Alumni Express Appreciation for Former Instructors

Eller College of Management faculty work tirelessly to educate and inspire our students and the community. We recently reached out to Eller alumni to ask who had the most impact on them during their time at the University of Arizona. Here are some of their responses.

• Nicole Simi ’21 said her most impactful professor was Jeff Schatzberg, dean for an interim period and Frances McClelland Chair of Accounting. “Accounting is not my strong suit but he made it a point to explain it in a way that it was digestible to others. He was willing to meet anytime to help and was so genuine. I wish every professor was as approachable as him,” she says.
• Andrew Gaspar ’21 also expressed that his most impactful professor was Shatzberg. “Jeff was an outstanding professor. I loved his teaching style, he did enough didactics then drove the points home with examples,” he says. “He encouraged thinking problems through. Most importantly his grading philosophy resonated with me.”
• Kirk Sibley ’99 shared her appreciation for Suzanne Cummins, adjunct lecturer of management and organizations. “She was very impactful because she brought real-life experiences and examples to the classroom that made the curriculum more relevant,” she says. “I know that I speak for many when I say she has decades of students that she has had a positive impact on.”
• Michael Schneider ’87 says that Gerry Swanson, professor of economics, “delivered the content in an interesting and engaging way, and I majored in economics and became an economist due to his teaching.
• Lisa Belcher ’94 also said her most impactful professor was Swanson and says, “Gerry inspired me in the subject of economics when I didn’t think I would have any interest in it.”
• Mel Williams ’98 said that Swanson “made econ interesting and understandable.”
• Tazeen Munnavar ’20 thanked Wei Chen, assistant professor of management information systems, by praising his teaching methodology, the Flipped classroom, in which students complete readings and learn curriculum at home, then work on live problem-solving during class time. “This method helped me understand concepts better and the projects were challenging enough to help us think through what we learned in class,” Munnavar says. “I’m using the skills I picked up from his course now in a real world setting.”
• Kaumudi Kulkarni ’20 expressed that Wei Chen, assistant professor of management information systems, was her most impactful professor at Eller. She said that he “taught concepts well, was understanding with assignment submission and was helpful and flexible with office hours.”
• Philip Garrot ’05 shared his appreciation for Vic Piscitello, lecturer in marketing.“He was the single most influential professor I had during my Eller tenure,” he says. “He took theory, translated to application and then used his real-world experience to elevate the lesson to practice.”
• Christopher Pham ’18 said that Arvind Singh, lecturer in finance, “treated all of his students as if we were his associates and mentored us through our studies with respect and kindness.” Another one of Singh's previous students who wishes to remain anonymous described him as an “awesome personable man who gave his opinion when asked. He always took time out of his day to talk about anything and made Eller an awesome place.”
• Charles Nelson ’92 expressed his gratitude for Thomas Moses, former department of finance head, by saying “Professor Moses pushed me to be the best student I could be.” Burton Bennett ’16 said Steven Reff, lecturer in economics, was “one of the greatest lecture professors Eller had for economics.”
• Linda Lynn ’78 said Robert Tindall, professor of management, “introduced me to the MBA degree and taught me about all the disciplines involved in running a business, and the importance of understanding each to properly manage a business of any size.”
• Brian Wallace ’88 expressed his gratitude for the late Erich Bleck, former professor of finance, by saying that he “made financial modeling interesting and challenging.”
• Adam Wardell ’11 said Nancy Rochman, professor of accounting, “had a special impact on me because she influenced me to choose accounting as my major, and set me on a path to where I am today.”
• Rebekah Sordyl ’20 said Michael Mandel, senior lecturer of business communication, “was so dedicated to helping us grow as students and as people during our time in his class.”
• Michael Carolin ’84 expressed that Melanie Wallendorf, professor of marketing, was her most impactful professor because of her consumer behavior class and said it was one of the best classes he ever took.
• Cheyenne Carolin ’18 said that Matt Hashim, associate professor of MIS, was her most impactful professor by saying “he sold me on the value of a Target Red Card.”
• Chih-Ang Lin ’05 described Lehman Benson, associate professor of management and organizations, as “the true embodiment of a servant leader” and added that “he cares deeply about the faculty and student body alike.”
• Chris Brown ’11 said Kim Marchesseault, senior lecturer of business communication, was her most impactful professor and added that she “set the bar very high in her course and held me and my peers to a very high standard.”
• Elysse Robles ’18 stated that Katie Maxwell, senior lecturer in accounting, was her most impactful professor. She said “Katie was always there for me through my ups and downs of undergrad and reassured me when I gave up.”
• Arielle Karonkano ’21 also said Katie Maxwell, senior lecturer in accounting, was her most impactful professor. She stated that “Katie’s dedication to the school of accountancy and its students is incredible.”
• George Schlect ’09 said Katie Maxwell, senior lecturer in accounting, “took a real and meaningful interest in each one of her students' lives” and that “she had the ability to make each student feel like they were her only student.”
• Wes Hagman ’15 said that Jim McLean, adjunct lecturer of sports management, “had an infectious energy about him and even smiled as he spoke”. He added by saying “it was a joy to listen to his lectures everyday.”
• Sean Conway ’07 expressed that Jim Jindrick, former Mentor in Residence in the McGuire Center, “believed in me and gave me a lot of confidence, support and knowledge to start my own companies out of college.”
• Joe Valacich ’89 described Jay Nunamaker, professor of MIS, as his most impactful professor and said “Jay taught me to never give up if you believe in a new concept or technology.”
• Tineyi Gwariwa ’22 said Janeé Johnson, senior lecturer in accounting, “I love the way she articulates her stuff. She is very practical and you feel you have learnt great stuff for the first time.”
• Lisa Powers Fahey ’12 described Gerry Swanson, professor of economics, as having a “high energy and innovative teaching methods.”
• Joseph Kristofl ’89 said Gerry Swanson, professor of economics, “brought to life economics in real world examples of what he lived through and his experiences.”
• Steve Mueller ’91 expressed that the late Erich Bleck, professor of finance, as his most impactful professor. He described Eric as “a very engaging professor and said that “he cared that we really learned and could apply what he was teaching.”
• Laura Lindemann Tomek ’62 said Professor McCall was her most impactful professor because of her personality.
• Andrea Hutchison ’04 said that Diza Sauers, business communication professor of practice, was her most impactful because she “stayed with me for two decades and throughout my career path attending her class.”
• Mike Gossett ’92 expressed his appreciation for Chris Puto, former associate dean, by saying “he brought in real world experience into the classroom and brought the book information to life.”
• Fan Wang ’13 said that Chris Lamourex’s, Diamond Professor of Finance, “passion towards his courses and research motivated me to achieve good grades in my graduate study.”
• Dan Martin ’02 expressed his appreciation for Bob Tindall, professor of management, by saying his “global experience and ability to share with students made a huge difference in my outlook on life and business.”
• Matt Vining ’06 said that Bill Maxwell, former professor of finance, was his most impactful due to his independent study teaching style.
• Cynthia Matkin Lazarz ’82 said Ben Konsynski, former professor of MIS, “always pushed us to think ahead and be creative and innovative.”
• Dani Neuberger ’21 said Amber Owens, lecturer in business communication, “went above and beyond for the benefit of her students.” She added by saying “She truly transformed me as a professional and created a very communal classroom environment.”
• Leilani Lopez ’18 expressed her appreciation for Allison Gabriel, professor of management and organizations, by saying “she taught us useful knowledge and facts that can be applied directly into life after Eller.”
• Michelle Lewis ’07 said Alex Sugiyama, lecturer in economics, was his most impactful professor and said “his curriculum was the most immediately impactful to my daily job.”