minute relaxation microbreak that involved watching a video of a nature walk reduced fatigue and improved auditors’ performance. Jefferson also finds that cognitive breaks (such as checking social media or reading a book) and social breaks (such as chatting with a colleague or calling a friend) effectively alleviate auditors’ feelings of fatigue, but not nutrition breaks (having a snack or beverage).
“These are ways to alleviate the fatigue that plagues auditors — something that they can control, that they can do on their own to help themselves feel better during the day, especially during the busy season."
As part of her continued work examining auditors’ well-being and performance, Jefferson is investigating auditors’ current stressors, including the impact of their social media engagement.
“There’s a new generation entering auditing,” Jefferson observes. “What do they find stressful? Are the stressors the same as they were 15 years ago or have they changed?”
“Audit staff are typically fresh out of college, and have not yet acclimated to the culture and the climate of auditing. As a result, they often struggle to learn and to develop as professionals,” Jefferson notes. She further explains that it seems auditors new to the profession are more inclined to want to spend more time around colleagues, while experienced auditors and managers are often more comfortable working remotely, sometimes from other cities and states. Specifically, Jefferson and her research partner are investigating communication habits and patterns among remote audit teams.
Another focus of Jefferson’s research is the impact of remote work on auditing teams. It’s a relatively new work structure for public accounting firms. In fact, part of the reason Jefferson left KPMG when her family moved away from the D.C. area is that the firm didn’t then prefer auditors to work remotely. Of course, that changed with the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, Jefferson notes, and hybrid work models have since become the norm. That made Jefferson curious about how remote and hybrid work might impact auditors’ performance, particularly that of less experienced auditors, who generally benefit from working near more experienced colleagues.
In part, Jefferson, who joined the faculty two years ago and teaches three sections of an introduction to financial accounting course, was drawn to the School of Business because it supports the type of research she prefers. “I take a behavioral approach to my research, where I run surveys and conduct interviews and experiments to really understand the mechanisms and factors that impact auditors’ behaviors. I really enjoy it.”
And, as might be expected from someone focused on the well-being of auditors, Jefferson also appreciates how the School of Business values its faculty.
“Both the research and teaching here at Wake are challenging, but I want to be challenged. I want to work hard, and I also want to be in a culture where people not only care about the work I’m doing but also about me as a person. I’ve found that here.”
Greg Stewart
ENABLING TEAMWORK
Senior Associate Dean for Faculty & Research; Department Chair for Management; Thomas K. Hearn, Jr. Professor POSITION
EDUCATION
PhD, Arizona State University (Human Resource Management and Organizational Behavior)
BS, Brigham Young University (Business Administration and Human Resources)
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Teams, Healthcare Leadership, Employee Selection
TEACHING INTERESTS
Human resource management Organizational behavior
"The idea is you see a problem and step back and think, what theories do we know that might help to solve this problem? "
As senior associate dean for faculty and research, Greg Stewart’s goals include “building a culture of excellence that allows people to be engaged and motivated in doing work that aligns with their values, taking away any barriers to doing that, and rewarding faculty for doing outstanding work.”
The winner of numerous teaching awards, a sought-after consultant and trainer, and author of the textbook “Human Resource Management: Linking Strategy to Practice,” Stewart joined the School of Business as the Thomas K. Hearn, Jr. Professor in 2025. In his administrative role, he oversees hiring, developing, mentoring and evaluating faculty. He also seeks to create opportunities for them to engage in research that contributes to the overall goals of the School.
The role fits neatly with Stewart’s own long research career. “In many ways, my research is about human resources, and this role is human resources,” explains Stewart, who is recognized as among the top 2% most impactful lifetime scholars in the field of management, according to a Stanford University study.
Stewart’s work has been published in leading management journals including Journal of Applied Psychology, Personnel Psychology, Academy of Management Journal, Organization Science, Journal of Management, and Organizational Dynamics, as well as in health care journals such as the Journal of Nursing Administration, Journal of Nursing Care Quality, Journal of General Internal Medicine, American Journal of Managed Care, and Healthcare. He served as an associate editor for Journal of Management.
RECENT RESEARCH
"Predictors of VA Primary Care Clerical Staff Burnout Using the Job Demands-Resources Model." Journal of Ambulatory Care Management. (2022) with Medich, M., Rose, D., Mclean, M., Nelson, K., Ganz, D., Yano, E., and Stockdale, S.
"To Link or Not to Link? Multiple Team Membership and Unit Performance" Journal of Applied Psychology. (2018) with Crawford, E., Reeves, C. J., and Astrove, S. L.
"Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services (PARIHS) framework applied to Team STEPPS implementation in small rural hospitals." Health Care Management Review. (2017) with Ward, M. M., Baloh, J., and Zhu, X.
His early research, mostly done in manufacturing settings, focused on correlations between personality traits and job performance, and then evolved to look at combinations of personality traits among team members. He later transitioned to focus on leadership and teams in the health care sector, particularly within Veterans Affairs.
He’s particularly interested in making teams more effective by designing them from the ground up, rather than trying to solve problems once teams have formed.
One of his most impactful pieces of research examined the traits of effective leaders, discovering that what held true in other organizations also holds true in health care settings: Effective leaders empower other people to use their talents and skills. But, because of both training and temperament, physicians aren’t always predisposed to empowering others, he notes. Through the research, published in the Academy of Management Journal, “we were able to come up with some very specific ways that could help physicians empower people and then we came up with training to help them do that.”
“Part of that is getting the right team leader, but it’s also questions of, who should be on the team? How should tasks get divided up on the team? How should people in different roles coordinate with each other?”
One current project is studying multiple team membership. “We’ve looked particularly at primary care teams,” Stewart notes. “Should a nurse be assigned to the same doctor on one team all the time or would a nurse be better deployed to three different teams led by three different doctors? The answer to that question is pretty clear: You’re better off when you can focus on one team or at least fewer teams.” That’s because limited team membership helps improve focus and allows team members to develop stronger relationships with colleagues.
DISTINGUISHED TITLES
• Thomas K. Hearn, Jr. Professor
• Senior Associate Dean for Faculty & Research
• Department Chair for Management
• American Psychological Association, Fellow
• Society for Organizational and Industrial Psychology, Fellow
• Journal of Management, Associate Editor
It's important to Stewart that his research has real-world impacts, and the starting place for his inquiries is often a problem he observes while working with an organization.
“I call it abductive research. The idea is you see a problem and step back and think, what theories do we know that might help solve this problem? What data do we need to help us understand the problem? Then we design a strategy and go test it.”
“It doesn’t do me any good to develop a grand theory that no one will ever use to make things better — and my goal is to make the world better,” he adds.
“One thing that drives me is the idea of Pro Humanitate. The idea that we’re trying to make a difference in society and trying to make the lives of others better resonates strongly with me.”
Jenelle Conaway
POSITION
Assistant Professor of Accounting
EDUCATION
PhD, Boston University (Accounting)
MBA, Loyola University Maryland (Finance)
BS, University of South Carolina (Accounting)
RESEARCH INTERESTS
International financial and audit issues,
Private equity investment in large accounting firms
TEACHING INTERESTS
Financial Accounting and Reporting
Jenelle Conaway likes structure in all aspects of her life, so it’s no surprise she found an affinity for accounting. “I like rules and order,” shares Conaway, assistant professor of accounting, who joined the faculty in 2024.
But she also enjoys exploring an idea and seeing where it will lead. That drives her research into international financial and audit issues. Her research has appeared in the Journal of Accounting Research, Contemporary Accounting Research, the Journal of Accounting, Auditing & Finance, and Issues in Accounting Education.
Conaway is currently studying a relatively new phenomenon in accounting: private equity investment in accounting firms.
“This is a big shift in the ownership structure of accounting firms. The industry has not experienced anything like this at this scale in the past. It’s an exciting new area of inquiry.”
Conaway is investigating three key issues, including how financial markets respond to the announcement that an accounting firm has taken on private equity investment. She also is examining whether private equity investment shifts an accounting firm’s work focus and client base, and if private equity investment impacts the accounting firm’s auditing work. Her research will provide early evidence on the effects of this ownership structure as the trend of private equity investment in accounting firms emerges globally.
RECENT RESEARCH
"Market Perceptions of Fair Value Reporting for Tangible Assets." Journal of Accounting, Auditing & Finance. (2023) with Liang, L., and Riedl, E. J.
"Has Global Financial Reporting Comparability Improved?" Contemporary Accounting Research. (2022)
"Do U.S. Investors Value Foreign Component Auditors?" Journal of Accounting Research. (2022) with Chen, B.
Looking at the work of accounting firms from a different perspective, Conaway, who previously worked for a public
"My goal is to ask research questions with international relevance and impact. "
accounting firm, is following up on incidents in which a number of firms around the world have been sanctioned for misconduct related to continuing professional education. Specifically, she’s studying “whether instances of taking the easy way out on trainings reflects underlying issues that could hinder the audit quality being produced at those accounting firms.”
With an interest in other cultures that she traces back to an experience as an exchange student in high school, and an appreciation for the global nature of today’s world, Conaway is particularly interested in researching issues with international ramifications.
“I do not always use multinational samples. I may study a topic or issue in the United States that’s also informative to other countries, or the reverse,” she notes. “But my goal is to ask research questions with international relevance and impact.”
A past research project that ties together Conaway’s interests in financial accounting, auditing and international issues was whether U.S. equity market investors are aware of the work of foreign component auditors — the accounting firms performing the audit for overseas operations of U.S. multinational companies — and how investors respond to the work of such auditors. The key findings: “Investors are aware of component auditors and do factor their participation in the audit into the share price.”
Conaway found her passion for accounting as an undergraduate at the University of South Carolina. While working as an auditor for a public accounting firm and earning her MBA in finance at Loyola University Maryland, she also discovered a talent for teaching. “I was volunteering
to lead education programs at the firm. It got me thinking that I would enjoy teaching.” She earned her PhD in accounting from Boston University, discovering there an affinity for research, too.
“I like having an idea and then being able to pursue it to see what the data reveals,” she says. “It’s really rewarding.”
Conaway, who previously was on the faculty at George Mason University, was drawn to Wake Forest University because of its reputation and size. “I was looking for a school that was smaller, where I could really feel like I’m involved and part of the campus community. And the students here are top-notch, high achieving and super engaged. They think deeply about the topics and ask thoughtful questions, which pushes me to be a better instructor.”
DISTINGUISHED AWARDS
• AAA, International Accounting Section, 2018 Best Reviewer Award (Midyear Meeting)
• AAA, International Accounting Section, 2018 Outstanding International Accounting Dissertation Award
Yeongin Kim
POSITION
Assistant Professor of Business Analytics
EDUCATION
PhD, University of Texas at Dallas (Management Science; Information Systems concentration)
MS, Texas A&M University (Industrial & Systems Engineering)
BS, Inha University (Industrial Engineering)
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Interoperability in Healthcare, Data Analytics and AI in Medical Litigation, Patient-Centric IT to Improve Healthcare Outcomes and Disparities, Platforms' Entry and Antitrust Regulation, Multi-Sided Platforms and Competition Strategies, Decision Support Systems in Social Media Platforms
In broad strokes, Yeongin Kim strives to understand how digital technologies transform decision-making.
“I aim to ensure they are used responsibly to create value for individuals, business and society,” explains Kim, assistant professor of analytics, who joined the faculty in 2024.
Kim’s goal of understanding how information is exchanged and how technology shapes that process has led him in several interesting directions, for instance, studying how technologies such as electronic health records and patient-generated data affect the way doctors and patients make decisions.
Kim also examines how companies like Amazon or Uber design their business models, how they compete and what kinds of challenges arise. Some of his most recent research investigates how artificial intelligence tools are reshaping decision-making in health care and platform settings.
His work has appeared in leading journals, including Information Systems Research, MIS Quarterly, Decision Support Systems, and Information & Management. He has received best paper awards from INFORMS and the Decision Sciences Institute.
Kim points to a paper published in MIS Quarterly in 2022 as representative of his work. It looked at how data sharing affects physicians’ defensive medicine practices, the consequences of that, and potential policy interventions. When Kim began the research a decade ago, most studies focused on the benefits of data sharing.
“But in conversations with physicians, my co-authors and I heard about unintended consequences, especially concerns about legal responsibility. More information can lead to better decisions, but it also provides more evidence that can be used
RECENT RESEARCH
"Entrepreneurial emotional bias from mass shootings: Evidence from Kickstarter" Information & Management. (2024)
with Moon, H., Ceran, Y., and Lee, C.
"From whales to minnows: The impact of crypto-reward fairness on user engagement in social media."
Decision Support Systems. (2024)
with Yang, W., Kim, T., Lee, C., and Ceran, Y.
"When IT Creates Legal Vulnerability: Not Just Overutilization but Underprovisioning of Health Care Could be a Consequence." MIS Quarterly. (2022)
with Ayvaci, M., Raghunathan, S., & Ayer, T.
to prove physician mistakes. This may encourage defensive medicine, such as over-treatment.”
“Our paper used mathematical modeling to examine when this happens and how policymakers, such as CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) or the American Cancer Society, should design data-use policies to mitigate it,” Kim continues. “I am proud that it was one of the early papers to connect health IT and legal responsibility, and it helped spark more discussion.”
One of Kim’s current projects studies patient-generated health data (PGHD), using mathematical decision models to examine key questions.
“Increasingly, patients generate health data outside hospitals using devices, such as Apple Watches, Fitbits or personal medical devices. My research asks how much effort patients put into generating and managing PGHD and under what conditions physicians incorporate PGHD into their decision-making.”
Health professionals agree that PGHD has potential to improve patients’ health, Kim says, but there isn’t consensus on how best to incorporate the data into their clinical decision-making.
“Studying the optimal way to use PGHD while considering the incentives of all stakeholders is a very challenging problem. Because it is a problem no one has fully solved, I find it exciting.”
As someone who studies AI-related issues and uses generative AI in his work every day, including to jump-start ideas and refine writing, Kim understands its power. “But I also know that AI outputs are not perfect, and they cannot replace human abilities entirely, so I always use it critically and with caution.”
Kim has undergraduate and master’s degrees in industrial engineering and planned a career in industry, but a professor in his master’s program encouraged him to consider a PhD through the University of Texas at Dallas’ management science program.
"This environment allows me to pursue projects that not only advance theory but also have tangible impact in the real world."
“I was drawn to its emphasis on business implications rather than purely technical/ engineering concerns,” he remembers. “At that time, I still did not plan to stay in academia, but I found research rewarding … Looking back, I think good mentors and colleagues guided me into academia.”
Like many faculty members, Kim was drawn to Wake Forest University because of its commitment to the teacher-scholar model. He also values the School of Business’ “close connection to industry and practice.”
“This environment allows me to pursue projects that not only advance theory but also have tangible impact in the real world. It also enables me to bring those experiences back into the classroom, so students see how research translates directly into practice.”
MODELING IMPACT Scott Shafer
POSITION
Senior Associate Dean for Graduate Programs;
Faculty Director for the Master of Science in Business Analytics Program; Professor of Operations Management
EDUCATION
PhD, University of Cincinnati (Operations Management, Information Management)
BBA, University of Cincinnati (Marketing)
BS, University of Cincinnati (Industrial Management)
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Cellular Manufacturing, Computer Simulation, Six Sigma, Business Models, Supply Chain Management, Case Studies
TEACHING INTERESTS
Business Analytics, Predictive Modeling and Data Mining, Business Process Management, Six Sigma, Project Management, Business Process Modeling, Operations Management, Simulation Modeling, Spreadsheet Modeling
RECENT RESEARCH AND PUBLICATIONS
"Data Science and Decision Science Skills: Are They Different and Does It Matter?"
Harvard Data Science Review. (2025) with Camm, J., and Fry, M.
Scott Shafer has several titles. He is professor of operations management and business analytics at Wake Forest University’s School of Business. He’s also senior associate dean for the School’s graduate programs and faculty director for the Master of Science in Business Analytics program.
“But, fundamentally, I’m a modeler,” admits Shafer, describing his research interests. “I develop models to help make business more competitive.”
More specifically, he uses models—whether optimization, simulation, or, most recently, machine learning models— to analyze business processes, improve existing processes, and design new ones, all to make organizations more efficient and effective.
Shafer’s research has been published in several leading journals, including Management Science, Journal of Operations Management, Decision Sciences, Harvard Data Science Review, International Journal of Production Research, Business Horizons, and Quality Management Journal.
A recent research project on decision-making under complex, fast-moving market conditions incorporated all three modeling methods Shafer uses.
“Let’s say you’re Ford and you’ve just announced plans to develop an electric F-150 truck. This is a brand-new, evolving market, and there’s no historical data to show how to approach it.” He and his co-authors generated 100,000
"Project management: a strategic managerial approach."
John Wiley & Sons. (2018) with Meredith, J. and Mantel, S. J.
"The Power of Business Models." Business Horizons. (2005) with Smith, H. J., and Linder, J. C.
different market and economic scenarios, and for each scenario, they analyzed the optimal capacity expansion strategy—helping identify the most effective way to pursue the market opportunity under uncertainty.
“We used machine learning to identify the patterns and market conditions that create an attractive opportunity. Instead of having to make this decision 100,000 times, we can now learn from all these simulations to guide the one critical decision when it really matters.”
Other work, including research published in Harvard Data Science Review, analyzes master’s programs and job ads to clarify the roles of data scientists versus decision scientists. “This helps organizations hire the right talent and guides how we design curricula to prepare students for these roles.”
"What has always interested me is making things better and more efficient."
His most cited paper, "The Power of Business Models" (Business Horizons), tackled foundational questions about what a business model is and how it differs from an organizational strategy.
Shafer discovered his affinity for improving processes—and helping organizations do the same—while working at a fast-food restaurant in high school. “I was passionate about finding ways to do work activities faster and more efficiently," he recalls. “It made me realize there were opportunities to do this on a much larger scale that would in turn have a much greater impact."
He pursued dual undergraduate degrees in industrial management and marketing at the University of Cincinnati. By the end of those four years, he shares, “I found I had more questions than answers. I wanted to apply what I’d learned in the real world, but I also wanted to dig deeper into how
organizations operate.” That curiosity led him directly into the university’s PhD program in operations management, where he could combine rigorous research with practical applications.
“Maybe I’ve always been strongly connected to real-world problems because I wasn’t pursuing my education solely to be an academic. What has always interested me is making things better and more efficient.”
Over the years, Shafer has had a significant impact on the School of Business through teaching, research, and program development. He was instrumental in creating the Wake Forest master of science in management program— one of the first programs of its kind in the United States— and as its inaugural director, he grew enrollment from about a dozen students in the first year to 90 students by the fourth year. His teaching and mentorship have also influenced countless students, helping them develop analytical and problem-solving skills directly applicable to industry challenges.
Shafer appreciates that the School of Business “recognizes that faculty members can contribute to our mission in a variety of ways,” whether through research, teaching, or program innovation. “And we try to let people find the right balance for them. I think that’s somewhat unique in higher education.”
DISTINGUISHED TITLES
• Senior Associate Dean for Graduate Programs
• Faculty Director for the Master of Science in Business Analytics Program
• American Society for Quality, Six Sigma Black Belt
Lisa Dragoni
UNLOCKING LEADERSHIP
POSITION
Caron-Lightcap Faculty Fellow; Associate Professor of Management (Organizational Behavior)
EDUCATION
PhD, University of Maryland (Management; Organizational Behavior)
MA, The George Washington University (Women's Studies and Public Policy)
BA, Franklin and Marshall College (Business administration)
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Learning and employee development, particularly leadership development; Career and developmental impact of different forms of work experience; Motivation, particularly goal orientation
"We’re focused on understanding what equips a particular individual to lead better…"
From a young age, Lisa Dragoni has been fascinated by the life experiences of others. That interest led her down the path of examining how people learn and grow into organizational leaders.
“I've always had that curiosity about humans—how we're wired and the things that we learn and develop over time,” she recalls. “When I was an undergraduate, I studied business, and I became really fascinated by organizational behavior—learning about motivation, theories of leadership and theories of teams. I just remember thinking, ‘this is a really cool area.’”
After earning her master’s in women’s studies and public policy, Dragoni began working as a consultant, helping organizations solve problems that were often rooted in human behavior and interpersonal interactions. As she helped companies navigate these challenges, Dragoni began to realize the work she was conducting might be leading her down a different path.
“I found myself asking typical academic kinds of questions: How do we know this is the best solution? And in this interesting context, why do we think what we've recommended in the past would be advisable here? Those are questions that academics ask all the time,” she says.
So Dragoni enrolled at the University of Maryland, pursuing her PhD in business, and specializing in organizational behavior. Upon graduation, she taught undergraduate and graduate students at Maryland, the University of Iowa, and Cornell University before coming to Wake Forest in 2015.
During her tenure at Wake, Dragoni has exemplified the teacher-scholar model, pursuing a passion for research and teaching that awakened during her PhD studies.
RECENT RESEARCH
"Does Leaders’ Impression Management Help or Hurt? It Depends on the Perspective of the Follower."
Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies. (2024) with Park, H., Leroy, H., Simons, T., and Yun, S.
"Walking our evidence-based talk: The case of leadership development in business schools." Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies. (2022) with Leroy, H., Anisman-Razin, M., Avolio, B., Bresman, H., Bunderson, J. S., Burris, E. R., Claeys, J., Detert, J., Giessner, S., Kniffin, K., Kolditz, T., Petriglieri, G., Pettit, N., Sitkin, S., Van Quaquebeke, N., and Vongswasdi, P.
"Initial and Longer-Term Change in Unit-Level Turnover Following Leader Succession: Contingent Effects of Outgoing and Incoming Leader Characteristics." Organizational Science. (2020) with Li, H. and Hausknecht, J.
“When I joined the program at Maryland, it was a very formative time because I realized that I really loved the research, and I also really loved teaching,” she remembers. “There have been times throughout my career that I have considered going back into practice, but for a variety of reasons I've stayed in academia. One of the biggest reasons is I have the luxury of learning along with my students and my colleagues—that has been a great source of motivation and fulfillment for me.”
Dragoni’s research focuses on leadership development within the framework of organizational behavior. Her work looks at what helps leaders learn and become more effective, and how organizations can support that growth.
“We’re focused on understanding what equips a particular individual to lead better, while also understanding how we equip an organization or team to have leading and following happening in a way where there’s clarity of direction alignment and great levels of motivation.”
Dragoni is currently working in partnership with the United States Military Academy at West Point to better understand how the venerable military institution has been
able to cultivate such a longstanding tradition of building leadership in our future military leaders, then applying that insight to business scenarios.
“At West Point, these teams are nimble and they’re able to adjust quickly to changing and unforeseen circumstances, sometimes in the most dire situations,” she observes. “We found that the teams that were the most adaptive were led by leaders who could seamlessly and fluidly change across three major goals—learning, execution and managing risk.”
The insights gleaned from that research have already made it into Dragoni’s classroom, where she gives students a taste of her findings, showing them how they can apply these principles to their own careers in business. At West Point, that work has now been incorporated into their curriculum as well.
Dragoni points out that the freedom she’s afforded at Wake, to pursue research and work with colleagues at other institutions, has helped her grow not only as a scholar, but also as a teacher guiding the next generation of business leaders.
DISTINGUISHED TITLES
• Caron-Lightcap Faculty Fellow
• Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, Action Editor
“Wake is very special. It’s a supportive place full of warm people, but they’re also capable, inquisitive people who want to do exceptional work. I’ve found in my career that usually places are one or the other, but here at Wake, we’re both.”
FEATURED FACULTY RESEARCH
Ali Zeytoon-Nejad, Iglehart-Lightcap Faculty Fellow; Associate Teaching Professor of Business Economics
The Quantitative Comparative Economics: indices of similarity to economic systems
International Economics and Economic Policy
Conventional approaches in comparative economics often rely on ad hoc and categorical classifications, leading to subjective judgments and disregarding the continuous nature of the spectrum of economic systems. To overcome these shortcomings, the present paper proposes distance-based indices for objective categorization, considering economic foundations and using hard data.
Zeytoon-Nejad, A. (2025). The Quantitative Comparative Economics: indices of similarity to economic systems. Int Economics & Economic Policy 22, 39.
Amol Joshi, Thomas H. Davis Professor in Business; Associate Professor of Strategic Management
A Collaborative Data Sharing Platform to Accelerate Translation of Biomedical Innovations
Bioengineering
Researchers introduce an innovative concept for a biomanufacturing Knowledge Hub (KH), which is designed as a data-driven learning platform intended to support the entire lifecycle of biomedical products. The KH integrates advanced data sharing and processing technologies to connect various stakeholders, including patients, bioengineers, clinicians, regulators, companies, and investors.
Izadifar, Z., Storm, G., Joshi, A. M., Hochberg, A., Hadjisavas, M., Rodrigue, G., Bauer, S. R., Schmidt, J. B., Somara, S., Atala, A., Heyward, I., Desai, S., and Hunsberger, J. (2025). A Collaborative Data Sharing Platform to Accelerate Translation of Biomedical Innovations. Bioengineering, 12(9), 938.
Jeff Camm, Inmar Presidential Chair in Business Analytics; Professor of Business Analytics & Scott Shafer, Senior Associate Dean for Graduate Programs; Faculty Director for the Master of Science in Business Analytics Program; Professor of Operations Management
Data Science and Decision Science Skills: Are They Different and Does It Matter?
Harvard Data Science Review
The paper explores the distinct yet complementary skill sets of data science and decision science, aiming to understand their differences and why these distinctions matter for project success. The research offers several practical recommendations for organizations to bridge the gap between technical analysis and actionable decisions to increase the likelihood of successful, valuegenerating outcomes in data-driven projects.
Camm, J. D., Fry, M. J., and Shafer, S. M. (2025). Data Science and Decision Science Skills: Are They Different and Does It Matter? Harvard Data Science Review, 7(3).
Stephen Smulowitz, McNicholas-Lightcap Faculty Fellow; Assistant Professor of Strategic Management
Institutional Logics as a Resource and Risk: Logic Deviance and Categorical Penalties in US Community Banks
Journal of Management Studies
This study shows that when one community bank commits wrongdoing, all community banks in that area suffer financially—even the innocent ones. Moreover, this effect becomes stronger in communities with tighter social bonds and shared values. That is, stronger communities act not only as a resource, but also as a risk.
Smulowitz, S.J., Rousseau, H.E. and Audia, P.G. (2025), Institutional Logics as a Resource and Risk: Logic Deviance and Categorical Penalties in US Community Banks. Journal of Management Studies.
Pelin Pekgün, Department Chair for Business Analytics, Information Systems, Marketing & Operations Management; Thomas H. Davis Professor in Business; Professor of Business Analytics
In-kind government assistance and crowd-out of charitable services: Evidence from free school meals Journal of Public Economics
This joint work with economics colleagues Orgül Öztürk (University of South Carolina) and Krista Ruffini (Georgetown University) explores how greater access to federal nutrition assistance through schoolwide free meal programs impacts food bank use within the largest food bank network in the U.S. Ruffini, Krista & Öztürk, Orgül and Pekgun, Pelin. (2025). In-kind government assistance and crowd-out of charitable services: Evidence from free school meals. Journal of Public Economics. 248.
Jennifer Claggett, AT&T Faculty Fellow; Associate Professor of Management Information Systems
Understanding the Role of Technology in Coordination Through Affordance Configurations
Journal of Management Information Systems
This study identifies seven technology-enabled coordination affordances that facilitate enactment of coordination episodes. Given that coordination episodes often involve combinations of these affordances, qualitative comparative analysis is used to identify affordance configurations associated with successful coordination.
Claggett, Jennifer and Karahanna, Elena. (2025). Understanding the Role of Technology in Coordination Through Affordance Configurations. Journal of Management Information Systems. 42. 599-632.
Michelle Steward, Hendley-Lightcap Faculty Fellow in Free Enterprise & Entrepreneurship; Associate Professor of Marketing
Patiently winning through virtuous leadership: The impact of virtuous leadership behavior on employee engagement across time.
Journal of General Management
The authors examine how employees’ perceptions of virtuous leadership behaviors shape employee engagement. Specifically, this research bridges virtuous leadership theory with employee engagement theory, explicitly focusing on the attitudinal change in employees as they witness leaders intentionally incorporating the classic virtues in workplace interactions.
Steward, M. D., Brower, H. H., and Rea, P. (2024). Patiently winning through virtuous leadership: The impact of virtuous leadership behavior on employee engagement across time. Journal of General Management.
Devon Jefferson, Assistant Professor of Accounting
Managing Busy Season Fatigue: The Power of Microbreaks and Supervisory Support
Current Issues in Auditing
This paper summarizes a three-part study that examines two practical strategies (microbreaks and supervisory support) to reduce auditors’ fatigue and improve audit quality during busy season. Collectively, the study’s results suggest that practical solutions exist to combat the effects of mental fatigue on audit quality during that time of year.
Jefferson, Devon & Andiola, Lindsay and Hurley, Patrick. (2025). Managing Busy Season Fatigue: The Power of Microbreaks and Supervisory Support. Current Issues in Auditing. 1-12.
Jenelle Conaway, Assistant Professor of Accounting
Academic Dishonesty in Online Accounting Assessments –Evidence on the Use of Academic Resource Sites
Issues in Accounting Education
As accounting programs increase their online offerings, understanding the challenges of maintaining academic integrity online is crucial. This study documents an emerging method of online academic dishonesty – on-demand services from academic resource sites (ARS) such as Chegg.com.
Conaway, Jenelle and Wiesen, Taylor. (2023). Academic Dishonesty in Online Accounting Assessments – Evidence on the Use of Academic Resource Sites. Issues in Accounting Education. 38. 1-16.
Yeongin Kim, Assistant Professor of Business Analytics
Understanding Social Media Advocacy: Advocacy Communication on the Violence Against Women Act Health Communication
This study examines agenda setting, framing, and the concepts of social media advocacy and mobilizing information related to the Violence Against Women Act through social network analysis and topic modeling of big data. Tweets on the Violence Against Women Act between 2019 and 2022 were examined. The network analysis showed the predictive effects of the issue ownership network on policy initiatives.
Choi M, Kang S, and Kim Y. (2025). Understanding Social Media Advocacy: Advocacy Communication on the Violence Against Women Act. Health Communication. Jun 2:1-11.
Annette Ranft, Dean and F.M. Kirby Foundation Chair in Business Excellence; Professor of Strategic Management
It’s All About Me (Or Is It Us?): The Narrative Antecedents of the Locus of Celebrity Journal of Management Studies
This study addresses the limitations in recent individual and organizational celebrity research by integrating celebrity research across multiple loci to develop a theory of the narrative antecedents of the locus of celebrity. In doing so, the team explains how organizations can actively create individual, organizational, or concurrent celebrity.
D’Oria, L., Pfarrer, M.D., Reger, R.K. and Ranft, A.L. (2025), It’s All About Me (Or Is It Us?): The Narrative Antecedents of the Locus of Celebrity. Journal of Management Studies.
Lisa Dragoni, Caron-Lightcap Faculty Fellow; Associate Professor of Management (Organizational Behavior)
Walking Our Evidence-Based Talk: The Case of Leadership Development in Business Schools Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies
Academics have lamented that practitioners do not always adopt scientific evidence in practice, yet while academics preach evidence-based management (EBM), they do not always practice it. This paper extends prior literature on difficulties to engage in EBM with insights from behavioral integrity (i.e., the study of what makes individuals and collectives walk their talk).
Leroy, H. L., Anisman-Razin, M., Avolio, B. J., Bresman, H., Stuart Bunderson, J., Burris, E. R., Claeys, J., Detert, J. R., Dragoni, L., Giessner, S. R., Kniffin, K. M., Kolditz, T., Petriglieri, G., Pettit, N. C., Sitkin, S. B., Van Quaquebeke, N., and Vongswasdi, P. (2022). Walking Our Evidence-Based Talk: The Case of Leadership Development in Business Schools. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 29(1), 5-32.
Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles
NEW FACES
Jaelynn Oh
Jaelynn Oh is an Assistant Professor in Operations Management. She comes to her current role at Wake Forest after previously serving as an Assistant Professor in Operations and Information Systems at the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah.
Oh’s research agenda focuses on analyzing the dynamic interactions between companies and customers within various service environments. Her study settings are diverse, encompassing areas such as online platforms, airlines, reservations, and queues. A fundamental goal of her work is to study why people make specific choices when engaging with these services.
Her investigations delve deeply into consumer decision-making. She examines factors influencing choices such as whether and what a customer chooses to purchase, the willingness to wait in line, the decision to accept the risk of being bumped from a reservation, or the impulse to take advantage of unusual pricing.
Through the rigorous analysis of these observed consumer behaviors and choices, Oh seeks both descriptive and prescriptive outcomes. Her research explains unexpected business outcomes that result from these service interactions. Critically, she also uses her findings to provide actionable recommendations designed to improve pricing strategies and service practices for businesses.
Prior to her current faculty appointment, Oh completed a robust academic background. She earned a PhD in operations management from the University of Pennsylvania. Her postgraduate studies also include a master’s degree in management science and engineering from Stanford University. She began her education with a bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics from KAIST.
Assistant Professor, Operations Management
decision making
Aric LaBarr
Associate Teaching Professor, Business Analytics
Aric LaBarr is an Associate Teaching Professor of Business Analytics who is deeply passionate about helping people solve challenges using their data. His professional mission centers on preparing a modern workforce to wisely communicate and handle a data-driven future by focusing on modern analytic techniques for making data-driven decisions. Beyond the field of education, he collaborates with banks in developing countries to implement modern analytical techniques that improve client services and expand financial access to underserved and overlooked populations.
LaBarr’s extensive experience includes serving as an Associate Teaching Professor at the Institute for Advanced Analytics at North Carolina State University prior to his appointment at Wake Forest. This institute is noted as the nation’s first master of science in analytics degree program. There, he helped innovate the educational structure by developing and teaching
courses in statistics, mathematics, finance, risk management, and operations research. His specific teaching subjects include predictive modeling, forecasting, simulation, financial analytics, and risk management.
Beyond academia, LaBarr possesses substantial industry expertise. He previously held the position of Director and Senior Scientist at Elder Research. In his role directing the Raleigh office, he mentored and led a team of data scientists and software engineers. He frequently collaborated with clients and partners to solve problems across sectors such as banking, consumer product goods, healthcare, and government.
LaBarr’s research interests include important areas such as time series forecasting, credit modeling, microfinance, and insurance in developing nations. He earned a PhD in statistics with a minor in economics from NC State University, where he also received his master’s in statistics and dual bachelor’s degrees in statistics and economics.
Associate Teaching Professor, Finance
Kyre Lahtinen
Kyre Lahtinen is an Associate Teaching Professor of Finance who recently joined the full-time faculty after serving as a Visiting Associate Professor (Finance) during the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 academic years. Prior to his time as a Visiting Associate Professor, Lahtinen was an Associate Professor of Finance at Wright State University.
Lahtinen earned his PhD in finance with a support area in econometrics from Florida State University.
Since then, he has over ten years of experience teaching university finance courses. Lahtinen currently instructs students in financial modeling and financial data analytics at Wake Forest University. Previously, he has taught a diverse range of subjects, including Corporate Finance, FinTech, Quantitative
Finance, Personal Finance, and specialized courses such as Investments, Security Analysis, and Portfolio Management.
Lahtinen has received multiple teaching awards, underscoring his particular ability to break down complex financial topics and make them easy to understand.
Lahtinen’s research focuses primarily on behavioral finance, empirical asset pricing, and data analytics. However, drawing on his extensive knowledge of finance and his technological skillset, he has also published original research articles on topics such as high frequency trading and market volatility. His work has appeared in respected academic journals, including the Journal of Empirical Finance, Journal of Information Systems, Finance Research Letters, Journal of Investing, and the Journal of Asset Management.
NEW FACES
Elizabeth Ricks
Elizabeth Ricks serves as an Associate Professor of the Practice in Business Analytics. She recently joined the faculty in this role, following two years as a Visiting Associate Professor of the Practice in Business Analytics. Ricks previously held positions as an adjunct instructor and visiting faculty member, having taught visual analytics and influencing for the WFU Online MBA and Online MSBA programs since 2021.
Ricks specializes in data storytelling, data visualization, and the implications of Generative AI for both business analytics and higher education. She developed her expertise by working across the pharmaceutical, retail, manufacturing, and financial services industries, mastering the entire analytical process from querying and modeling data to communicating complex results to both technical and non-technical audiences. Ricks expresses a passion for helping audiences understand the "so what?" behind data and inspiring them to take action.
Ricks brings a substantial wealth of practical corporate experience. Most recently, she came from Storytelling with Data, LLC, where she served as a Workshop Facilitator, working in best-selling author Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic’s organization. In this capacity, she taught data storytelling and business communication in corporate workshops to Fortune 500 companies worldwide. Her previous corporate roles include serving as an Assistant Vice President of Small Business Analytics at Bank of America (also listed as Bank of America Merchant Services). She also held various analytical roles at Merck, including a period as a healthcare Relationship Manager, and at IMS/SDI Health.
Ricks holds a master’s in business analytics from St. Joseph’s University and a bachelor’s in business administration from West Virginia University.
Associate Professor of the Practice, Business Analytics
NEW FACES
David Robertson
David Robertson is an Assistant Professor of the Practice in Marketing and a senior executive recognized for his extensive experience leading strategic communications for world-class brands. Robertson’s professional expertise spans brand management and general management roles at major companies, focusing on areas such as brand strategy, digital marketing, public relations, content marketing, corporate social responsibility, and cross-functional leadership.
Robertson began his professional career in marketing at Procter & Gamble, where he developed and executed growth strategies for the Downy and Bounce fabric conditioner brands. Subsequently, he led new product strategy at Celestial Seasonings, which is noted as the leader in the specialty tea market. His experience also includes extensive work at HanesBrands, where he led brand marketing and consumer communications for several leading brands, including Playtex, Bali, Maidenform, Champion, and Hanes—the largest apparel brand in the U.S.
While at HanesBrands, he developed the first global marketing strategy for Champion. His communications leadership throughout his career covers advertising, digital and social media, public relations, and content marketing.
Prior to joining the School of Business, Robertson served the School for several years as an Adjunct Professor, and also taught in the College of Arts & Sciences as an Assistant Professor of the Practice in the Department of Communication.
Robertson earned his BS in Business and an MBA from Wake Forest.
Assistant Professor of the Practice, Marketing
NAMED PROFESSORSHIPS & honorary titles
HONORARY TITLE
F.M. Kirby Foundation Chair in Business Excellence
J. Tylee Wilson Chair in Business Ethics
Thomas S. Goho Chair in Finance
Thomas W. Smith Presidential Chair
David C. Darnell Presidential Chair in Principled Leadership
Peter C. Brockway Chair of Strategic Management
Inmar Presidential Chair in Analytics
Thomas H. Davis Professor in Business
Thomas K. Hearn, Jr. Professor
Delmer P. Hylton Accounting Professor
D. Wayne Calloway Professor
Dale K. Cline Department Chair for Accountancy
John B. McKinnon Professor
Dale and Karen Sisel Professor
Kemper Professor of Business
Benson Pruitt Professor in Business
Joseph M. Bryan, Jr. Faculty Fellow in Banking and Finance
Board of Visitors Faculty Fellow in Marketing
L. Glenn Orr Faculty Fellow of Financial Services
Lambert Family Accounting Faculty Fellow
PWC Faculty Fellow for Teaching Excellence
James Farr Faculty Fellow in Leadership and Organizational Development
Wall Street Partners Faculty Fellow
Faculty Fellow in Investments and Portfolio Management
AT&T Faculty Fellow
Thomas C. Taylor Faculty Fellow
Exxon-Calloway Faculty Fellow
Dr. Dale Martin Faculty Fellow
Caron-Lightcap Faculty Fellow
Robinson-Lightcap Faculty Fellow
Nunnenkamp-Cinelli Faculty Fellow
Coca-Cola Faculty Fellow
Citibank/Calloway Faculty Fellow
Hendley-Lightcap Faculty Fellow in Free Enterprise & Entrepreneurship
McNicholas-Lightcap Faculty Fellow
Iglehart-Lightcap Faculty Fellow
AWARDED TO
Annette Ranft
Sean Hannah
Ajay Patel
Rob Nash
Julie Wayne
Stacie Petter
Jeff Camm
Pelin Pekgün & Amol Joshi
Greg Stewart
Jon Duchac
Tom Canace
Mark Evans
Norma Montague
Pat Dickson
Kline Harrison
Sherry Moss
Philip Howard
Kenny Herbst
Deon Strickland
Lauren Reid
Whitney Simpson
John Sumanth
Bill Marcum
Mark Johnson
Jennifer Claggett
Anna Cianci & Ya-wen Yang
Matthew Phillips
Jim Willis
Lisa Dragoni
Jia Li
Tilan Tang
Justin Martin
Phil Anderson
Michelle Steward
Stephen Smulowitz
Ali Zeytoon-Nejad
PROVIDING CUTTING EDGE SOLUTIONS TO HELP ORGANIZATIONS PROSPER
EVOLVING WITH THE MARKET THROUGH ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT
