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View Our New Faculty Hires

Saunders College of Business is proud to welcome new faculty members across four departments, as their expertise is advancing our tradition in producing research with impact found in top-tier academic journals.

Saunders consistently receives high rankings and receives international recognition, ranking 9th by U.S. News & World Report among the best online MBA programs in the country and 73th for best business programs in the country.

Saunders offers innovative, cutting-edge degrees that are led by expert faculty, including a new Ph.D. in business administration, which is RIT’s inaugural social sciences doctoral program.

New hires and key appointments

  • Shal Khazanchi, Ph.D. spearheads a newly-introduced, fully-funded Ph.D. program as the director. She is also serving in her new role as associate dean of research and graduate programs.

  • Edwin Torres, Ph.D. joins us from the Rosen School of Hospitality at the University of Central Florida as the new department chair of international hospitality and service innovation (IHSI). Professor Torres’ research is focused on customer experience, consumer behavior, and human resource management. 

  • Bill Dresnack, JD, CPA has been appointed as the new director of Saunders' internationally ranked MBA program. He has notable experience in corporate partnership development, academic program development, program assessment, and academic research and service. Previously, he served as department chair for finance and accounting and interim chair for IHSI.

  • Rich DeJordy, Ph.D. joins Saunders as the new department chair of management. He comes to Saunders from the Craig School of Business at California State University, Fresno and was previously at D’Amore-McKim School of Business at Northeastern University. He has taught a variety of courses in leadership, organizational behavior, and social networks, as well as publishing in top journals in these disciplines. 

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“Our faculty continuously exemplify the high standards and innovative spirit that set us apart as a business school,” said Dean Jacqueline Mozrall. “Our faculty are always striving for excellence and innovative and applied research which gives Saunders and RIT a competitive edge.”

Our newest faculty exemplify our commitment to high-level research and academic success:

Ph.D. in Business Administration

  • Shal Khazanchi, Ph.D., University of Cincinnati

Finance and Accounting Department

  • Mehdi Khorram, Ph.D., Louisiana State University
  • Leonid Pugachev, Ph.D., University of Oklahoma
  • Dilin Wang, Ph.D., Oregon State University
  • Bill Dresnack, JD, CPA, MS Binghamton University, JD, University at Buffalo

International Hospitality and Service Innovation Department

  • Edwin Torres, Ph.D., Purdue University

MIS, Marketing & Analytics Department

  • Duygu Akdevelioglu, Ph.D., University of California, Irvine
  • Michael Caceci, MBA, Pace University
  • Gijs Overgoor, Ph.D., University of Amsterdam
  • Jing Tang, Ph.D., Case Western Reserve University
  • Ali Tosyali, Ph.D., Rutgers University
  • Keith Weber, MS, California State University, Fullerton

Management Department

  • Kristin Bain, Ph.D., University of Utah
  • Rich DeJordy, MBA, Northeastern University, Ph.D., Boston College
  • Kenan Guler, Ph.D., Rutgers University
  • Laharish Guntuka, Ph.D., University of Maryland

We are proud to welcome these faculty members and leaders to their positions and we look forward to seeing them grow in their new roles.