Our Faculty

One of the advantages to pursuing your business degree at the Penn State Smeal College of Business is the opportunity to work with distinguished professors who couple world-renowned research expertise with practical knowledge and experience. Our faculty rank in the top 20 worldwide for research productivity. These award-winning teachers, researchers, consultants, and authors specialize in bringing complex business concepts to life.

• Sajay Samuel, Accounting: Has taught management accounting and related subjects at both the undergraduate and graduate level. His research focuses on clarifying foundational assumptions of management thought and practice and has been published in numerous journals.
• Brad Leve, Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Prior experience working on Wall Street and directed the operations of a start-up, multimillion-dollar a year contract manufacturer, start-up incubator, and flight school.
• Lou Gattis, Finance: A graduate of Smeal with a 15-year career in corporate finance and investment management, including roles at IBM Federal Systems and Freddie Mac. He teaches finance courses at the undergraduate, MBA, and Executive MBA level and has received numerous teaching awards.
• Lisa O’Hara, Management and Organization: Teaches courses in organizational behavior, human capital management, performance management, and talent management. She also serves as a consultant to individuals and organizations.
• John Jordan, Management Information Systems: Formerly a principal with EY/Capgemini, his consulting experience extends across industries and geography, with engagements on four continents.
• Jennifer Coupland, Marketing: Recipient of the Paiste Fellowship for Teaching and Learning whose research focuses on consumer behavior and brand meaning. Her work has been published in numerous marketing journals. She also appeared in a BBC documentary on the science of shopping.
• Ron Gebhardtsbauer, Actuarial Science: Former senior benefits advisor to the chairman of the US Senate Committee on Finance and served as senior pension fellow and spokesperson for the actuarial profession in the US at the American Academy of Actuaries in Washington, DC, testifying before Congress.
• Austin Jaffe, Real Estate: Recognized as a real estate authority throughout the world and has served as a consultant to The World Bank, Nordic Council of Ministers, Prudential Realty Group, Eastern European Real Property Foundation, Real Estate Research Institute, and others.
• Lisa Posey, Enterprise Risk Management: Studies include the insurance underwriting cycle, pricing issues, insurance distribution systems, among others, with research published in several journals in the field or risk and economics. Her teaching interests include commercial insurance markets and corporate risk management.
• Bob Novak, Supply Chain and Information Systems: Worked in operations and planning for several companies and has published two textbooks and numerous articles in reputable supply chain journals and publications.