2021-22 Saunders Faculty and Staff Go Above and Beyond

The hard work and dedication of the Saunders College of Business faculty is what gives us an edge over the rest and contributes to what many consider a small college feel at a large technology university. We would like to recognize some of our faculty’s recent accomplishments and congratulate them on a job well done! In addition to all the great accomplishments listed here, our faculty are also cited frequently on the media. Visit our Media coverage page to see. 

June 2022

Mike Palanski, Ph.D., professor of management, published The Me1st Method. The book is a leader's guide to finding, facing, and embracing your next big challenge.

Raj Murthy, Ph.D., professor of marketing and Torrence Sparkman, Ph.D., associate professor of management have been recognized for their engagement as Inaugural Faculty Fellows. Professor Murthy has been realized as a fellow in business and Professor Sparkman has been accepted as a strategic priority fellow in diversity, equity, and inclusion.

May 2022

Duygu Akdevelioglu, Ph.D., assistant professor of marketing, published “Stakeholders as Value Creators: The Role of Multi-Level Networks in Employee Wellness Programs” in The Journal of Macromarketing.

Phillippa Thiuri, Ph.D., adjunct professor, has been named the new Assistant VP for Student Access and Success.

Gijs Overgoor, Ph.D., presented his research on “Simplicity is not key: Understanding firm-generated social media images and consumer liking” as part of the final for The European Marketing Academy (EMAC) - Aimark doctoral dissertation competition during the annual conference in Budapest.

Muhammet Kesgin, Ph.D., published research titled “Gastro-tourism well-being: The interplays of salient and enduring determinants” in the International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. The study aims to develop and test integrated structural gastro-tourism collected from tourists based on their deliberate and incidental gastro-tourism experiences.

Jessica DeGroote Nelson, Ph.D., senior director of optical product development at Edmund Optics, joins Saunders as an adjunct professor in the EMBA program.

Laharish Guntuka, Ph.D., assistant professor of supply chain management, co-authored an article titled, “How Exposed Is Your Supply Chain to Climate Risks?” for Harvard Business Review.

Saunders College of Business is thrilled to announce faculty promotions. Join us in congratulating the following faculty members:

• Jerrie Hsieh, Ph.D., to full professor
• Saiwu Lin to senior lecturer
• Richard Mislan, Ph.D., to senior lecturer
• Keith Weber to senior lecturer

Anne Zachmeyer, graduate academic advisor and adjunct professor, celebrates her 35th year anniversary with Saunders College of Business.

April 2022

Jerrie Hsieh and Muhammet Kesgin, associate professors of hospitality and tourism management, started a hospitality workforce training program for refugees and immigrants in March with the support of the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation.

Denise Schwan, student services office supervisor, has been awarded the Saunders College of Business Outstanding Staff award. The award is presented to a staff member who demonstrates enthusiasm for their job and sets an example for others; collegiality; professionalism and earned respect; proactivity in identifying challenges and improvements; is accessible and approachable; and is supportive of RIT/SCB clubs, events or activities.

Shalini Khazanchi, Ph.D., professor of management and associate dean for research and graduate programs, has been recognized in RIT’s Faculty Scholarship Report for research productivity.

Seven Saunders professors have received the Zutes Award for the 2022-23 academic year:

• Quang “Neo” Bui, Ph.D., associate professor of management information systems
• Steven Carnovale, Ph.D., program director and assistant professor of supply chain management
• Malar Hirudayaraj, Ph.D., associate professor of human resource development management
• Jerrie Hsieh, Ph.D., associate professor of hospitality & tourism management
• Muhammet Kesign, Ph.D., associate professor of hospitality & tourism management and international hospitality and service innovation
• Manlu Liu, Ph.D., professor of management information systems; accounting; MIS, marketing & analytics; and finance and accounting
• Emi Moriuchi, Ph.D., assistant professor of marketing and MIS, marketing & analytics

Two Saunders professors have been promoted for their exceptional work and teaching methods:

Tenured and promoted to Associate Professor

• Steven Carnovale, Ph.D., program director and assistant professor of supply chain management
• Emi Moriuchi, Ph.D., assistant professor of marketing and MIS, Marketing & analytics

Six Saunders professors have been awarded Student Summer Research Grants for 2022:

• Quang “Neo” Bui, Ph.D. - “Diffusion of digital strategies across 50 states”
• Archana Jain, Ph.D. - “Non-fungible tokens (NFT): an emerging independent asset class”
• Manlu Liu, Ph.D. - “Do auditors’ social media activities influence clients’ reporting?”
• Joy Olabisi, Ph.D. - “Exploring how immigrant entrepreneurs survive and thrive post-COVID”
• Rong Yang, Ph.D. - “Do critical audit matters really matter?"
• Hao Zhang, Ph.D. - “Exploring effects of culture factors, regulations and financial market participants”

Two Saunders professors have been awarded special grants:

• Kristin Bain, Ph.D. - “Luck or Skill? How Gender Influences Attributions for Incivility and reduces Voice”
• Gijs Overgoor, Ph.D. - “False Promises or Actual Change: a Study on Visual Marketing Communications and DEI Efforts”

Fifteen Saunders professors received certificates for exemplary teaching performance:

Outstanding teaching effectiveness

• Malar Hirudayaraj, Ph.D., associate professor of human resource development management
• Bill Dresnack, department chair and associate professor of accounting
• James Huang, Ph.D., associate professor of finance
• Jennifer Matic, assistant professor of service leadership and innovation management
• Clyde Hull, Ph.D., professor of management

Exceptional Student Impact

• Philip Gelsomino, senior lecturer of accounting
• Stephen Luxmore, Ph.D., interim department chair and principal lecturer of management and business legal studies
• John Curran, visiting lecturer of accounting and finance
• Lorraine Hems, senior lecturer of hospitality & tourism management and international hospitality and service innovation
• Suzanne McCaffrey, visiting lecturer of accounting

Exemplary Adjunct teaching

• James J. Minno, adjunct professor of marketing
• Anthony Testa, adjunct professor of finance
• John Cittadino 
• Rob Vlosky
• Greg Van Laeken, adjunct professor of finance

Marty Lawlor, Erhan Mergen, and Peter Rosenthal retire from Saunders College of Business. Lawlor is retiring after 20 years with the college, most recently serving as a senior lecturer in the department of management. Mergen is retiring after being with Saunders for 38 years as a professor of supply chain management. Rosenthal is retiring after 17 years, most recently serving as director of student services.

Peggy Tirrell, senior associate director of graduate business programs and admissions, celebrates her 45-year anniversary with Saunders College of Business.

Jesse Redlo, adjunct professor of management information systems, published “Balancing Student Needs with Academic Rigor” in the Journal of Research and Teaching in Developmental Education. Professor Redlo is the Editor of the journal, which he says is “an open-access journal to promote easy and timely access to important educational information.” 

Gabrielle Harrington, events manager, and Melissa Masline, undergraduate academic advisor, have been elected representatives on the University’s Staff Council. Staff Council members have the important job of communicating to staff about university news and initiatives, acting as conduits providing staff feedback and insights on university issues, and more.

Biz 1+2 professors, Molly McGowan, director of the leadership academy at Saunders and senior lecturer of management, and Phillippa Thiuri, lecturer of service leadership innovation, held their final presentations. Congratulations to the two student groups selected as winners. The Biz 1+2 Freshman Experience allows students to create, innovate, and lead through comprehensive business plan development. All students start Biz 1+2 as freshmen as a cohort throughout their first two semesters.

Steven Luxmore, Ph.D., interim department chair and principal lecturer of management and business legal studies, had his team of students rank in the 99th percentile worldwide for their business capstone simulation. The simulation requires a team of students to manage a virtual company.

Emi Moriuchi, Ph.D., assistant professor of marketing, has received the Provost’s Learning Innovation grant for 2022 for ‘‘Introducing Neuromarketing Techniques.” The grant provides funds for faculty to develop, apply, and/or research an innovative mode or model of teaching and learning that directly supports an RIT priority.

Steven Carnovale, Ph.D., program director and assistant professor of supply chain management, and Jessica Carnovale, visiting lecturer of management, co-authored, “Guardians of Intellectual Property in the 21st Century: The Global Supply Chain Industry” in Rutgers Business Review. The paper outlines threats to the intellectual property handled by modern supply chains and how to mitigate them.

Peggy Tirrell, senior associate director of graduate business programs and admissions, won the Albert J. Simone Legacy Award. As one nominator said, “faculty and staff respect Peggy tremendously and often look to her for advice and guidance. Peggy’s institutional knowledge makes her a priceless asset at RIT.”

Steven Carnovale, Ph.D., program director and assistant professor of supply chain management, shared his expert opinion with RochesterFirst.com and 13WHAM about the rising costs of living. He gave his thoughts on where consumers are feeling price increases, Monroe County’s tax cap, and its implications.

Joy Olabisi, Ph.D., associate professor of management, participated in RIT’s first RIT in Africa Research Colloquium hosted by RIT’s Global Office from April 18 to 21. Joy presented research on the topic of Exploring Entrepreneurship Practices in Africa.

dt ogilvie, Ph.D., professor of management, co-authored Creativities: The What, How, Where, Who, and Why of the Creative Process. The book, which comes out in June, encourages readers no matter their industry or occupation to find their own version of creativity that breaks the bounds of traditional models or “best practice.”

March 2022

Jerrie Hsieh, Ph.D., associate professor of hospitality and tourism management, received the Provost’s Excellence in Faculty Mentoring Award. This award honors an RIT faculty member who actively helps in the development of a junior colleague’s career by offering advice, feedback, and guidance that reflects a deep understanding of their department, college, and university.

Steven Carnovale, Ph.D., program director and assistant professor of supply chain management, published “Future business and the role of purchasing and supply management: Opportunities for ‘business-not-as-usual’ PSM research” in the Journal of Purchasing and Supply Chain Management. The article argues that supply chain managers should rethink how they approach their work so as to adapt to the changing field. Steven also spoke to 13WHAM about how high gas prices may soon be felt in-store.

Quang “Neo” Bui, associate professor of management information systems; Ezekiel Leo, assistant professor of management; and Olayele Adelakun, have published “Outsourcing for Sustainable Performance: Insights from Two Studies on Achieving Innovation through Information Technology and Business Process Outsourcing.”  The study explores the different ways that organizations can pursue both efficiency and innovation through IT outsourcing (ITO) and business process outsourcing (BPO).

Stephen Luxmore, Ph.D., has been named the interim department chair of the management department. He brings a wealth of experience to the role as he taught various management and international business courses, developed global sourcing courses, served as GCC Chair, and more.

February 2022

Molly McGowan, Ph.D., director of The Leadership Academy at Saunders, spoke with RIT News about women's leadership initiatives happening at Saunders College this semester.

Jesse Redlo, adjunct professor of management information systems, will be on a panel titled “Supporting and Fostering Student Resiliency” hosted by Nazareth College’s Teaching Integration and Innovation Lab.

Ali Tosyali, Ph.D., assistant professor of management information systems, co-authored two papers, “Annals of Operations Research” (forthcoming) and “IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management.” The former establishes a new index for validating data in cluster analysis. The latter introduces a new approach to predicting future transactions and identifying “missing” or invisible information about transactions between businesses.

Shalini Khazanchi, Ph.D., department chair and professor of management, is the new associate dean for research and graduate programs. Professor Khazanchi brings a wealth of experience to this role, in which she will guide research and graduate studies, as well as serve as director of the Ph.D. in business administration program.

January 2022

Congratulations to Torrence Sparkman, Ph.D., associate professor of human resource development, who was awarded the 2021 Best Issue award from Advances in Developing Human Resources. Sparkman was the guest editor of the issue and authored multiple articles.

Muhammet Kesgin, Ph.D., associate professor of hospitality and tourism management, and Khaled Aldawodi MS ’21 (hospitality and tourism management), co-authored “Effects of religiosity and travel desire on COVID-19 vaccination intentions,” which was published in Taylor & Francis. The article explores the effects of Muslim religiosity on travel desire and COVID-19 vaccination intentions.

Emi Moriuchi, assistant professor of marketing, published Cross-Cultural Social Media Marketing, a book focusing on the “cross-cultural differences in how certain groups use social media.”

Gijs Overgoor, assistant professor of marketing, co-authored "Simplicity is not key: Understanding firm-generated social media images and consumer liking" in the International Journal of Research in Marketing.  His research was conducted with image mining tools and aimed to analyze the complexity of social media imagery and its impact on consumer liking. It has also gained media attention, being featured by Business Insider, WRAL Tech Wire, and Kenya News.

Kristin Bain, Ph.D., assistant professor of management, co-authored a recent study titled "Amplifying Voice in Organizations." Her research caught the attention of national outlets such as Forbes, Business Insider, and CNBC, as well as Adam Grant, an influential business leader, and local Rochester media.

Duygu Akdevelioglu, Ph.D., assistant professor of marketing, and Sean Hansen, department chair and professor of management information systems, co-authored an article in the Journal of Marketing Management. Their study on wearable technologies theorizes a new model of interaction between consumers and tech.

Archana Jain, CPA, MBA, Ph.D. has accepted the position of Interim Department Chair of Finance and Accounting. The teacher-scholar has been involved with the college’s senate, finance advisory board, and the Dean’s Distinguished Speaker Series.

December 2021

Phillippa Thiuri, Ph.D., lecturer of service leadership and innovation management, has agreed to serve in the role of interim assistant vice president for access and success for the Division of Diversity and Inclusion until a successor is appointed. Professor Thiuri has held multiple roles related to diversity and inclusion including Assistant Director in the Multicultural Center for Academic Success.

Jerrie Hsieh and Muhammet Kesgin, associate professors in Saunders College’s Department of International Hospitality and Service Innovation, were awarded a $125,000 grant by the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation to help immigrants and refugees develop workforce skills in hospitality.

November 2021

Congratulations to Edwin Torres, Ph.D., the new Department Chair of International Hospitality and Service Innovation (IHSI), effective July 1, 2022. Professor Torres teaches various courses across hospitality and human resource management while focusing his research on customer experience, consumer behavior, and human resource management.

A $250,000 grant from the U.S. State Department will fund a program led by Clyde Hull, Ph.D., professor of management, and Eric Williams, Ph.D., professor of sustainability to help entrepreneurs in Jordan form circular economy businesses.

As of January 2022, Steven Carnovale, Ph.D., program director and assistant professor of supply chain management, will be the Co-Editor-in-Chief at the Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management.

Muhammet Kesign, Ph.D., associate professor of hospitality and tourism management, Richard Lagiewski, assistant professor of hospitality and tourism management, Jerrie Hsieh, associate professor of hospitality and tourism management, and hospitality students participated and volunteered at the Rochester Hotel Association’s fundraiser for its scholarships for RIT and MCC hospitality students.

Saunders College of Business Dean Jacqueline Mozrall was featured in Rochester Business Journal's Power 30 Higher Education, along with RIT President David Munson, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Ellen Granberg, Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences Dean Anne Haake, and NTID President and RIT Vice President and Dean Gerard Buckley.

The Tingari-Silverton Foundation appointed dt ogilvie, professor of urban entrepreneurship and economic development, to its Board of Directors.

October 2021

Muhammet Kesgin, Ph.D., associate professor of hospitality and tourism management, accompanied by student volunteers, participated in the Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition & Conference (HITEC)

Muhammet Kesgin, Ph.D., associate professor of hospitality and tourism management, was a keynote speaker on a Domestic Tourism Panel at the 21st National and 5th International Tourism Congress.

September 2021

Steven Carnovale, Ph.D., program director and assistant professor of supply chain management, discussed how the supply chain could impact holiday shopping with Rochesterfirst.com.

Steven Carnovale, Ph.D., program director and assistant professor of supply chain management, chatted with Consumer Reports about artificial tree alternatives this holiday season.

Logistics data research, in-part collected by Steven Carnovale, Ph.D., program director and assistant professor of supply chain management, for the Logistic Managers’ Index, was featured in a Bloomberg article covering an ongoing tactical shift towards the automation of global supply lines.

Jesse Redlo, adjunct faculty for marketing, has had three academic articles accepted for publication between three major academic publishing houses: AIJR Proceedings, Routledge Taylor and Francis Group, and IGI Global.

August 2021

Jesse Redlo, adjunct faculty for marketing, worked with Alec Waight-Morabito ’22 (business administration) to publish a chapter in “The Proper Role of Higher Education in a Democratic Society,” published by IGI Global. Their chapter is titled, “Student Activism via Shared Governance in Higher Education.”

Peter Rosenthal, senior associate director of student services, has been promoted to director of student services.

Congratulations to the seven new faculty and staff members who have joined the Saunders team:

• Anthony Fitzsimmons, assistant director of advancement – Dean’s office
• Laharish Guntuka, assistant professor of supply chain management – Management
• Gijs Overgoor, assistant professor of marketing – MIS, marketing, and digital business
• Lia Schapero, marketing and promotions coordinator – Saunders marketing and communication
• Ali Tosyali, assistant professor of management information systems – MIS, marketing, and digital business
• Krista Vardabash, business development manager – Saunders executive education
• Martha Whalen, adjunct professor of management – Management

Kenan Guler, assistant professor of management, was featured in a Rochester Democrat and Chronicle article about the expansion of the Rochester-local company, Royal Car Wash. Professor Guler provided expertise on how Royal has managed to grow in such a mature business sector.

Steven Carnovale, Ph.D., program director and assistant professor of supply chain management, was featured in a 13WHAM article about heightened prices on back-to-school merchandise. Professor Carnovale provided expertise on how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the U.S. supply chain.

Torrence Sparkman, Ph.D., associate professor of human resource development, has been appointed as RIT’s interim AALANA Faculty Associate for the fall 2021 semester. Professor Sparkman will serve in this role until Professor Mindy Magyar returns from sabbatical in the spring.

Steven Carnovale, Ph.D., program director and assistant professor of supply chain management, won the 2021 Best Associate Editor award from the Journal of Supply Chain Management.

July 2021

Jerrie Hseih, Ph.D., associate professor of hospitality and tourism management, co-produced a research project with Madeline Reim ’22 (hospitality and tourism management) about the return of customers to restaurant dining following the COVID-19 pandemic. Hseih and Reim will present their findings during RIT’s Undergraduate Research Symposium.

Michael Palanski, Ph.D., professor of management, wrote an article for LinkedIn Pulse about how Simone Bile’s withdrawal from the 2020 Olympics reflects key leadership traits. Professor Palanski’s article was co-written by Olympian, Iris Zimmermann.

Steven Carnovale, Ph.D., program director and assistant professor of supply chain management, was featured in an article for RochesterFirst. Professor Carnovale spoke on the recent shortage of packing foam and how its rate of replenishment is affected by consumer actions.

Research in workplace communication and status conducted by Kristin Bain, Ph.D., assistant professor of management, and three other professors from the universities of Hawaii at Mānoa, Kansas, and Utah, was featured in Forbes. Professor Bain and her colleagues discovered that endorsing the ideas of others in a corporate setting can aid the career trajectories of both the endorsed and the endorser.

Muhammet Kesgin, Ph.D., associate professor of hospitality and tourism management, gave one presentation: At the third International Management Congress covering the principles behind effective design for industries involved in family vacations.

June 2021

Steven Carnovale, Ph.D., program director and assistant professor of supply chain management, & Brendan Green MS ’22 (supply chain management) are working with University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) on managing their personal protection equipment (PPE) supply chain. Read about Carnovale’s teaching style and Green’s supply chain challenges on page 4 of the RIT University Magazine.

Clyde Hull, Ph.D., professor of management, was interviewed by Zippia about the future of jobs in architecture. Read expert opinions on how to succeed in the modern architectural workforce in Zippia's online article.

May 2021

Molly McGowan, Ph.D., director of the Leadership Academy at Saunders, led two students from her Biz 1+2 class to research, design, and prototype a promising invention: “B Straws.” Read about these banana-pulp straws and their inventors in our Global Blog.

John Ward, principal lecturer of management, aided three students in his Biz 1+2 class in developing “EZ Waste,” a compact garbage bag dispenser.

Steven Carnovale, Ph.D., program director and assistant professor of supply chain management, spoke with Armando Cavanha of PUC Rio about how to deal with supply chain disruptions in the pandemic. Watch Carnovale and Cavanha’s talk for more details on global supply problems on LinkedIn.

Six Saunders professors have been awarded Student Research Grants for 2021:

• Malar Hirudayaraj, Ph.D. – “Performance Management Systems in the Public Sector: A Comprehensive Analysis across Five Southeast Asian Countries”
• Jerrie Hsieh, Ph.D. – “Consumers’ Restaurant Visit Intention During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Mediating Effects of Brand, Government and Social Trust”
• Manlu Liu, Ph.D. – “Examining Discretionary Dissemination on Twitter from Audit Professionals”
• Mike Palanski, Ph.D. – “Application of Family Systems Theory to Leader Development in Tech Startups”
• Ke-an Wu, Ph.D. – “The Impact of COVID-19 on Business and Disclosure on Multi-National Corporations”
• Hao Zhang, Ph.D. – “Exploring Effects of Culture Factors, Regulations, & Financial Market Participants”

Seven Saunders professors have been awarded several Special Grants for notable academic projects:

• Emi Moriuchi, Ph.D. – Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award
  • Research and lecture at one of Japan’s Keio University, as a part of a project on the “impact of multiculturalism on consumer behaviors.”
• Jeff Davis, MBA & Dean Jacquie Mozrall, Ph.D. – NYESD Incentive Grant
  • “Development and implementation of Life Sciences EMBA”
• Duygu Akdevelioglu, Ph.D. & Joy Olabisi, Ph.D. – Advance Connect Award
  • “Networking Networks: Building Foundations of Social Networks Theory and Analysis Hub at RIT”
• Shal Khazanachi, Ph.D. & Zhi Tang, Ph.D. – SRS Boot Camp Award

Bob Barbato, Gilmar De Paula, and Kimberly Grant are retiring from Saunders College of Business. Barbato is retiring after 42 years of service as a Professor of Management. De Paula is retiring after 17 years, most recently serving as a lab technician, and Grant is retiring after 15 years, most recently serving as a Senior Staff Assistant.

Dana Pelliccia, senior staff assistant of the Saunders Dean’s Office, has received the Outstanding Staff award for 2021. This award is presented to a Saunders College of Business faculty or staff member for his/her dedication to the College's mission and vision.

Several Saunders professors and lecturers have been promoted for their exceptional work and conduct:

Promoted to Senior Lecturer

• Philip Gelsomino, senior lecturer of accounting
• Lorraine Hems, senior lecturer of hospitality and tourism management
• Shawn Sturgeon, Ph.D., senior lecturer of management

Tenured and Promoted to Associate Professor

• Quang "Neo" Bui, Ph.D., associate professor of management information systems
• Zhijian "James" Huang, Ph.D., associate professor of finance

Promoted to Professor

• Sean Hansen, Ph.D., professor of management and information systems
• Manlu Liu, Ph.D., professor of management information systems

Professors Clyde Hull, Ph.D. and Ezekiel Leo, Ph.D. led three top-ranking student teams during the 2020/2021 Capsim Capstone simulation. Read our Global Blog for more details on how these 12 students ranked in the top 1% in this international competition.

Research conducted by Steven Carnovale, Ph.D., program director and assistant professor of supply chain management, was featured in the Wall Street Journal. Professor Carnovale conducted research on the future of the US lumber market in conjunction with the Logistics Managers' Index (LMI).

Five Saunders professors have received Distinguished Professorships. These professors demonstrate professionalism, groundbreaking scholarship, exceptional instruction, and the breadth and significance of service contributions:

• Hao Zhang, Ph.D., professor of finance
• Zhi Tang, Ph.D., professor of international business
• Rong Yang, Ph.D., professor of accounting
• Victor Perotti, Ph.D., Benjamin Forman professor for collaborative research
• Rajendran Murthy, Ph.D., J. Warren McClure professor of marketing

April 2021

Suzanne McCaffrey, visiting lecturer of accounting, has been awarded the Accounting Advisory Board’s Outstanding Faculty award for 2021.

Archana Jain, Ph.D., associate professor of finance, was featured in Forbes Magazine for her research on high frequency trading and how it helps stabilize the stock market. Professor Jain’s research has now gone further than academia; directly influencing decisions made by professional and retail traders.

Victor Perotti, Ph.D., Benjamin Forman professor for collaborative research, and his class were featured in a Rochester Business Journal article. Their facilitation of a partnership between RIT and the Jewish Senior Life center was done to encourage the elderly to embrace technology to improve their lives. The partnership also makes way for research stipends and resources for participating students.

Muhammet Kesgin, Ph.D., associate professor of hospitality and tourism management, hosted a presentation on “Destination partnerships and product development” for local authorities and stakeholders in Zonguldak, Turkey. This was Professor Kesgin’s second presentation to be organized by Zonguldak’s Bulent Ecevit University.

Eight Saunders professors have been chosen as Zutes Faculty Fellowship for the 20201 – 2022 school year. The Zutes Faculty Fellowship was enacted to recognize excellence in scholarship among Saunders faculty members. These professors were chosen for their high research productivity over the past three years:

• Quang Bui, Ph.D., associate professor of management information systems
• Malarvizhi Hirudayaraj, Ph.D., associate professor of human resource development
• Chun-Keung Hoi, Ph.D., professor of finance
• Zhijian Huang, Ph.D., associate professor of finance
• Clyde Hull, Ph.D., professor of management
• Archana Jain, Ph.D., associate professor of finance
• Manlu Liu, Ph.D., associate professor of management information systems
• Ke-an Wu, Ph.D., associate professor of accounting

Zhijian Huang, Ph.D., professor of finance, and Quang Bui, Ph.D., professor of management information systems, have been promoted to Associate Professor. With this promotion, both of them are now tenured professors.

Emi Moriuchi, Ph.D., assistant professor of marketing, led her marketing class in assembling and distributing 100 personal hygiene kits to the Willow Domestic Violence shelter. This was an exercise demonstrating how to market a product while promoting a social cause. Read more about the project on 13WHAM and see behind the scenes photos on RIT News.

Joy Olabisi, Ph.D., assistant professor of management, and Duygu Akdevelioglu, Ph.D., assistant professor of marketing, have been chosen as recipients for RIT’s 2020 Connect Grant. The Connect Grant allows female faculty to reach their full potential through project and research funding. Olabisi and Akdevelioglu will use the grant to fund their next project: Networking Networks: Building the Foundations of a Social Networks Theory and Analysis Hub at RIT.

March 2021

Steven Carnovale, Ph.D., program director and assistant professor of supply chain management, was interviewed by WROC about the future economic impact of the recent Suez Canal blockage. Read what Dr. Carnovale had to say on this worldwide issue via RochesterFirst.com.

Muhammet Kesgin, Ph.D., associate professor in hospitality and tourism management, spoke at Kapadokya University’s Sustainable Gastronomy Workshop. Professor Kesgin presented on the food and beverage value chain and their effects on gastronomy.

Sean Hansen, Ph.D., department chair of management information systems, Marketing and Digital Business, has been chosen as the faculty pick for the 2020-21 Norman A. Miles Award. He was chosen by Dominick Crisci ’21 (management information systems), who was the student recipient of the award. This award is given to the senior with the highest grade point average across all majors. That student then selects the faculty member who contributed most to their success at RIT. The student gets a full scholarship towards their last year of tuition, while the faculty member gets funding for academic activities and supplies.

Victor Perotti, Ph.D., Benjamin Forman professor for collaborative research, established a partnership between RIT and the Jewish Senior Life center. This partnership allows RIT students to provide technical and computer support to Jewish Senior Life residents. RIT’s partnership with Jewish Senior Life residents was covered in further detail by 13WHAM.

Shalini "Shal" Khazanchi, Ph.D., department chair and professor of management at Saunders, was featured as a "difference maker" in an interview for RIT's celebration of Women's History Month. Dr. Khazanchi has worked at RIT for over 15 years and has been published in many academic journals, including the Academy of Management Journal and the Journal of Applied Psychology.

dt ogilvie, Ph.D., professor of business strategy and founder of the Center for Urban Entrepreneurship, received a $15,000 grant from the National League of Cities and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. The funds will be used to implement a FastTrac program to train aspiring BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), minority, and female entrepreneurs.

February 2021

Torrence Sparkman, Ph.D., associate professor at Saunders’ Department of International Hospitality and Service Innovation, was featured as a “difference maker” in an interview for RIT’s celebration of Black Heritage Month. Sparkman has been teaching at RIT for over six years and is an active member of three separate committees between Saunders and RIT.

Peggy Tirrell, senior associate director of graduate business programs and admissions, was nominated for the RIT Presidential Award for Outstanding Staff. Tirrell has had a long and meritorious career at Saunders that spans over 40 years.

Janette Frank, operations coordinator for the Saunders Dean’s Office, was nominated for the RIT Presidential Award for Outstanding Staff. Between her time in alumni relations and operations coordination, Frank has been working at RIT for over 11 years.

Lisa Boice, assistant dean of student services, was nominated for the RIT Presidential Award for Outstanding Staff. Boice has had a well-established career in university administration, working for RIT, Southampton College, and Long Island University throughout her life.

Linda Chamot, scheduling officer for Saunders, was nominated for the RIT Presidential Award for Outstanding Staff. Chamot has served Saunders for over 20 years, overseeing class scheduling and facilities logistics.

Steven Carnovale, Ph.D., program director of GSCM and TIME, spoke with 13WHAM about rising demands for pools and hot tubs amidst the pandemic.

January 2021

John Tu, Ph.D. and Manlu Liu, Ph.D. were part of a team that helped partner Saunders College of Business and Beacon Education to deliver our online MS Business Analytics to cohorts of business professionals in China starting March 2021.

Clyde Hull, Ph.D., Stephen Luxmore, Ph.D., and Ezekiel Leo, Ph.D., lead the CAPSIM Capstone Business Simulation (MGMT-560). Last semester, Professor Hull’s students, Kyle Tanzi '21 (Supply Chain Management), Peter Jarvis '21 (Supply Chain Management), Lukas Wiedemann (Management Information Systems), and Lauryn Mattoon (Marketing), finished in the Top 1%!

Bob Barbato, Ph.D., professor of management, has been cited 1,000 times, according to Google Scholar. Professor Barbato has joined the running list of Saunders faculty with this achievement; John Ettlie, Ph.D., Ashok Robin, Ph.D., Sandy Rothenberg, Ph.D., John Tu, Ph.D., Michael Palanski, Ph.D., Karthik Namasivayam, Ph.D., Clyde Hull, Ph.D., Zhi Tang, Ph.D., Hao Zhang, Ph.D., Richard DeMartino, Ph.D., Shal Khazanchi, Ph.D., dt ogilvie, Ph.D., Neil Hair, Ph.D., Stan Hoi, Ph.D., Victor Perotti, Ph.D., and Steven Gold, Ph.D..

Steven Carnovale, Ph.D., program director of GSCM and TIME, spoke with Malcolm Wheatley, Ph.D. about procurement in Engaging the External Workforce: Procurement’s Role in Unlocking Value.

Steven Carnovale, Ph.D., program director of GSCM and TIME, spoke to Jesse Coburn from Newsday Media Group about the logistics of distributing a vaccine across the tri-state area.

Steven Carnovale, Ph.D., has been named program director of Global Supply Chain Management MS (GSCM) and Technology Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship MS as Zhi Tang, Ph.D., prepares for his sabbatical.

December 2020

Zhi Tang, Ph.D., professor of international business, invited colleagues from RIT China, RIT Croatia, and RIT Dubai into the virtual classroom as guest lecturers for the global business environment courses taught at each global campus. This combination of resources allowed students in Rochester, China, Croatia, and Dubai to learn first-hand from international experts.

Muhammet Kesgin, Ph.D., associate professor of hospitality and tourism management, Raj Murthy, Ph.D., J. Warren McClure research professor of marketing, and Linden Pohland, CHIA ’18 (Hospitality and Tourism Management) co-authored “Residents as destination advocates: the role of attraction familiarity on destination image.” This article was selected as a Highly Commended Paper in the 2020 Emerald Literati Awards.

Steven Carnovale, Ph.D., assistant professor of supply chain management, is a member of the nationally-recognized Logistics Managers' Index. The team's November research appeared in CSCMP's Supply Chain Quarterly, stating, November's LMI growth was slightly down from the previous month. Transportation and warehousing capacities are at a record-low.

Peggy Tirrell, senior associate director of graduate business programs and admissions, was named to the 2020-2021 board of directors for the Western New York/Northwest Pennsylvania Chapter of the Fulbright Association.

Raj Murthy, Ph.D., J. Warren McClure research professor of marketing, talks about cord-cutting with CNY Central. Dr. Murthy discusses how cutting the cord is an economically viable decision, but there are some negatives.

Steven Carnovale, Ph.D., assistant professor of supply chain management, talked with 13WHAM and WXXI about the challenges associated with distributing a COVID-19 vaccine.

November 2020

Clyde Hull, Ph.D., professor of management, was quoted in a recent article from Zippia to help aspiring graduates start their careers. In “Experts Weigh in on Current Job Market Trends,” Hull mentioned those with “polished interpersonal skills are going to stand out more.”

Steven Carnovale, Ph.D., assistant professor of supply chain management, was mentioned in JBL Parent Account’s “Price is what you pay; value is what you get: Unintended Consequences of Price Concessions and Buyer-Supplier Relationships.” Dr. Carnovale, John W. Henke Jr. and Sengun Yeniyurt of Rutgers University, and Scott DuHadway of Portland State University published “Unintended Consequences: How Suppliers Compensate for Price Concessions and the Role of Organizational Justice in Buyer‐Supplier Relations” in March 2019.

Carol Whitlock, Ph.D., retired from Saunders College of Business after 47+ years. During the Cocktails & Celebrations – A Hospitality & Tourism Management Program Happy Hour, attendees shared words of thanks to Carol for her service to RIT. For additional retirements, visit our newsletter.

Steven Carnovale, Ph.D., assistant professor of supply chain management, is a member of the nationally-recognized Logistics Managers’ Index (LMI) research team created to "identify trends and developments in the logistics industry over time,” according to the LMI website. The LMI team comprises experts from Arizona State University, Colorado State, RIT, Rutgers University, the University of Nevada, Reno and the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP). The October reading reported that the LMI is at 71.6, the highest score the index has reached since June 2018. This growth is due to reports of “increased levels of inventory, contracting capacity, and increased levels of both utilization and price.”

Fran Domoy, past director of the international hospitality & service innovation department, returned to being a farmer. Since then, he has shipped grain to RIT Croatia’s students in the event management course to develop Brewerit, a beer brand conceptualized by students coming in November 2020.

Steven Carnovale, Ph.D., assistant professor of supply chain management, talked with 13WHAM about how retailers and suppliers have strengthened their supply chains over the past six months.  

Duygu Akdevelioglu, Ph.D., assistant professor of marketing, has been gathering data on brand engagement in the wearable technology space for more than four years to help companies maximize brand engagement and enhance interaction.

Steven Carnovale, Ph.D., assistant professor of supply chain management, talked with 13WHAM about longer wait times for appliance repairs during the pandemic.

October 2020

Archana Jain, Ph.D., associate professor of finance, appeared on BuyProperly’s Ask Us Anything series, giving insight into women in finance and Saunders’ classes.

13WHAM spoke with Raj Murphy, Ph.D., professor of marketing, about Amazon’s October Prime Day.

Duygu Akdevelioglu, Ph.D., assistant professor of marketing, presented at the Association for Consumer Research (ACR) 2020 Conference on October 3.

Roger O’Brien, President of O’Brien Associates and adjunct professor, is receiving an ICON Award from the Rochester Business Journal this December.

Steven Carnovale, Ph.D., assistant professor of supply chain management, spoke to 13WHAM about the effects of panic shopping on an already stressed supply chain.

September 2020

The BBC and Fast Company reference the work of Shal Khazanachi, Ph.D., associate professor of management, about her research on work relationships, published in the Academy of Management.

Steven Carnovale, Ph.D., assistant professor of supply chain management, is part of the team that created the Logistics Managers’ Index (LMI) to identify trends and developments in the industry over time. Their work was recently covered in DC Velocity, FreightWaves, Marketplace, Supply & Demand Chain Executive, Supply Chain Dive and Transport Topics.

George Alley, former department chair of the food, hotel and tourism management program at Saunders, reflected on his time as past president of Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education (CHRIE) for the 75th anniversary.

Shal Khazanachi, Ph.D., department chair and professor of management, shares insights on the future of the workplace in the Rochester Business Journal.

Steven Gold, Ph.D., founded the educational simulation Beat the Market​​ that is being used in high schools and colleges across the country.

July 2020

Steven Carnovale, Ph.D., assistant professor of supply chain management, shared how consumer purchasing behavior drives supply chain planning and product availability with 13WHAM and WROC.

August 2020

John Ward, Principal Lecturer of Management, was featured in The Wall Street Journal discussing the transformation of Kodak.

Bill Dresnack was named the vice president of the NYS Society of CPAs.

May 2020

Archana Jain, Ph.D. and Ke-an Wu, Ph.D., have been promoted to associate professors.

Michael Palanski, Ph.D. and Hao Zhang, Ph.D., join us as full-time professors.

Molly McGowan, Ph.D., has been promoted to senior lecturer.

Manlu Liu, Ph.D., has been officially recognized as an annual scholarship awardee.

Michael Palanski, Ph.D., co-authored a paper that was recently named the Best Article of 2019 at the Journal of Management Education.

John Ettlie, Ph.D., wrote a book titled Innovation Renaissance: Defining, Debunking, and Demystifying Creativity.

Hao Zhang, Ph.D., Zhijian Huang, Ph.D., Jennifer Matic, Jerri Hsieh, Ph.D., Manlu Liu, Ph.D., have been awarded the Summer Research Grant with Student.

Steven Gold, Ph.D., exceeded 1,000 citations on Google Scholar. Steven joins a growing group of SCB faculty who have been cited more than 1,000 times, according to Google Scholar: John Ettlie, Ph.D., Ashok Robin, Ph.D., Sandy Rothenberg, Ph.D., John Tu, Ph.D., Michael Palanski, Ph.D., Karthik Namasivayam, Ph.D., Clyde Hull, Ph.D., Zhi Tang, Ph.D., Hao Zhang, Ph.D., Richard DeMartino, Ph.D., Shal Khazanchi, Ph.D., dt ogilvie, Ph.D., Neil Hair, Ph.D., Stan Hoi, Ph.D., Victor Perotti, Ph.D..

This year’s Zutes Fellows are Malar Hirudayaraj, Ph.D., Stan Hoi, Ph.D., Archana Jain, Ph.D., Manlu Liu, Ph.D., Ke-an Wu, Ph.D., and Rong Yang, Ph.D..

Vicky Cottrell earned her EMBA, Molly McGowan, Ph.D., and Michael Scrivens completed doctorates this year and Kenan Guler finished his Ph.D.. All are being honored as life-long learners.

The SG Extra Mile Award went to Molly McGowan, Ph.D., who was recognized by the RIT student government.

The SCB Outstanding Staff Award went to Holly Yates. 

This is only a small summary of the accomplishments of Saunders faculty and staff, all of whom go out of their way to make a difference for every member of Saunders College of Business. Thank you for your persistence and desire to grow.