Isenberg Welcomes 20 New Faculty Members for Fall 2024

Isenberg is thrilled to welcome one of our biggest-ever classes of new faculty members for the fall 2024 semester, with 20 new professors and lecturers:

Business Communications

Zachary Suetta, lecturer

Suetta’s specialties are business communication, the emotions, and British Romanticism. This semester, Suetta is teaching SCH-MGMT 310 – Business Communication. Fun fact: Suetta is a long-suffering Cleveland Browns fan.

Maria Vint, lecturer

This semester, Vint is teaching SCH-MGMT 310 – Business Communication. Fun fact: Vint’s favorite food is spaghetti and meatballs.

Finance

John Griffin, lecturer

Griffin draws on experience to make classes more interesting and useful for students, especially students who are curious about the world of international business. This semester, Griffin is teaching FIN 402 – Advanced Corporate Finance, and FIN 404 – Bank Management. Fun fact: Griffin had dinner with John Kenneth Galbraith and claims to have defeated Patrick Ewing by forfeit.

Adam Jorring, assistant professor

Before becoming an academic, Jorring worked for the Danish Central Bank, Goldman Sachs in London, and J.P. Morgan in New York. This semester, Jorring is teaching SCH-MGMT 646 – Investment Management. Fun fact: Jorring once lived on a sailboat for 12 months, sailing in the Pacific Ocean.

Hospitality & Tourism Management

Kathy Chen, adjunct instructor

Kathy Chen is an adjunct instructor of hospitality and tourism management. Chen is thrilled to bring expertise in hospitality management and passion for creating meaningful guest experiences to Isenberg. Over the years, Chen has gained valuable insights from working in both academic settings and the industry, showcasing the importance of blending theoretical knowledge with practical, real-world applications. Chen is eager to share this hands-on perspective with the Isenberg community and hopes to foster a learning environment that thrives on collaboration, innovation, and a commitment to excellence, helping students prepare for successful careers in hospitality and tourism.

Misun (Sunny) Kim, lecturer

Kim is thrilled about the opportunity to bring unique perspective and experiences to Isenberg. Having recently completed a PhD at Isenberg, Kim has developed strong relationships with both the PhD and undergraduate students, gaining a deep understanding of their academic needs and aspirations. These connections position Kim well to serve as a bridge between faculty and students, fostering an environment of open communication and collaboration. Kim’s goal is to contribute to an inclusive and supportive community where everyone feels heard and valued. This semester, Kim is teaching HT-MGT 250 – Food Service Management and HT-MGT 260 – Human Resource Management in the Hospitality Industry. Fun fact: Kim eats spicy food as a coping mechanism when feeling stressed.

Management

Nicole Amos, lecturer

This semester, Amos is teaching MGMT 301 – Principles of Management and MGMT 314 – Human Resource Management. Fun fact: Amos’s favorite food is a tie between goat cheese bruschetta and chocolate cake.

Matthew Langenkamp, lecturer

Langenkamp spent almost 30 years working outside the United States in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, the Philippines and New Zealand. This background as a US citizen living and working in areas of marketing, finance, and general management in Asia Pacific and Australasia gives Langenkamp a unique point of view. This semester, Langenkamp is teaching MGMT 448 – International Management and MGMT 494BI – Business Policy and Strategy. Fun fact: Langenkamp has a small farm in northwest CT and raises Boer goats for land regeneration and fun.

Ulya Tsolmon, associate professor

This semester, Tsolmon is teaching a management strategy course and a doctoral seminar. Fun fact: Tsolmon is originally from Mongolia.

Adaora Ubaka, assistant professor

This semester, Ubaka is teaching MGMT 314 – Intro to Human Resource Management. Fun fact: Ubaka’s father is from Nigeria, and Ubaka’s grandmother was both an educator and a beauty queen, winning Miss East Nigeria in 1959.

Marketing

Kun Qian, assistant professor

This semester, Qian is teaching Applications of R for Marketing and Analytics. Fun fact: Qian loves to go hiking.

Meg Qi (Annie) Ding, assistant professor

Ding’s area of expertise is in applying advanced machine learning models to analyze and extract useful information from unstructured data, such as text, images, and audio data. Ding is excited to bring some AI and text analysis tools to classes. This semester, Ding is teaching MKT 413 – Social Media & Analytics. Fun fact: Ding’s favorite foods are coffee ice cream and beef noodles.

Operations and Information Management

Indika Dissanayake, associate professor

This semester, Dissanayake is teaching SCH-MGMT 661 – Applications of Artificial Intelligence in Business. Fun fact: Dissanayake loves hiking and going on road trips.

Marta Stelmaszak Rosa, assistant professor

Rosa combines qualitative research methods with a deep understanding of data science and analytics tools. This combination offers a unique perspective on the study of data in organizations, which Rosa believes can enrich research and teaching at Isenberg. This semester, Rosa is teaching OIM 350 – Business Analytics. Fun fact: Rosa has a blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Zihao Qu, assistant professor

Qu is excited to bring skills in analytical modeling, optimization, revenue management, cloud computing, and post-acute care to Isenberg. This semester, Qu is teaching OIM 390STB – Artificial Intelligence in Business. Fun fact: Qu’s favorite food is fried shredded potatoes.

Sport Management

Anne Dietrich, lecturer

Dietrich is most excited to bring a European perspective to Isenberg, facilitating European connections and, hopefully, collaborations. As a German who has lived in various European countries and has lived on-and-off in the U.S. for eight years, Dietrich understands the various viewpoints and objectives held by different countries and the people who live there. Dietrich is also enthusiastic to contribute sustainability expertise to Isenberg and larger UMass endeavors. Because of environmental sustainability's importance, Dietrich feels that it is an exciting topic to discuss in the classroom and use as the basis for collaborations. This semester, Dietrich is teaching SPORTMGT 323 – College Athletics and SPORTMGT 494PI – Sport Policy. Fun fact: Dietrich once worked as a mascot for a gaming convention.

Ajhanai (AJ) Kheaton, assistant professor

Kheaton is excited to bring expertise of critical qualitative methodologies at the nexus of race, gender, organizational behavior, and Black culture to the ways we consider management and marketing phenomena. Additionally, Kheaton’s scholarship will be of practical use for sport business leaders. This semester, Kheaton is teaching SPORTMGT 400 – Diversity and Inclusion in Sport, and, during the spring 2025 semester, will be teaching SPORTMGT 300 – Sport Leadership. Fun fact: Kheaton loves Cuban food and a hearty Southern Comfort breakfast.

Calvin Nite, associate professor

Nite is excited to leverage experiences as a scholar to help Isenberg students develop their unique talents to pursue successful careers in the sport industry. Nite looks forward to productive research collaborations with new colleagues. This semester, Nite is teaching SPORTMGT 300 – Sport Leadership. Fun fact: Nite’s favorite food is breakfast tacos.