Faculty

Elad Granot, the director of the EMBA program, teaches marketing. His main research interests are Marketing Strategy, Branding, Retailing, Integrated Marketing Communications, International Marketing, and Luxury Goods. Over the last five years, he has focused on understanding the marketing management implications of the major shifts in western markets and the rise of mass affluence. Dr. Granot is passionate about teaching and has received teaching excellence awards both at the University of Massachusetts, and at Cleveland State University. He also has spent many years as a marketing executive in the United States, Europe, Australia, and the Middle East. Using his trained expertise, he has spoken extensively and internationally to diverse groups of managers, companies, and industrial executives on various marketing topics.

Raj Javalgi is Professor of Marketing and teaches the International Business Strategy course. His areas of interest are International Marketing, International Business, Marketing Research, Multivariate Statistical Methods, and Marketing Management. Raj Javalgi has published in such journals as Journal of International Marketing, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Consumer Research, International Business Review, Thunderbird International Business Review. Some of his articles have received best paper of the year awards. Recently, Raj has received two Business International Education grants in a row, totaling $380,000, to build and sustain international business programming. His broad work experience includes assisting SMEs with their International Marketing strategy.

Heidi Meier, Professor of Accounting, teaches managerial and financial accounting and is an expert in the area of auditing. Her research has been published in Financial Management, Accounting and Business Research, Research in Accounting Regulation, Journal of Emerging Issues, Journal of International Accounting, Journal of Managerial Issues, and Internal Auditor. Heidi Meier’s current research interests include, among other topics, the impact of Sarbanes-Oxley on non-profit organizations. She also received several awards for her work, for example the Legacy Award for Outstanding Teaching and the Distinguished Research Award. In addition, she has conducted seminars for the Institute of Internal Auditors, the Ohio Society of CPAs, the City of Akron and other private and professional organizations.

Dennis McGarry is an instructor in the Department of Finance. He has been a graduate and undergraduate instructor for 28 years in Finance and Managerial Accounting. Dennis earned his MBA from Cleveland State University and attended Harvard University for postgraduate classes. He is a Senior Finance Manager with the General Electric Company. Positions he held with GE are: Manager Finance – Worldwide Purchasing, Manager Finance – Mergers and Acquisitions, Manager Finance – Managerial Accounting for the North American Lighting Operations. Furthermore, he has gained significant international experience through working in the United States, Canada, Mexico, England, Italy, Germany, and Hungary.

Bryan Pesta, Associate Professor of Management, teaches human resources management. His research interests covers a variety of topics such as HR selection and testing, the structure of intelligence, applied cognition, individual differences, stereotype threat as a non-explanation for performance, decision making, and employment discrimination law. Bryan has publications in Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, memory and cognition, Memory & Cognition, and Employee Responsibilities and Right Journal. He has also served as an expert witness and statistician in federal court cases involving discrimination and adverse impact analysis. Bryan Pesta is a recipient of the Excellence in Humanist Communication Award from the Humanist Chaplaincy at Harvard University. He also works as a Consulting Editor for the Journal of Social Psychology.

Susan Storrud-Barnes is an Associate Professor teaching Strategic Management. She has more than 20 years in the architect/engineer/construction industry, as a consultant, project manager, and editor at Parson, U.S. Department of Energy, and Rockwell. She frequently uses her experiences to illustrate classroom concepts. Her research is focused on financial market cycle pressures on strategy and the legal tactics that firms can take to balance firm profits and stock prices. Susan also does research in service firm international entry and entrepreneurship. Susan Storrud-Barnes received several awards acknowledging her work, for example she received Teacher of the Year and also Researcher of the Year honors at Washington State University.