{"id":925,"date":"2017-11-28T01:06:13","date_gmt":"2017-11-28T01:06:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wcsu.wpengine.com\/asb\/?page_id=925"},"modified":"2026-04-15T17:55:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T17:55:11","slug":"faculty","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/asb\/faculty\/","title":{"rendered":"Faculty"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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<\/a>Accounting<\/strong><\/h2>

Michele Ganon, Ph.D. CPA, CGMA\"Headshot<\/p>

Professor, Chair<\/em><\/p>

Office:<\/strong>\u00a0WS 303<\/p>

Email:\u00a0<\/strong>GanonM@wcsu.edu<\/a><\/p>

Phone:<\/strong>\u00a0(203) 837-8742<\/p>

Current Teaching Areas:\u00a0<\/strong>Managerial Accounting, Taxation<\/p>

Research Interests:\u00a0<\/strong>Tax fraud, White-Collar Crime, Ethics<\/p>

Dr. Michele Ganon joined the Accounting Department in 1991 and is its longest-serving member; her areas of expertise are taxation, managerial accounting, and white-collar crime; she currently teaches Accounting Information Systems, Cost Accounting, and Data Analytics.<\/p>

Dr. Ganon has completed two American Accounting Association Data Analytics Bootcamps and was an invited guest lecturer on Data Analytics at Soochow University and National Taiwan University. Dr. Ganon served four biennial terms as Secretary-Treasurer of the American Association of University Professors, the 40,000-member professional organization devoted to protecting and promoting academic freedom and shared governance throughout the U. S. and currently serves as the Connecticut State Conference AAUP Treasurer.<\/p>

Dr. Ganon\u2019s research has been published in Accounting and the Public Interest, Journal of Managerial Issues, International Journal of Business and Applied Sciences and Business Education Innovation Journal.<\/p>

Dr. Ganon received a B.S. degree from Lehman College, where she later taught for several years, an MBA in Taxation from Baruch College, and a Ph.D. in Accounting from the University of Arizona. She is registered to practice as a CPA in New York State and holds the Chartered Global Management Accountant credential awarded by the AICPA.<\/p>

Dr. Jin Sun Ahn, Ph.D. CPA\"Headshot<\/p>

Assistant Professor<\/em><\/p>

Office:<\/b>\u00a0WS 304<\/p>

E-Mail:<\/b>\u00a0ahnj@wcsu.edu<\/a><\/p>

Phone:<\/b>\u00a0(203) 837-9342<\/p>

Jin Sun Ahn, Ph.D., CPA., joined the faculty at Western Connecticut State University in the fall of 2020. Dr. Ahn earned her Ph.D degree from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, her master\u2019s degree from George Washington University and BS degree from the University of Arizona.<\/div>
Prior to joining academia, she worked at various global firms and international organizations, including KPMG, The World Bank, and Samsung Electronics as an auditor, consultant, and financial analyst.<\/div>
\u00a0<\/div>
At Western Connecticut State University, Dr. Ahn has taught financial accounting, intermediate accounting, and financial statement analysis. From 2018-2019, she taught managerial accounting at Boston University as a visiting assistant professor.<\/div>
\u00a0<\/div>

Her research interests include financial reporting, financial accounting, financial statement fraud and impact of CEO on financial reporting quality and firm performance.<\/p><\/div>

Jim Donegan, Ph.D., CPA, CMA, CFE<\/p>

\"Headshot<\/p>

Professor<\/em><\/p>

Office:<\/strong>\u00a0WS 403<\/p>

Email:\u00a0<\/strong>DoneganJ@wcsu.edu<\/a><\/p>

Phone<\/strong>: (203) 837-9035<\/p>

On the Web:\u00a0\"Google<\/a><\/strong><\/p>

Current Teaching Areas:<\/strong>\u00a0Consolidations and Partnerships (i course) and Fraud Examination<\/p>

Research Interests:\u00a0<\/strong>Financial Statement Fraud, White-Collar Crime<\/p>

Dr. Jim Donegan joined the Accounting Department in 1999, having previously held positions at Baruch College and SUNY New Paltz. Since joining WCSU he has served as Interim Dean, Assistant Dean, and MBA Coordinator, and was Chair of University Planning and Budgeting for five years. Within Ancell, he chairs or has chaired the Graduate Planning and Curriculum Committee, the Program Review Committee, the Faculty Qualifications Committee, and the Assurance of Learning Committee (dissolved). His areas of expertise are Forensic Accounting and White-Collar Crime, and he currently teaches Fraud Examination, Consolidations, and Financial Accounting.<\/p>

Dr. Donegan\u2019s research has been published in the Journal of Accounting, Auditing, and Finance, Accounting and the Public Interest, Journal of Managerial Issues, International Journal of Business and Applied Sciences, and Business Education Innovation Journal. Dr. Donegan was an invited guest lecturer at Soochow University in Taiwan on accounting fraud.<\/p>

Dr. Donegan earned his BA from the CUNY Baccalaureate Program, his MBA in Public Accounting from Baruch College, and his Ph.D. from the University of Arizona. He is registered to practice as a CPA in New York State and is also a Certified Managerial Accountant and Certified Fraud Examiner.<\/p>

Xiaowen Jiang, Ph.D.<\/p>

Professor<\/em><\/p>

Office:<\/strong>\u00a0WS 138<\/p>

Email:<\/strong>\u00a0JiangX@wcsu.edu<\/a><\/p>

Phone<\/strong>: (203) 837-9291<\/p>

Current Teaching Areas:<\/strong>\u00a0Financial Accounting<\/p>

Research Interests:\u00a0<\/strong>Financial Reporting and Capital Markets; Audit Quality<\/p>

Youngbin Kim, Ph.D.\u00a0\"Headshot<\/p>

Assistant Professor<\/em><\/p>

Office<\/strong>: WS 302<\/p>

Email:<\/strong>\u00a0kimy@wcsu.edu<\/a><\/p>

Phone<\/strong>: (203) 837-9344<\/p>

Current Teaching Areas:\u00a0<\/strong>Financial Accounting, Government Accounting<\/p>

Research Interests:\u00a0<\/strong>Financial Accounting, Social Networks<\/p>

Dr. Youngbin Kim completed his Ph.D. study in Business Administration at University of Hawaii at Manoa with a major in accounting. He received his M.B.A. degree from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. His completed his undergraduate degree with a double major in both Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Business Administration at Seoul National University in Seoul, South Korea. Dr. Kim joined Western Connecticut State University in 2016<\/p>

Recent Publications:<\/p>

The Crisis of Danbury Fair Mall published in Journal of Marketing Development and Competitiveness in 2021, co-authored with Jin Sun Ahn, Hanyong Chung, Jung Hoon Kim, and Natalie Jungyoun Shin<\/p>

Legal environment changes and firm value: Evidence from the 1999 SGI Case published in\u00a0Journal of Applied Business and Economics<\/i>\u00a0in 2021, co-authored with Jangho Gil and Jaeseong Lim<\/p>

Social Networks of Firms and Corporate Social Responsibility published in\u00a0Journal of Accounting and Finance<\/i>\u00a0in 2020, co-authored with Ying Guo and David Yang<\/p>

What happened to the pension liability of Connecticut State? published in\u00a0Journal of Business Cases and Application<\/i>\u00a0in 2020, co-authored with Jaeseong Lim<\/p>

The effect of director busyness on corporate governance: an examination of the value of cash holdings published in\u00a0Journal of Finance and Accountancy<\/i>\u00a0in 2020, co-authored with Ying Guo and David Yang<\/p>

GASB statement No. 68 Implementation Magnifies Attention to Connecticut Pension Crisis published in\u00a0Journal of Government Financial Management<\/i>\u00a0in 2020, co-authored with Xiaowen Jiang and Jaeseong Lim<\/p>

Guy\u00a0Rotondo, MBA, CPA\u00a0\"Headshot<\/p>

Associate Professor<\/em><\/p>

Office:\u00a0<\/strong>WS 308<\/p>

Email<\/strong>:\u00a0R<\/span>otondoG@wcsu.edu<\/a><\/p>

Phone:<\/strong>\u00a0(203) 837-9275<\/p>

Current Teaching Areas<\/strong>: Financial Accounting,\u00a0Cost Accounting, Auditing<\/p>

Research Interests:\u00a0<\/strong>Accounting Education, Financial Statement Fraud<\/p>

Mr. Rotondo holds a BS in Accounting from Boston College and an MBA from Columbia Business School. He is also a Connecticut CPA.<\/p>

Mr. Rotondo has 30 years of professional experience in accounting, finance and financial risk management including 20 years as a managing director and 12 years as a General Securities Principal. He has worked for Arthur Andersen, Merrill Lynch, JP Morgan Chase, HSH-Nordbank, Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein and CS First Boston. Mr. Rotondo has also taught finance at Western Connecticut State University. He has co-authored articles published by the International Journal of Business & Applied Sciences and the Business Education Innovation Journal.<\/p>

William J. (Willie)Costello, CPA, MS(Taxation), CGMA<\/p>

Adjunct Professor<\/em><\/p>

Email:<\/strong>\u00a0Costellow@wcsu.edu<\/a><\/p>

Current Teaching Areas:\u00a0<\/strong>Auditing, Intermediate Accounting<\/p>

William J (Willie) Costello, CPA, MST, CGMA is a Technical Manager at the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), and has been at the AICPA since June, 1998. Willie was in public accounting from June 1980 to May 1998, working at two Connecticut based CPA firms. His career focus is working with private, non-issuer entities and CPA firms that work with private, non-issuer entities.Willie received a B.S. degree in Accounting from the University of Connecticut in May 1980 and a Master of Science in Taxation from University of New Haven in January 1989. He is registered to practice Public Accounting in Connecticut (CT) and holds the Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) credential of the AICPA.<\/p>

Willie is a long-time member of both the AICPA and the Connecticut Society of CPAs (CTCPA). Willie served on various committees of the CTCPA and was past chairperson of the CTCPA Secondary Schools committee. He is an active 30-year member of the Trumbull Connecticut (CT) Rotary Club, including its Past President and Past Secretary. Willie has also served on the Boards of the Trumbull CT Little League and the Trumbull CT Diamond Club.<\/p>

Gary Skiba, MBA, CPA\u00a0\"Headshot<\/p>

Adjunct Professor<\/em><\/p>

Email:<\/strong>\u00a0SkibaG@wcsu.edu<\/a><\/p>

Phone<\/strong>: (203) 837-8696<\/p>

Current Teaching Areas:\u00a0<\/strong>Financial Accounting, Managerial Accounting<\/p>

Research Interests:\u00a0<\/strong>Financial Accounting, Tax Policy, Financial Reporting<\/p>

<\/a>Cybersecurity (see MIS<\/em>)<\/strong><\/h2>

<\/a>Finance
<\/strong><\/h2>
\u00a0<\/div>

Dr. Annie Wong \"Headshot<\/p>

Professor, Chair<\/em><\/p>

Office:<\/b> WS 141<\/p>

E-Mail:<\/b> WongA@wcsu.edu<\/a><\/p>

Phone:<\/b> (203) 837-8577<\/p>

Dr. Wong earned a B.B.A. degree in Management from the Shue Yan College in Hong Kong, an M.B.A. degree from the University of Alabama, and a Ph.D. degree in Finance from the State University of New York at Buffalo.<\/p>

Dr. Wong is currently Chair and Professor of the Department of Finance at the Ancell School of Business at Western Connecticut State University. She had taught various undergraduate and MBA corporate finance courses with extensive applications of computer technology.<\/p>

Dr. Wong\u2019s research interests and publications cover a wide range of corporate finance, investments, and ethical policy topics. She has specific research expertise in the area of rate regulation for public utilities where her work has been cited in numerous State court proceedings and by Canadian organizations since its publication in 1994. She has also conducted research on the stock price impact of foreign firms that have switched their American Depository Receipts listings from one U.S. stock exchange to another. Additionally, Dr. Wong has published the results of studies in the areas of a) legal rights and protections for shareholders, b) reporting compliance and c) the characteristics of authors in finance journals. She has presented many research papers at professional conferences.<\/p>

Dr. Wong has served as a reviewer for the Journal of Applied Business Research, Journal of Management Research, and Journal of Financial and Economic Practice. She has also reviewed many chapters for various finance textbooks.<\/p>

Dr. Wong received several grants for academic research and curriculum development.<\/p>

Dr. Wong won the Best Presenter Award from the Global Management & Information Technology Research Conference in 2008 and in 2010, and the Outstanding Faculty Member Award (Ancell School of Business) in the 2007-2008 academic year.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/div>

Dr. Carol Chinwen Huang \"Headshot<\/p>

Professor<\/em><\/p>

Office:<\/b> WS 136<\/p>

E-Mail:<\/b> HuangC@wcsu.edu<\/a><\/p>

Phone:<\/b> (203) 837-3929<\/p>

Dr. Carol Huang earned a B.A. degree in Languages and Literature from the National Chung Hsing University in Taiwan, an M.S. in Finance from the Saint Louis University, and a Ph.D. in Financial Economics from The Graduate Center, The City University of New York. Before entering academia, she worked as a financial analyst and a money market trader in the financial services sector.<\/p>

At the Ancell School of Business, Dr. Huang teaches courses in Personal Finance, Business Statistics, Financial Management, Finance Decision Models, and Analysis of Financial and Investment Decisions (MBA level).<\/p>

Dr. Huang\u2019s current research interests include portfolio optimization and investors\u2019 trading behaviors. She has presented research papers at academic conferences, and her research has appeared in many scholarly journals. She is the author of two book chapters on international diversification and portfolio optimization.<\/p>

Dr. Huang has served as a reviewer for the Journal of Futures Markets, Managerial Finance, Financial Innovation, Asia-Pacific Journal of Risk and Insurance, Review of Economics & Finance, International Journal of Economics and Finance, Journal of International and Interdisciplinary Business Research,<\/em> and the Pennsylvania Economics Review<\/em>. She also served as an associate editor for International Review of Business Research Papers<\/em>.<\/p>

Dr. Huang received several awards and grants for her professional performance and academic research. She was the recipient of the American Express Company\u2019s Outstanding Performance Awards in 2001 and 2002, CUNY Teaching Fellowships 2005-2009, WCSU CELT Class Technology Grant in 2010, and CSU-AAUP Research Grants in 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2017.<\/p>

Led by Dr. Huang, a team of finance students participated at the 2015 Connecticut Venture Capital Investment Competition. After winning the championship at the State of Connecticut, the team advanced to the Undergraduate Venture Capital Investment Competition Global Finals at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2016.<\/p>

Dr. Wenguang Lin\u00a0\"Headshot<\/p>

Associate Professor<\/em><\/p>

Office:<\/b> WS 252<\/p>

Email:<\/b>\u00a0LinW@wcsu.edu<\/a><\/p>

Phone:<\/b> (203) 837-8578<\/p>

Dr. Lin earned a B.S. degree from the Xiamen University in China, an M.B.A. degree in Investments from the University of Notre Dame, and a Ph.D. degree in Finance from the Louisiana State University.<\/p>

Dr. Lin\u2019s research focuses on variations of stock returns. In particular, his current research interests involve financial market anomalies such as post earnings announcement drifts, the role of value metrics in asset pricing, and equity portfolio management including asset allocation and diversification. He was invited to present in annual meetings of Financial Management Association and Southwestern Finance Association, among others.<\/p>

At the Ancell School of Business, Dr. Lin teaches several courses including Fixed Income Securities, Principles of Finance and Business Statistics. Before joining Western Connecticut State University, he had taught Business Finance at Louisiana State University.<\/p>

\"Headshot<\/p>

Dr. Lai Van Vo<\/p>

Professor<\/em><\/p>

Office:<\/strong>\u00a0WS 139<\/p>

Email:<\/strong>\u00a0VoL@wcsu.edu<\/a><\/p>

Phone:<\/b>\u00a0(203) 837-9379<\/p>

Dr. Vo obtained a Master of Science in\u00a0Finance from University of Colorado at Denver and a Ph.D. degree in\u00a0finance from Louisiana State University. Before entering academia,\u00a0he worked as a business specialist at SOTRANS, a leading Vietnamese corporation. He taught at Ton Duc Thang University and Louisiana\u00a0State University prior to joining Western Connecticut State\u00a0University.<\/p>

At the Ancell School of Business, Dr. Vo teaches Corporate Finance, Money, Banking and Financial Markets, and Financial Institutions. His research focuses on Corporate Finance, Financial Markets, and Banking. His works have been selected for presentation at leading academic conferences such as the Financial Management Association, Midwest Finance Association, Southern\u00a0Finance Association,\u00a0and Academy of Financial Services\u00a0annual meetings.<\/p>

Dr. Vo\u2019s research has been published in the leading journals such as Journal of Financial Services Research, the Journal of Business Economics and Management,\u00a0the International Review of Financial Analysis,\u00a0Accounting & Finance, and International Review of Economics and Finance.\u00a0He has also served as a reviewer for the Journal of Financial Stability,\u00a0Review of Financial Economics, Research in\u00a0International Business and Finance,\u00a0International Review of Financial Analysis, and International Review of Economics and Finance.<\/p>

Mr. Robert Barghaus<\/p>

Adjunct Professor <\/em><\/p>

Office:<\/strong> WS 237<\/p>

Email:<\/strong> BarghausR@wcsu.edu<\/a><\/p>

Mr. Barghaus is a licensed Certified Public Accountant with 35 years of business\u00a0experience, holds a B.S. degree in Mathematics with a minor in Economics from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and an M.B.A. degree in Finance and Accounting from the Cornell\u00a0University.<\/p>

Mr. Barghaus was the Chief Financial Officer for fourteen years of Blyth, Inc. a New York Stock Exchange (BTH) traded company with operations in 16 countries.\u00a0He served as a member of the Office of the Chairman and was responsible for finance, treasury, accounting, SEC reporting, tax, legal, internal audit, human resources, investor relations and corporate IT.<\/p>

Prior to Blyth, Mr. Barghaus held senior financial and operating officer positions with Reed Elsevier, John Labatt Limited of Canada, May Department Stores, American Can and Arthur Andersen.<\/p>

Mr.\u00a0Barghaus was on the Board of Directors of AdvoCare, Inc., where he was the Chairman of the Finance and Audit Committee and served on the\u00a0International, Risk Management and Compensation Committees. He presently serves as a consultant to AdvoCare, Inc.<\/p>

Mr.\u00a0Barghaus was a Board member for the Federation of the Handicapped in New York City and is a member of the Financial Executives Institute.<\/p>

Mr.\u00a0Barghaus has taught a few finance courses at Western Connecticut State University including Business Statistics, Principles of Finance, Investments, and Cases in Managerial Finance. He has also taught at Sacred Heart University and Cornell University. His teaching interests include statistics, corporate finance, and investments.<\/p>

Ms. Terry Friedman\u00a0\u00a0\"Headshot<\/p>

Adjunct Professor<\/em><\/p>

Office:<\/strong> WS 237<\/p>

Email:<\/strong> FriedmanT@wcsu.edu<\/a><\/p>

Terry Friedman earned a BS degree in finance and insurance from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA degree in finance from the University of California Berkeley.<\/p>

Ms. Friedman works at IBM, where she is a Senior Finance professional on the Finance Business Transformation team. Prior to her current assignment, she managed the Worldwide Incentives & Commissions Financial team for IBM, where she was responsible for all financial aspects of Incentives & Commissions, including sales plan design modeling, budgeting, forecasting, accruals, quota setting, and incentive plan measurements.<\/p>

Prior to that she was the CFO for one of IBM\u2019s start-up divisions. Her work experience extends across many Finance disciplines, including Financial Planning, Pricing, and Acquisitions & Divestitures. Overall, she has over 30 years of experience working in the Finance field.<\/p>

Mr. Timothy Jackson<\/p>

Adjunct Professor<\/em>\"Headshot<\/p>

Office:<\/strong> WS 237<\/p>

Email:<\/strong> JacksonT@wcsu.edu<\/a><\/p>

Mr. Jackson earned a B.S. degree in Nautical Science from the Maine Maritime Academy, and an M.B.A. degree from the University of Connecticut. He holds a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.<\/p>

Mr. Jackson is a co-founder and Partner of Stormfield Capital, LLC.<\/p>

Prior to forming Stormfield Capital, Mr. Jackson was a Senior Investment Strategist with Gapstow Capital Partners, a $1 billion hedge fund-of-funds. With Gapstow, He was co-portfolio manager to Gapstow\u2019s multi-strategy credit portfolios. Prior to joining Gapstow, Mr. Jackson was a Principal at Barclays Global Investors, where he was responsible for the management of a $400 million hedge fund-of-funds portfolio.<\/p>

Previously, Mr. Jackson had been a Partner at Rocaton Investment Advisors, where he co-led the firm\u2019s alternative research department, which designed and advised on over $15 billion of institutional alternative asset portfolios. Mr. Jackson began his finance career at the Northern Trust Company after serving as a Merchant Marine Officer and Lieutenant in the United States Navy, Reserve.<\/p>

Mr. Jackson teaches Principles of Finance and Financial Engineering courses at the Ancell School of Business. His teaching interest is in the areas of corporate finance with a strong professional background in risk management.<\/p>

\"HeadshotMs. Heidi Namiot<\/p>

Adjunct Professor<\/em><\/p>

Office:<\/strong> WS 237<\/p>

Email:<\/strong> NamiotH@wcsu.edu<\/a><\/p>

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Ms. Namiot earned a B.A. degree in Mathematics from the Smith College and an M.B.A. degree from the Stern School of Business at the New York University.<\/p>

Ms. Namiot worked in the financial service industry for over a decade, primarily as a derivatives bond Trader at Merrill Lynch and Swiss Re.\u00a0 She has presented at international conferences on a variety of trading strategies.<\/p>

Prior to getting her M.B.A. degree, Ms. Namiot was a research analyst focusing on electric and natural gas utility valuations.<\/p>

Since 2007, Ms. Namiot has taught a variety of courses in both the Finance and Mathematics departments at Western Connecticut State University and at other colleges. She teaches Business Statistics for the Finance department regularly.<\/p><\/div>

<\/a>Management<\/strong><\/h2>

Dr. Pauline Assenza\"Headshot<\/p>

Associate Professor<\/em><\/p>

Office:<\/strong> WS 106<\/p>

Email:<\/strong> AssenzaP@wcsu.edu<\/a><\/p>

Phone:<\/strong> (203) 837-3962<\/p>

On the Web:\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\"Google<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\"LinkedIn<\/a><\/strong><\/p>

Primary areas of Interest: <\/strong><\/p>

Entrepreneurship, Small Business Management
<\/a>
Current:
Dr. Pauline Assenza is responsible for the Entrepreneurship\/Small Business Management option in the Management Major of the Ancell School of Business. She is also responsible for ERIC@THEGARAGE, the Center for Entrepreneurship, Research, Innovation, and Creativity at WCSU, currently a student club and a resource center for students, faculty, staff and the greater Danbury community, providing assistance for entrepreneurs and small businesses, supporting innovation in both corporate and \u201cgig\u201d economy environments. Dr. Assenza produces an Entrepreneurial Arc Panel discussion every semester showcasing local business owners, one of whom is always a WCSU grad. For more on her approach to entrepreneurship, see “What is entrepreneurship?<\/a>“<\/p>

In the community Dr. Assenza is on the Steering Committee of the Women\u2019s Business Council of the Danbury Chamber of Commerce, on the Board of the Village Center for the Arts in New Milford, CT, and Vice-Chairman of the Connecticut Consortium of Entrepreneurship Educators. She has worked with community leaders in Danbury and New Milford to help develop programming that could stimulate a local innovation ecosystem, and was a coauthor of the submission that made Danbury an Innovation Places Finalist in 2017.<\/p>

Academic:
Dr. Assenza has a Doctorate in Management from Pace University where her dissertation focused on the identity salience and self-determination of professionals, with implications for the organizational citizenship behavior of faculty in institutions of higher education. She also has completed graduate work toward a PhD in Educational Psychology at UCONN, studying self-efficacy toward knowledge acquisition in ill-structured domains. Dr. Assenza has a Masters in Industrial\/Organizational Psychology from University of New Haven where she received the Outstanding Student Award, and has a degree in Honors English from Connecticut College where she wrote her thesis on Theodore Roethke: The Poet in Search of Self, An Investigation of the Creative Process. She is a member of Beta Gamma Sigma, the National Honor Society in<\/p>

Business.
Dr. Assenza has published in several journals related to entrepreneurial ecosystems and entrepreneurial education, has published case studies in strategic management, and regularly attends conferences at USASBE and the Eastern Academy of Management where she received the Outstanding Reviewer Award in 2016. She received Professor\u2019s Choice Award for the most widely adopted case, for \u201cAnn Taylor: Survivor in Specialty Retail\u201d from the CASE Association in 2012, and received the Best Case Award from the CASE Association in 2007 for \u201cClaire\u2019s Stores: Competing Betwixt and Between\u201d. Her current research interests include entrepreneurial ecosystems, professional socialization, institutional environments, networks and systemic influences on internal processes, especially in small organizations.
Prior to Dr. Assenza\u2019s arrival at WCSU she worked as a consultant in both manufacturing and service industries, helping organizations deal with management training and organization development issues. She is a past-president of the Connecticut chapter of ATD, The Association for Talent Development. She also runs a small business importing and selling Eastern European folk art at www.augustcollection.com.<\/p>

Dr. Stan Bazan (Chair)\u00a0\"Headshot<\/p>

Professor\/Chairperson\u00a0<\/em><\/p>

Office:<\/strong> WS 202<\/p>

Email:<\/strong> BazanS@wcsu.edu<\/a><\/p>

Phone:<\/strong> (203) 837-9238<\/p>

Education:<\/strong>
Ph.D. Business Administration: Management: The University of Connecticut<\/p>

MBA: The University of Connecticut<\/p>

BSBA: Western New England University<\/p>

Primary areas of Teaching:<\/strong><\/p>

Strategic Management, Organizational Behavior, Entrepreneurship<\/p>

Dr. Ming Ling Chuang \"Headshot<\/p>

Associate Professor\u00a0<\/em><\/p>

Office:<\/strong> WS 201<\/p>

Email:<\/strong> ChuangM@wcsu.edu<\/a><\/p>

Phone:<\/strong> (203)-837-8884<\/p>

Primary areas of Interest:<\/strong><\/p>

Supply chain management<\/p>

Dr.\u00a0Alexandra Galli-Debicella\"Headshot<\/p>

Assistant Professor<\/em><\/p>

Office:\u00a0<\/strong>WS 113<\/p>

Email:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0gallidebicellaA@wcsu.edu<\/a><\/p>

Phone:\u00a0<\/strong>(203) 837-8181<\/p>

Alexandra Galli-Debicella is an Assistant Professor of Management at Western Connecticut State University. She received her PhD from the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She also received a B.S. and MBA from the Lender School of Business at Quinnipiac University.<\/p>

Her research interests currently include small and medium sized enterprises, entrepreneurship, service firms, business strategy, and innovation. Her work has been published in the Service Industries Journal and she has presented at conferences including the Eastern Academy of Management and the National Academy of Management.<\/p>

Dr. Galli-Debicella has taught in the areas of Strategic Management and Organizational Behavior.<\/p>

Dr. Mohinder Dugal\u00a0\"Headshot<\/p>

Professor\u00a0<\/em><\/p>

Office:<\/strong> WS 112<\/p>

Email:<\/strong> DugalM@wcsu.edu<\/a><\/p>

Phone:<\/strong> (203) 837-3257<\/p>

Dr. Mohinder Dugal is currently a tenured Professor of Management at the Ancell School of Business, Western Connecticut State University.
<\/a>
Dr. Dugal holds a Ph.D. in Business Administration from the University of Pittsburgh, where he majored in Strategic Management with a Minor in Marketing. He has over 20 years of teaching and research experience, having taught in the executive management, graduate and undergraduate programs of business schools at the University of Pittsburgh, West Virginia University, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Pace University, and Western Connecticut State University. Over the years he has served on several University-level and college-level committees, including the University Senate at FDU. He is also experienced in program development, assessment, compliance and documentation for accreditation purposes.<\/p>

As a researcher, Dr. Dugal has presented his work at several prestigious global conferences, including the Strategic Management Society conferences and the national Academy of Management conferences. He has published extensively in several top journals, including the Journal of Financial Regulation and Compliance, Journal of Business and Economics, Journal of the Academy for Advancement of Business Research, Academy of Business Research Journal, Journal of Strategic and International Studies, International Journal of Organizational Analysis, and Competitive Intelligence Review.<\/p>

Prior to joining WestConn, Dr. Dugal was Director of Risk Management at MBIA, Inc., the world’s largest monoline insurance company, where he was responsible for underwriting structured finance transactions for global corporations, banks and asset managers. Dr. Dugal has several years of Wall Street experience, having worked closely with senior management of financial and non-financial corporations, investment banks, governments, law firms, and rating agencies. His experience covers transactions across several industries, sectors and asset classes, in a diverse set of countries including the U.S., U.K., Germany, Brazil, Spain, Egypt, India, Australia and Trinidad & Tobago. His specialized experience includes extensive due diligence knowhow (skilled in interviewing senior management teams).<\/p>

At MBIA, Dr. Dugal worked on innovative financing solutions in order to enable new transactions while minimizing MBIA\u2019s capital at risk. He oversaw a team of analysts, AVPs and VPs, providing risk management mentoring in terms of modeling financial projections, conducting stress analysis on actual and projected numbers, and analyzing potential securitization transactions \u2013 conducting financial valuations, determining loss model assumptions, projecting collateral performance, and analyzing structural and legal issues. As a member of several task forces on risk policy, he periodically reviewed underwriting risk guidelines, processes, and broader enterprise risk issues.<\/p>

Previously, Dr. Dugal worked as a corporate analyst at Moody\u2019s Investors Service, where he conducted analysis of financial and non-financial information to arrive at ratings for investment grade debt securities of companies in the chemicals and pharmaceuticals sectors. As an analyst covering a portfolio of over 100 companies, he regularly met with the leaders of companies in his portfolio, addressed inquiries by investors and intermediaries on key credit risk factors, and issued special comments and press releases on significant corporate developments.<\/p>

Dr. Linda Forbes<\/p>

Professor<\/em><\/p>

Office: <\/strong>WS 385\"\"<\/em><\/p>

Email:\u00a0 <\/strong>ForbesL@wcsu.edu<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>

Phone:\u00a0<\/strong>(203) 837-3256<\/p>

Primary areas of Interest:<\/strong><\/p>

Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainable Enterprises<\/p>

Dr. Yaseen Hayajneh\"Headshot<\/em><\/p>

Associate Professor, Associate Dean and Coordinator of MHA Program\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>

E-Mail:<\/strong> hayajnehy@wcsu.edu<\/a><\/p>

Office:<\/strong> WS 143<\/p>

Phone:<\/strong> (203) 837-8183<\/p>

On the web:<\/strong> \u00a0\u00a0\"Twitter<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0\"LinkedIn<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 \"Google<\/a><\/p>

Yaseen Hayajneh has done Post-Doctorate work in Healthcare Informatics at the University of Iowa, where he completed his Ph.D. in Nursing and Health Services Administration. He had completed his Master of Public Health with a specialization in Health Services Administration from Jordan University of Science and Technology, where he had completed his BSN earlier.<\/p>

His most recent position has been as Professor, Chief Academic Officer, and Dean of Academic Studies at Jumeira University (2014-2017) in Dubai. Before that, he was the Chief Operating Officer, Acting Director of Nursing, and a member of the Board of Trustees at University Hospital Sharjah. He was the Chair of the Health Services Administration Department at Jordan University of Science and Technology in Jordan (2002-2003 and 2005-2008). He was an assistant professor at the University of Sharjah Health Services Administration department (2008-2012) and Montana Tech of the University of Montana (2004-2006). He held the post of Associate Director at King Abdulla University Hospital in Jordan between 2000 and 2003.<\/p>

He is currently the Associate Dean of the Ancell School of Business, the Master of Health Administration Program coordinator, and an Associate Professor at the Department of Management at the Ancell School of Business at Western Connecticut State University.<\/p>

Dr. Hayajneh has been teaching graduate and undergraduate courses in healthcare management, health policy, health informatics, research methods, and statistics. He is currently teaching in the graduate healthcare administration and undergraduate business administration programs.<\/p>

His research expertise is in the area of healthcare management and health informatics. He has published in refereed journals and presented many research papers at professional conferences. In addition, his work has been cited in hundreds of published research articles.<\/p>

Dr. Dan Weltmann\u00a0 \u00a0\"Headshot<\/p>

Assistant Professor, Graduate Coordinator of MBA Program<\/em><\/p>

Office:\u00a0<\/strong>WS 251<\/p>

Email:<\/strong>\u00a0weltmannd@wcsu.edu<\/a><\/p>

Phone:\u00a0<\/strong>(203) 837-8182<\/p>

On the Web:\u00a0\u00a0\"LinkedIn<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0(For more information)<\/p>


Primary areas of Interest:<\/strong><\/p>

Human Resources Management, Organizational Behavior, and Employee Ownership<\/p>

<\/a>Management Information Systems<\/strong><\/h2>

Tom Yoon, Ph.D.\u00a0\"Headshot<\/p>

Department Chair, Professor<\/em><\/p>

Office:<\/strong> WS 207<\/p>

Email:<\/strong> YoonT@wcsu.edu<\/a><\/p>

Phone:<\/strong> (203) 837-3963<\/p>

Dr. Tom Yoon is a Professor of Management Information Systems (MIS) at the Ancell School of Business. He received his Ph.D. in MIS from Florida State University, an M.S. from Auburn University, and a B.S. from Pennsylvania State University.<\/p>

His current research interests include organizational and individual adoption of technology, the organizational use of business analytics, the impact of AI, AI and cybersecurity, and behavioral research on cybersecurity. His work has been published in several peer reviewed journals and presented at international conferences.<\/p>

Dr. Yoon has taught data communication and networking, information system hardware, information, system analysis and design, database management, web application development, data mining, programming, business statistics, and more.<\/p>

Emilio Collar, Ph.D.\u00a0\"Headshot<\/p>

Professor <\/em><\/p>

Office<\/strong>: WS 250<\/p>

Email<\/strong>: CollarE@wcsu.edu<\/a><\/p>

Phone<\/strong>: (203) 837-8903<\/p>

Dr. Emilio Collar, Jr., is a Professor of Management Information Systems at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury, CT. His B.B.A. and M.S. degrees in Management Information Systems were earned at Pace University. He received his Ph.D. in Information Systems from the University of Colorado at Boulder specializing in programming code comprehension. His doctoral research concerned the development of methods and tools for the assessment of the readability of programming code with a view to reducing the costs of programming code maintenance.<\/p>

He has received various awards, university fellowships, and most significantly was awarded the KPMG Foundational Doctoral Scholarship. He has also been listed in Marquis Who\u2019s Who publications, including Who\u2019s Who in America, American Education, Finance & Business, and Science & Engineering. Dr. Collar has published papers on a variety of topics in conference proceedings and in academic journals such as European Business Review<\/em>, International Scientific Survey Journal, Review of Contemporary Business Research, International Journal of Management Science and Business Administration, Journal of Systemics, Cybernetics and Informatics (JSCI), The Eastern Academy of Management Conference Proceedings, <\/em>and Complex Systems Design, The International Journal of Computer Science<\/em> and Network Security<\/em>, The International Journal of Computing and e-Systems<\/em>, and International Journal of Global Business and Competitiveness.<\/em> He has served on editorial boards for multiple academic conferences and journals throughout his career.<\/p>

Dr. Collar is a member of the Ph.D. Project, an organization \u201cfounded in 1994 with the goal of creating more role models in the front of business classrooms.\u201d He also is a member of the Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineering (IEEE), Association of Computing & Machinery (ACM), and Beta Gamma Sigma (an international business honor society). He has achieved multiple awards including Best Paper Award from the Complex Systems Design & Management Conference, Outstanding Service from The International Group of e-Business Research and Applications (TIGERA) and is a KPMG Foundation Doctoral Scholar.<\/p>

Dr. Collar began his professional career as a Claims Analyst at General Reinsurance. He analyzed the process of multimillion-dollar retrocession claims and developed a process to automate and streamline the operations, reducing claims processing time from two weeks to two days. He also provided consulting services on software implementation of Oracle databases, Internet website development, e-Commerce applications and Internet security and planning. This experience led to becoming a technology consultant for the IBM Information Technology implementation at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympic Games and 2000 Sydney Summer Olympic Games. In his capacity as technology consultant, he analyzed and documented the Information Technology deployment and identified the processes required for the operations.<\/p>

He is a founding member and Vice President of a new research group The International Group of e-Systems Research and Applications<\/em> (TIGERA) from 2007-2010. This group sponsors an annual international academic conference to promote international scholarship, as well as assist graduate students from developing countries attend the conference. Working with the board members, they successfully acquired multiple sponsors for the conference including Institut Superieur d\u2019Informatique, University of El Manar, University of Manouba, and Universite Centrale, all in Tunisia. Examples of private company and government organization sponsors include Tunisec, National Security Agency of Tunisia (ANSI), and the Institute of Higher Education in Tunisia (IHET).<\/p>

Dr. Collar founded and ran a coaching program for students from 2009 to 2015. His mission was to improve the quality of the advising provided to students within the Ancell School of Business. More specifically, he developed a Business-focused, Strategy-based Advising<\/em> strategy. The strategy focuses on creating a custom-tailored strategy that greatly improves the students\u2019 ability to perform well in their courses. Dr. Collar began working with students who were either on academic probation or suspension. When Dr. Collar began working with these students, their average GPA was 1.88. After four semesters, their average GPA was 2.47. This improvement led to improved higher retention and graduation rates. He served as Assistant Dean for 2 years thanks to his efforts in improving student performance.<\/p>

Dr. Collar is an active member of the Vintage Computer Federation (VCF) and volunteers his time to assist in maintaining and preserving vintage computer technology at the VCF museum in Wall, NJ. He also acquires vintage computers, peripherals, and accessories as far back as the mid-1970s and restores them to full operation. He is currently collecting vintage computers and, if you visit his office, you will see computers from the late 1970s and early 1980s are fully operational. He also invites students to work with him to restore these computers.<\/p>

Dr. Collar has taught courses on multiple programming languages, computer hardware, database concepts & design, decision support systems, systems design & implementation, and systems integration.<\/p>

Jennifer Flynn, D.P.S.\u00a0\"Headshot<\/p>

Associate Professor<\/em><\/p>

Office<\/strong>: WS 205<\/p>

Email:<\/strong> F<\/span>lynnJ@wcsu.edu<\/a><\/p>

Phone<\/strong>: (203) 837-9357<\/p>

Dr. Jennifer Flynn is an Associate Professor of Management Information Systems at Western Connecticut State University. She earned a DPS in Applied Computing from the Seidenberg School of Computer Science at Pace University and an MBA in Management Information Systems from Pace University. She also holds a BBA in Management Information Systems from Western Connecticut State University.<\/p>

Dr. Flynn\u2019s career includes working as a Systems Analyst, first at Kraft General Foods, Inc. and then at PepsiCo, Inc. She also worked as a consultant for Comshare, Inc. setting up OLAP Databases for corporate clients. She was an Adjunct Professor at WCSU for many years before beginning full-time in 2011.<\/p>

Dr. Flynn\u2019s research interests include the accessibility of pedagogical patterns in primary, secondary and post-secondary education.<\/p>

At the Ancell School of Business, Dr. Flynn teaches undergraduate courses on Information Systems Concepts and Database Applications in Business. She also teaches Systems Analysis and Design courses at both undergraduate and graduate levels.<\/p>

Paul Nugent, Ph.D.\u00a0\"Headshot<\/p>

Professor<\/em><\/p>

Office:<\/strong> WS 203<\/p>

Email: <\/strong>NugentP@wcsu.edu<\/a><\/p>

Phone:<\/strong> (203) 837-9339<\/p>

Dr. Paul Nugent is a Professor of Management Information Systems at the Ancell School of Business. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Cybersecurity from the University of Maryland. He received his Ph.D. in Business (Organizational Studies) from the State University of New York at Albany, an M.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Massachusetts, and a B.A. in Electrical Engineering from Dartmouth College.<\/p>

Prior to joining the Ancell school of Business, Dr. Nugent had over 25 years of experience in the defense contracting industry including systems engineering, cybersecurity, and research & development.<\/p>

His current research interests include systems engineering, engineering culture, agile methods, Process improvement programs (Lean, CMMI), cybersecurity, and philosophy of technology and information.<\/p>

He has taught Information Security Management, Information Assurance, and Introduction to Information Systems.<\/p>

<\/a>Marketing<\/strong><\/h2>

Ronald Drozdenko, Ph.D.\"Headshot<\/p>

Department Chair, Professor<\/em><\/p>

Office: <\/strong>WS 301<\/p>

E-mail:<\/strong> drozdenkor@wcsu.edu<\/a><\/p>

Phone: <\/strong>(203) 837-8776<\/p>

Appointment Link:\u00a0<\/strong>To schedule an advisement meeting please go to:
<\/strong>www.DrozdenkoMeeting.clickbook.net<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0and click on Advisement Meeting.<\/strong><\/p>

On the Web:\u00a0\u00a0\"Google<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\"ResearGate<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\"LinkedIn<\/a><\/strong>
<\/strong><\/p>

Education:
<\/strong>Dr. Drozdenko holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from the University of Missouri<\/p>

Teaching:
<\/strong>Ronald G. Drozdenko, Ph.D. is Professor and Chair of the Ancell School of Business Marketing Department. He has more than 30 years of teaching experience that includes the following courses; Consumer Behavior, CRM and Marketing Databases, E-Commerce and Internet Marketing, Product Development and Management, Marketing Research, and Marketing Management. In 2005 he was the recipient of the Professor Award for Excellence in Direct Marketing Education by the New England Direct Marketing Association Foundation.\u00a0 He is co-advisor to Western\u2019s award winning collegiate chapter of the American Marketing Association.<\/p>

Dr. Drozdenko has directed or co-directed more than 100 proprietary research projects since 1978 for the marketing and research and development departments of several corporations, including major multinationals. These projects were in the areas of strategic planning, marketing research, product development, direct marketing, internet marketing and marketing database analysis.<\/p>

Research and Publications:
<\/strong>Dr. Drozdenko co-authored, with Perry Drake, Optimal Database Marketing: Strategy, Development and Data Mining and has published professional and academic articles and book chapters. His scholarly publications have appeared in the Journal of Advertising Research, Psychology and Marketing, Journal of Product Innovation Management, International Journal of Business and Public Administration, Journal of Business Ethics, International Journal of Revenue Management, Journal of Product and Brand Management and journals in the medical and health care fields.\u00a0 His research articles have been cited more than 660 times in academic papers and he has been the recipient of several best paper awards at academic conferences.<\/p>

He was granted three U.S. patents along with his co-inventors for instruments used in medical research and clinical applications. His current research interests include consumer behavior, business ethics, product pricing and purchase risk.<\/p>

Professional Affiliations:
<\/strong>Dr. Drozdenko serves on the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Revenue Management and the International Journal of Business, Marketing and Decision Sciences. He is a member of the American Marketing Association.<\/p>

Xiaoqi Han, Ph.D.\"Headshot<\/p>

Associate Professor<\/em><\/p>

Office:<\/strong> WS 348<\/p>

E-mail: <\/strong>HanX@wcsu.edu<\/a><\/p>

Phone:<\/strong> (203) 837-9038<\/p>

On the Web:\u00a0\u00a0\"LinkedIn<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>\"ResearchGate<\/a><\/strong><\/p>

Xiaoqi Han is Associate Professor of Marketing at the Ancell School of Business. Dr. Han\u2019s professional experiences have taken her from global companies in China to the United States. She worked for IBM, China, as an executive assistant responsible for local and global communication and coordination. She later joined Groupe Seb, a large French consortium that produces small appliances, in the role of Strategic Marketing. Dr. Han has also provided consultation to US startup companies such as 321 Experience Consulting.<\/p>

Dr. Han\u2019s scholarly interests include consumer information processing, persuasion, cultural, visual and verbal appeal in advertising, consumer inference, consumer bias and techniques of debasing. She is particularly interested in exploring the mechanism behind consumers\u2019 lack of sensitivity to missing information (omission neglect). Her publications have appeared in the Journal of Business Research and Psychology and Marketing.<\/p>

Dr. Han holds a BA in English Literature from Shanghai International\u00a0Studies University, an\u00a0MA in Communications from Marquette University, and a PhD degree in Marketing from the University of Cincinnati. She is member of the American Marketing Association, the American Advertising Academy, the Society for Consumer Psychology and the Association for Consumer Research.<\/p>

Emad AbouElgheit, Ph.D\"Headshot<\/p>

Emad AbouElgheit, Ph.D.<\/p>

Associate Professor of Marketing<\/em><\/p>

Office:\u00a0<\/strong>WS 206<\/p>

E-mail:<\/strong>\u00a0abouelgheite@wcsu.edu<\/a><\/p>

Phone:\u00a0<\/strong>(203) 837-8775<\/p>

On the Web:\u00a0\"LinkedIn<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0<\/a>\"ResearchGate<\/a><\/strong><\/p>

Emad AbouElgheit, Ph.D., is Professor of Marketing at Western Connecticut State University\u2019s Ancell School of Business. His career spans academia, global industry, and consulting across the United States, the Middle East, and Europe. Before academia, he held leadership and consulting roles with organizations including Gallup, UN Women, EBRD, Gulf Scientific, and ITWorx, and he remains active in practice through Inbwnd, where he advises organizations on marketing strategy, research, analytics, and innovation.<\/p>

He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in areas such as marketing analytics, digital marketing, CRM, advertising, marketing strategy, and digital leadership. His academic advising includes Ph.D. dissertation supervision and dissertation advising, including work with doctoral students.<\/p>

A central focus of his recent work is generative AI enablement and transformation in higher education and research. He has led university-wide faculty workshops on using generative AI to strengthen teaching, research, and scholarly workflows, with emphasis on practical adoption, rigor, and AI-enabled workflow design. He is also the creator of Coscholar, a pilot AI-enabled platform designed to support literature review and scholarly synthesis.<\/p>

His research examines generative AI in marketing and consumer behavior, digital behavior, marketing measurement, marketing innovation, and AI-assisted research workflows, and he has delivered keynote talks and invited presentations on generative AI in academic research and marketing.<\/p>

Recent publications<\/p>