Meet the Faculty and Staff

Dr. Thuy Bui is a Professor of Finance at the School of Business. She received her Ph.D. in Finance from University of Pittsburgh, an MBA and a BBA in Finance and Strategic Management from Ohio University. She has taught many undergraduate and graduate courses in finance including Managerial Finance, Financial Markets and Institutions, International Financial Management, Portfolio Theory, Issues in Global Business, and Global Dynamics of Business. Dr. Bui's research interests include corporate finance, corporate governance, blockholders, and capital structure. Her research has been published in the Financial Review, Journal of Economics and Finance, Journal of Business, Economics and Technology, and the International Journal of Learning in Higher Education.

Dr. Melanie Anderson teaches managerial accounting, intermediate accounting, and auditing. Dr. Anderson's research interests include ethics, fraud, forensic accounting, cosmopolitan and local orientations, and volunteer fire company's financial fitness. Dr. Anderson earned her PhD from the University of Nebraska, an MBA from Pennsylvania State University, and a Bachelor of Science in Business (accounting major) from Clarion University. She was an auditor, accounting systems manager, and business analyst for 15 years for Quaker State Corporation and Werner Co. prior to beginning her teaching career. Dr. Anderson previously taught business courses for 20 years at the University of Pittsburgh-Titusville.

Dr. Theresa Phipps brings a blend of real-world experience and academic achievement to the classroom and to her research pursuits.  She holds a doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh, a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) and Bachelors of Science in Accounting from Wheeling Jesuit University, as well as a Certificate in Forensic Accounting from Georgetown University.  She is a certified public accountant (CPA) and a certified fraud examiner (CFE).  In addition, Dr. Phipps worked for ten years in private sector and public sector accounting.  She worked as an external auditor for Ernst & Young and as a government auditor at the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

Dr. Phipps's research interests include fraud prevention and detection in higher education, service learning in accounting, and effective teaching methodologies for accounting coursework. 

Dr. Edward Scott teaches Intermediate Accounting, Cost Accounting, and Business Analysis and Decision Making. His research interests include audit team performance, minority retention in professional service organizations, and college and career success for first generation college students. He earned a PhD in Business Administration from Oklahoma State University, an MBA from Texas Christian University, and a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Point Park University. He is a Certified Public Accountant and his professional experience includes 5 years as an auditor with Deloitte and 13 years in the transportation industry with BNSF Railway and the KCS Railway, where he held managerial and executive positions. His community involvement includes leading the Accounting Career Awareness Program that is an outreach initiative to minority high school students who attend a one-week summer camp to learn about opportunities for careers in accounting.

Dr. Pavani Tallapally is an Associate Professor of Accounting. She has taught many courses in accounting including Corporate Accounting for the MBA program, Accounting Information Systems, Auditing, Intermediate Accounting, Financial and Managerial Accounting. Dr. Tallapally earned her Doctor of Business Administration (Accounting Major) from Louisiana Tech University, an MBA from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Commerce from Osmania University. Her research interests include XBRL, Accounting Databases, Data Differences and Taxonomies.

Dr. John Golden teaches law and finance at Slippery Rock Universtiy where he also serves as the university's Entreprenuer-in-Residence. He is the Managing Director of the Sustainable Enterprise Accelerator (SEA) at Slippery Rock, which assists new start-ups and existing businesses with sustainable growth opportunities. Dr. Golden serves on several boards of directors, profit and non-profit. He is the owner of Golden Intergroup, Inc., a private sustainable business consulting firm. He also practices law in the USA and internationally, specializing in commercial law. He can be contacted at john.golden@sru.edu or (00 1)724.738.4352 or (00 1)412.377.1442.

Don Mong currently teaches legal environment of business and macroeconomics.  Past teaching has also included entrepreneurship, employment law, and healthcare administration law.   Don's research has always focused on becoming a better teacher in whatever courses he is assigned at the time.  Research has thus included legal environment of business, macroeconomics, cash flow, entrepreneurship, healthcare administration law, and business capstone courses.  However, the best part of his job is working with student groups like the Roundtable of School of Business Club Officers and the Rock Solid Investment Club.

Dr. Forrest's research covers a wide range of areas, including economics, finance, management, marketing, mathematics, science, philosophy, etc. As of the end of 2016, he has published nearly 400 research papers and more than 40 books and special topic volumes. Dr. Forrest joined Slippery Rock University in 1988 and has lectured worldwide on various topics.

Dr. Yi (Lily) Li earned her Ph.D. in Economics from Georgia State University and joined Slippery Rock University in 2016. Her primary research interests center on decision making under risk and uncertainty, Behavioral Economics, Game Theory, and Economic Inequality. Dr. Li teaches undergraduate courses such as Principles of Microeconomics/Macroeconomics, Microeconomic Analysis, Game Theory, Behavioral and Experimental Economics, as well as the MBA Managerial.

Dr. Mondal's research interests include empirical microeconomics, the labor market impact of public policies, and economics of education. Dr. Mondal received her Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Pittsburgh, Masters and bachelor's degree in Economics from Jadavpur University in India. She is currently the President of the Pennsylvania Economic Association (PEA), and has served as the local arrangements chair for the 2016 PEA conference. Dr. Mondal has been awarded grant from the Center for Rural Pennsylvania. She has taught courses at the graduate level MBA program, including managerial economics, and several undergraduate courses at Slippery Rock University.

Dr. Augustin joined SRU in the fall of 2021. She received her Ph.D. in Personal Financial Planning from Texas Tech University, her M.Ed. from Lamar University, and her MBA and BBA from Midwestern State University. Her research interests include financial literacy, credit usage, and alternative investments, and her most recent publications can be found in the Journal of Financial Planning and the Financial Services Review.

She has taught Personal Financial Planning, Insurance, Entrepreneurial Finance, and Managerial Finance at the undergraduate level, and Global Dynamics of Business and Financial Management at the graduate level. She encourages students to apply knowledge outside of the classroom and has sponsored a team that competed in the Financial ConNextions competition, taking 5^th place out of 6 the first year they competed. She advises the SRU chapter of the Beta Gamma Sigma International Honor Society, which is affiliated with AACSB. She encourages community service as well, and the students work every year to collect donations for needy families in the surrounding area.

Dr. Jirasakuldech is a Professor of Finance and currently holds a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.  She earned her Ph.D. in Finance from University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Master of Science in Finance from Texas Tech University.  She has taught many undergraduate courses in finance including Managerial Finance, Financial Markets and Institutions, Intermediate Corporate Finance, Investment, Finance Seminar, and Risk Management.  She also taught Finance Management for MBA.  Her areas of research are speculative markets, bubbles, behavioral finance, international finance, and real estate markets.  Her research has been published in Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Pacific Basin Finance Journal, Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, Managerial Finance Journal, Journal of Investing, Review of Futures Markets, Applied Finance Economics, Journal of Real Estate Portfolio Management, Advanced in Taxation, and Journal of Economics and Finance.  She was also a recipient of the President’s Award for Scholarly and Creative Achievement in 2012 from SRU.

Dr. James M. Dombrosky serves as Assistant Professor of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Slippery Rock University, where he previously held positions as Department Chair and Graduate Program Coordinator. He earned his Ph.D. in Foodservice and Lodging Management from Iowa State University, his M.B.A from the University of Pittsburgh, and his B.S. in Business Administration from Slippery Rock University. Dr. Dombrosky draws upon his extensive industry management and marketing experience to inform his teaching, along with his research in tourism development, event impact analysis, and technology integration in hospitality education. He serves as Vice President of Skål International Pittsburgh, where his leadership has helped secure multiple scholarships for students across regional HTM programs. His current work focuses on experiential learning, tourism partnerships, and the role of technology in hospitality education, bridging academia and industry to prepare students for global careers in tourism and hospitality. His greatest satisfaction comes from the career success of the students he is privileged to teach.

Dr. Frank Tsai is an Associate Professor of Hospitality & Tourism Management in the School of Business at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania. Since joining SRU in 2019, he has advanced to the rank of Associate Professor (2023) and earned tenure (2024), reflecting his commitment to excellence in teaching, research, and service.

Dr. Tsai holds a Ph.D. in Hospitality Administration from Texas Tech University, an M.S. in Hotel and Food Service Management from Florida International University, and a B.S. in Tourism from Chinese Culture University. He also completed the Executive Management Program at Le Cordon Bleu and is a Certified Hospitality Educator accredited by the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute.

With more than a decade of industry experience in fine dining and travel services, Dr. Tsai brings practical expertise in leadership, team development, and operational excellence into the classroom. His academic career spans the United States and Taiwan, where he has held teaching and administrative positions that have enriched his global perspective on hospitality education.

An active scholar, Dr. Tsai’s research focuses on hospitality human resource management and destination management. His work has been published in leading journals such as the International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, International Journal of Hospitality Management, Forests, and Services Marketing Quarterly.

In addition to his academic and research contributions, Dr. Tsai serves as the Director of Member Services and Marketing for the North East North American (NENA) Federation of ICHRIE, where he strengthens professional networks, fosters collaboration, and supports conference development. Passionate about student success, he actively engages with industry partners to create meaningful learning opportunities and pathways for future leaders in hospitality and tourism.

Dr. Frances M. Amatucci is an associate professor in the School of Business at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania, U.S.A. Dr. Amatucci is a strong advocate of field-based and experiential learning in business education. She teaches courses related to strategic management, sustainability, and entrepreneurship. She was the Chair of the United Nations Global Compact's Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) initiative at Slippery Rock University and is a member of the PRME Working Group on Gender Equality. She has been a participant in the Business of Humanity® project at the University of Pittsburgh since 2009 (www.boh.pitt.edu). Based on her field research in Russia funded by the project, she wrote the case study Alcoa Russia. Her research interests include gender and diversity issues in business, sustainability and entrepreneurship. She has published articles in peer-reviewed academic journals such as Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice, Venture Capital, Journal of Small Business Strategy, Journal of Developmental Entrepreneurship, and the International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship. She earned an M.B.A. and Ph.D. in strategic planning and policy from the Katz Graduate School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh. Prior to her academic career, she was employed for over sixteen years in the health care sector.

Dr. Galbraith's background includes almost 20 years in the business world, most recently as a Director of a Business Unit at a private, $10 billion company and Regional/Cluster Manager for AT&T Wireless. She has a B.S. in Business Administration with a major in Marketing; a M.S. in Management and HRM; and a doctorate in Administration and Leadership Studies. She is the Chair of the United Nations Global Compact's Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) at Slippery Rock University, the Advisory Council and the Internship Coordinator. Research has focused on adult learning, cross-cultural studies, emotional intelligence, ethics, academic integrity, teamwork, business principles, leadership, internships, etc. Dr. Galbraith is active in the community as a Board Member for the Valley Points YMCA, as a coach, Band Booster and committee chair, business consultant, etc., and she contributes to many university, strategic and business committees on campus.

Dr. Joo joined Slippery Rock University in 2018. He received his MA in Human Resources and Industrial Relations at Carlson School of Management and a PhD in Human Resource Development from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. He teaches organizational behavior and human resource management (HRM) courses. He has nearly 14 years of experience as an internal and external HR/OD consultant in industry and in consultancy. His current research interests include leadership, coaching, career satisfaction, organizational learning, employee engagement and well-being, and international human resources management. He has published research papers in journals such as Career Development International, Human Resource Development Quarterly, Human Resource Development Review, Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, Leadership and Organization Development Journal, and Personnel Review.

Dr. Solano has been a faculty member at SRU since 2009. He specializes in the science of making decisions based on mathematical or numerical models and techniques. He teaches Quantitative Analysis, Business Analytics, Operations Management and Supply Chain Management. His recent research includes interests include empirical and applied research in Intelligent Transportation System, the Analysis of Ag census data, and the application of new technologies to the learning process. Dr. Solano has a PhD in Industrial Engineering from NJIT and his undergraduate degree is from La Universidad del Zulia (Venezuela). He is a big promoter of diversity and inclusion. He also champions Hispanic cultural programs on campus.

Dr. Su’s research focuses on technological innovation management, patents, social evaluation, job mobility, and entrepreneurship, with particular attention to the often-overlooked consequences of innovation in harmful products and services. His work investigates how negative social evaluation influences firm innovation performance and how inter-firm job mobility shapes the careers of knowledge workers. He has shared his findings at leading international and regional conferences, including the Academy of Management, the Strategic Management Society, and the Academy of International Business, and has published articles contributing to these important conversations. Dr. Su has taught a variety of management courses, including Strategic Management, Human Resource Management, Management and Society, Principles of Management, Virtual Leadership, and Business Analytics. 

Dr. Weiru Chen is an Associate Professor of Information Systems and Technology Management at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania. He earned his Ph.D in Information Technology and M.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Old Dominion University. He has over 15 years of professional experience in both industry and academia and serves as the program coordinator of SRU international program. His research interests include Blockchain, Cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence, and Big Data. He has authored and co-authored more than 30 scholarly publications in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings. 

Abel Gyan is an Associate Professor in the School of Business. He received a DHSc in Global Health from Nova Southeastern University, MS in Health Informatics from Northern Kentucky University, and an MBA in Finance from the University of Leicester. He is a registered health information administrator (RHIA) and a certified professional in health informatics (CPHI).

Before joining Slippery Rock University, Dr. Gyan taught informatics, health information management, and health administration graduate and undergraduate courses at the University of Cincinnati and the University of Findlay. With a federal grant, he led the training and implementation of Health Information Technology workforce roles in the greater Cincinnati area to improve the use of electronic health records, including Clinician / Practitioner, Implementation Managers, Implementation Support Specialist, Practice Workflow and Information Management Redesign Specialist, Technical/Software Support, and Trainer.

His academic research interests are centered on health information workflow, including health systems management, health data analysis, and global health, including treatment and prevention of malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS.

Jennifer Paige Nightingale, associate professor of Information Systems, has taught in higher education since 2000. Before entering academia, she spent 15 years in industry with a focus in management, marketing and training. Her research expertise is in instructional technology, using technology as a teaching tool, and the impact of instructional technologies on student learning. She has earned numerous teaching and research honors and awards, holds an Ed.D. (instructional technology) and two M.S. degrees (information systems management and education) from Duquesne University, and a B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh.

Abdou Karim Jallow, PhD. Dr. Jallow is a Professor of Information Systems at the School of Business. He received his PhD in MIS with focus on Information Management and Integrated Enterprise Systems from Loughborough University, UK. He also holds a Master of Science (MSc) in IT for Product Engineering, and a Bachelor of Science with Honors (BSc-Hons) in Information Systems Management both from Cranfield University, UK.

Before joining Slippery Rock University, Dr. Jallow was a faculty and Program Coordinator of the Information Sciences and Technology Program at Pennsylvania State University New Kensington. He has also served as a faculty member of MIS both at Smeal College of Business, Penn State and Rohrer College of Business, Rowan University, USA. He has worked as a research assistant at Loughborough University on a knowledge management project, and as a Post-Doctoral Scholar at Penn State University on the $129 million DoE project on Energy Efficiency.

Dr. Jallow's research and teaching combines interdisciplinary elements of computer science, information systems and technology, management systems engineering and project management. His industry experience include work as a business process analyst at Komatsu UK Ltd. Dr. Jallow has strong research interest in blockchain, data analytics, e-government, cloud computing & SOA, business process management, enterprise architecture and systems, information & knowledge management, requirements management, supply chain integration, and risk & change management. He has taught systems analysis and design, database management systems, security, business information systems, information systems strategy, systems integration, web development and data analytics among others. He has produced several publications based on his work in renowned journals and international conference proceedings. Dr. Jallow has reviewed papers for various journals and conferences. He is a recipient of several academic and scholarship awards.

Dr. Larson has 18+ years experience in the Information Technology and Information Systems industry, in both technical and managerial positions.  He holds a BA, MPA, MS, and PhD degrees, as well as Certified Ethical Hacker and Certified Information Systems Security Professional industry certifications.  He enjoys teaching core IS/IT courses, cybersecurity, and data analytics courses.  Before entering academia, he was country manager (Japan) for a high tech firm and Lead Project Manager for a $6.5M IT transformation and archival project in Japan.  Dr. Larson likes to research cybersecurity and digital forensics in addition to pedagogy research.

Anindya Chatterjee is a Professor of Marketing at Slippery Rock University's School of Business. Professor Chatterjee earned his Master's degree in Business at the Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, India in 1979 and his Ph.D. in Marketing at Temple University, Philadelphia in 1997. His research interests are in the areas of consumer psychology and cross-cultural consumer behavior. His research has been widely published in various journals and proceedings including the Psychological Reports, Advances in Consumer Research, Perceptual & Motor Skills and the Singapore Marketing Review. His work experience in Marketing includes executive positions at British Oxygen Corporation (BOC) and the Indian Oil Corporation.

Dr. Shahriar Gias is an Associate Professor of Marketing in the School of Business at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania where he teaches professional selling, sales management, and social media strategy to undergraduate and MBA students. He received Ph.D. in Marketing with an emphasis on professional selling and sales management from the University of Texas at Arlington. He has M.B.A in Marketing from Delaware State University, U.S.A; Master of Professional Accounting from the University of Tasmania, Australia; and B.B.A dual major in Marketing & International Business from North South University, Bangladesh. He is a Fellow in the Direct Selling Education Foundation and actively promotes innovative business and sales education. He has also served as a consultant for many non-profit organizations. Dr. Gias loves to incorporate "Service Learning Projects" in his marketing and sales classes that benefit both students and community. Gias's primary research interests are understanding salespeople's agile behavior using statistical models. His research covers a variety of areas in professional selling such as agility selling, adaptive selling, customer relationship management, and change management. Gias is a frequent speaker at professional conferences and seminars, and author of articles in peer-reviewed academic journals. Dr. Gias is happily married (spouse's name is Fahmida) and loves to travel and explore different places, cultures, and food with his wife.

Dr. Jeananne "Nan" Nicholls is a Professor of Marketing at Slippery Rock University (SRU) where she has been since 2011 after spending 20+ years in senior positions in technology-based economic development in Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania-managing $40+million worth of research grants and projects. She has degrees from Kennesaw State University (DBA), Duquesne University (MBA), and Carlow University (BS). Nicholls has been SRU's AMA Chapter adviser since 2011. She is a Fellow in the Direct Selling Education Foundation, is the VP of Collegiate Relationships for the Pittsburgh American Marketing Association and is a board member of The Education Partnership. She has been chosen as SRU's 2019-20 Faculty Woman of Distinction. In 2016 she was given the Pittsburgh American Marketing Association's (AMA) Distinguished Educator of the Year and in 2015 she received SRU's President's Award for Academic Advising. Additionally, she has been a co-author on three best faculty conference papers. Her teaching and research interests include marketing pedagogy/education, service and experiential learning, personal branding, and Behavioral Reasoning Theory (BRT) among other things. She teaches marketing and management courses at the graduate and undergraduate levels.

Dr. Kurt Schimmel is a Professor of Marketing at Slippery Rock University. Dr. Schimmel has authored over 100 peer reviewed articles, book chapters, research monographs and presentations. He has also served on over 25 graduate theses. His research interests include individual and group decision making, decision heuristics, and behavioral reasoning theory. Some of Dr. Schimmel's research was funded by the American Bar Association. He has served as an editor for the Journal of Business Economics and Technology and was founding member of the editorial board of the Journal of Internet Commerce. He was a doctoral fellow of the American Marketing Association. Additionally, he is a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University Academic Leadership Academy. He has served on several boards of directors for nonprofit and regional economic development organizations. He has held multiple positions including, Graduate Director at West Virginia University, Associate Dean at Robert Morris University ‘s School of Business and Dean at Slippery Rock University's College of Business. Currently he is Assistant to the Dean in the College of Health Engineering and Science. He teaches marketing and management courses at the graduate and undergraduate levels.

Dr. Theresa (Terri) Wajda's background includes several years in the business world, most recently as a Product Planning/Forecasting Manager at the Sherwin-William's headquarters in Cleveland, OH. She has a B.S. in Business Administration with a major in Marketing and a M.B.A, (with a concentration in Marketing) from Cleveland State University. She has a PhD. in Marketing from Kent State University. Wajda has been the University's representative in the Association of American University Women for several years. She has also collaborated with numerous entities in the region to offer professional assistance while simultaneously allowing her students to study and solve problems with real-life application. These entities have included the National Marrow Donor Foundation, The Central Blood Bank of Pennsylvania, the Boy Scouts of America, The Butler Newspaper, the Eat N Park Corporation and the Northeast Ohio (NEO) Tech Collaborative. She has been recognized with several teaching awards at SRU as well as a Regional "Teaching Excellence" Award that was conferred on her by the Association of Collegiate Schools of Business. Wajda's research interests include consumer psychology, information processing and sensory marketing. Outside of her professional responsibilities, Wajda coaches a robotics team and is working to create and market a community-based STEM site.