The Walker College of Business at Appalachian State University announces the appointments of 19 new faculty members and six new staff members.
Accounting
The Department of Accounting welcomes three new faculty members, assistant professors Wenye Tang and Lucian Zelazny and lecturer John Bean.
Wenye Tang
Dr. Wenye Tang is an assistant professor of accounting whose research focuses on archival studies in financial accounting, including areas such as earnings attributes and management voluntary disclosure. Dr. Tang, who also brings five years of industry experience, earned her PhD in accounting from the University of Missouri at Columbia. Dr. Tang can be reached by email, tangw1@appstate.edu.
Lucian Zelazny
Dr. Lucian Zelazny is an assistant professor of accounting who most recently taught at UNC-Asheville. His research focuses on performance management systems, positive psychology and work motivation and generational issues, among other topics. Dr. Zelazny is a three-time graduate of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, having earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees as well as a Ph.D. in accounting and information systems from the university. At Appalachian, Dr. Zelazny aimes to make an impact on first generation college students. Dr. Zelazny can be reached by email, zelaznylm@appstate.edu.
John Bean
John Bean will serve as an accounting lecturer. Most recently, Bean served as an adjunct lecturer at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, where he taught managerial accounting, federal income taxes and cost accounting. Bean’s research focuses on individual taxation, managerial accounting and small business decision making. He is a CPA and earned his Master of Science in Accounting from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Bean can be reached by email, beanjj@appstate.edu.
Computer Information Systems
The Department of Computer Information Systems welcomes three new faculty members, assistant professor Wei Xie and lecturers Wiley Brown and Ritesh Sheth.
Wei Xie
Dr. Wei Xie will serve as an assistant professor of computer information systems. Dr. Xie earned an undergraduate degree in China, an MBA from the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater and her Ph.D. in information systems from the Bryan School of Business and Economics at the University of North Carolina Greensboro. Her research interests include cybersecurity, societal issues of information systems, digital innovation, healthcare intervention and global IT management, among others. Dr. Xie can be reached by email, xiew1@appstate.edu.
Wiley Brown
Dr. Wiley Brown will also serve as a computer information systems lecturer. His research interests include mobile devices, health IT and quality of life. Dr. Brown most recently served as an assistant professor of business information systems and analytics at North Carolina A&T State University, but he has previously served as a lecturer at Appalachian. Dr. Brown is a two-time Appalachan alumnus, having earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the university, and holds a PhD. in Information Systems from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He can be reached by email, brownws@appstate.edu.
Ritesh Sheth
Ritesh Sheth will serve as a computer information systems lecturer. Sheth is an entrepreneur who earned a bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University, an MBA Rice University; and a master’s of arts from Sri Sri University in India. Sheth can be reached by email, shethrm@appstate.edu.
Economics
The Department of Economics welcomes two new faculty members, Kyung Baik and Jessica Robinson.
Kyung Baik
Dr. Kyung Baik is a tenured professor, who most recently taught at Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul, South Korea. His research focuses on the theory of contests / game theory and its applications and microeconomics. Dr. Baik earned his Ph.D. in Economics from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He can be reached by email, baikkh@appstate.edu.
Jessica Robinson
Jessica Robinson will serve as an economics lecturer. Robinson’s research interests include international trade and international political economy. After earning her bachelor’s in international economics from App State, she earned a Master of Arts in International Economics from American University. She also brings to the classroom previous work experience with the World Bank, U.S. Department of State, United Nations and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Robinson can be reached by email, robinsonje1@appstate.edu.
Finance, Banking & Insurance
The Department of Finance, Banking and Insurance welcomes two new faculty members: assistant professor Jonathan Bitting and lecturer Colby Carr.
Jonathan Bitting
Dr. Jonathan Bitting is an assistant professor whose research interests include product market competition, incentives, contracting and corporate governance. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Texas A&M University and a PhD from Rice University. Dr. Bitting can be reached by email, bittingjd@appstate.edu.
Colby Carr
Colby Carr will serve as a finance lecturer. His research interests include financial economics and health economics. Carr earned his bachelor’s in economics from Appalachian and a Master of Science in finance and economics from West Texas A&M University. He can be reached by email, carrcd@appstate.edu.
Management
The Department of Management welcomes six new faculty members, assistant professors Mark Bolinger and Santosh Nandi and lecturers Scott Gray, Bond Jones, Ged Moody and Jessica Whitaker.
Mark Bolinger
Dr. Mark Bolinger is an assistant professor of management whose research interests include entrepreneurial narrative, entrepreneurial motivation, technology and innovation. Dr. Bolinger earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Idaho State University and his PhD from Indiana University. Dr. Bolinger can be reached by email, bolingermt@appstate.edu.
Santosh Nandi
Dr. Santosh Nandi is an assistant professor of management who brings to the faculty a passion for sustainable business. Dr. Nandi’s research focuses on sustainability, strategy, operations management and emerging markets. Dr. Nandi earned an MBA from Xavier Institute of Management and his PhD in management from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Dr. Nandi can be reached by email, nandis1@appstate.edu.
Scott Gray
Scott Gray is a management lecturer with a research interest in sustainability. He earned his MBA from East Carolina University. He can be reached by email, graysb@appstate.edu.
Bond Jones
Bond Jones is a management lecturer who brings to the faculty experience as the vice president for global consumer marketing operations at Dell Technologies. Bond earned his BBA in Accounting from Texas State University and his MBA in Organizational Leadership Management from Texas A&M Texarkana. He can be reached by email, jonesbb@appstate.edu.
Ged Moody
Ged Moody is a lecturer of management who brings to his role a wealth of experience in sustainability, innovation, entrepreneurship and capital formation. Moody is an alumnus of Appalachian, having earned a graduate degree in appropriate technology. Moody can be reached by email, moodyge@appstate.edu.
Jessica Whitaker
Jessica Whitaker, co-owner and senior instructional designer for qworky.io, will serve as a lecturer of management. Her work at Qworky focuses on industrial organizational psychology and human resource management, a discipline in which she earned her bachelor’s degree from App State. Whitaker can be reached by email, whitakerjn@appstate.edu.
Marketing & Supply Chain Management
The Department of Marketing and Supply Chain Management welcomes two new faculty members, assistant professor Binay Kumar and lecturer Abdul Al Jumaily.
Binay Kumar
Dr. Binay Kumar is an assistant professor of marketing whose research interests include B2B marketing, new-age technology and digital marketing. Dr. Kumar earned his PhD from Georgia State University. Dr. Kumar can be reached by email, kumarb@appstate.edu.
Abdul Al Jumaily
Abdul Al Jumaily will serve as a lecturer of marketing and supply chain management. Al Jumaily, whose research interests center on consumer behavior, most recently served as a lecturer at Southern Illinois University. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska, an MFA from the University of Kentucky and his MBA from the University of Notre Dame. Al Jumaily can be reached by email, aljumailya@appstate.edu.
Global and Civic Engagement
Stephanie Moretz
The Walker College also welcomes Stephanie Moretz, who will serve as an instructor for Business 4000, the college’s capstone course demonstrating competence in oral and written communication, thinking critically and making local to global connections. Moretz is an Appalachian alumna, having recently earned her master’s degree in Higher Education. Moretz can be reached by email, moretzsm1@appstate.edu. Moretz joins the faculty as part of the Global and Civic Engagement team, which includes Dr. Josh Silvey and Ms. Veronica Lozano-Toub, who have been newly appointed to faculty roles.
Walker College of Business Staff
Six staff members have recently joined the Walker College of Business.
Kyle Allen
Kyle Allen is executive director of development for the Walker College. He most recently served as a director of development for the Haslam College of Business at the University of Tennessee, where he raised more than $20 million in donations, contributed to the successful completion of the Join the Journey Campaign, and was instrumental in securing gifts to establish UT’s first department of real estate. Allen can be reached by email, allenkb2@appstate.edu.
Related: Allen named executive director of development for the Walker College
Ashley Carver
Ashley Carver is the administrative assistant in the Department of Marketing & Supply Chain Management. Carver most recently served as the administrative support specialist for Appalachian’s Materials Management group. She can be reached by email, carverad@appstate.edu.
CJ Maynard
Clara Jane Maynard is the program specialist in the Brantley Risk & Insurance Center. Maynard previously worked as a manager for Nordic PC and, before that, held several roles within the sustainable agriculture industry. She can be reached by email, maynardcj1@appstate.edu.
Related: Brantley Center Welcomes Clara Jane Maynard as Program Specialist
Jaalen Corpening
Jaalen Corpening is an advisor in the Walker College’s Business Academic Advising Center. She previously served as a counselor at Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute. Corpening earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her master’s degree from Appalachian. Corpening can be reached by email, corpeningja@appstate.edu.
Mitchell Roberts
Mitchell Roberts ’19 is a receptionist and records specialist in the Walker College’s Academic Advising Center. Previously, Roberts served as a visitor services and administrative specialist in Kaleideum in Winston-Salem and, prior to that, with undergraduate advising faculty and staff on class registration procedures in Appalachian’s Department of Psychology. He can be reached by email, robertsmb1@appstate.edu.
Dillon Waschenbach
Dillon Waschenbach serves as assistant director of undergraduate career coaching in the Walker College of Business Career Services Center. Waschenbach most recently coached undergraduate business students at Marquette University, where he earned his Masters of Education in Student Affairs and Higher Education. Waschenbach can be reached by email, waschenbachd@appstate.edu.
The new faculty and staff members join a team of nearly 150 business faculty and staff members already in place.
Walker College welcomes new business faculty and staff members for Fall 2021
New faculty and staff faces