Faculty Directory
The Graduate School of Management at UC Davis brings together distinguished scholars and industry experts from all over the world. Alongside our students, they create a vibrant educational experience with real-world relevance and a culture of camaraderie.
Our instructors have both academic expertise and practical experience, giving you a well-rounded and relevant MBA education. Plus, with a low student-to-faculty ratio, these diverse, high-quality faculty get to know you by first name and serve as mentors as you grow your professional network after graduation.
They've trained at top schools, including Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Carnegie Mellon University, Harvard University, The University of Chicago, Cornell University and Northwestern University.
Through a powerful combination of case studies, seminars, guest speakers, simulations and team projects, they turn complex concepts into actionable tools you can use throughout your career.
Mak Ahmad
Lecturer
Ph.D., Computer Science, UC Davis, In Progress
Master of Science (M.S.), Computer Science, Sonoma State University, 2017
Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Computer and Electrical Engineering, UC Davis, 2004
Research Expertise
Visualization and Human-Computer Interaction
Areas of Expertise
Technology Management
Beth Bechky
Professor, Stephen G. Newberry Chair in Leadership
Ph.D., Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management, Stanford University, 1999
Master of Arts (M.A.), Sociology, Stanford University 1992
Bachelor of Science (B.S.) (with honors), Industrial and Labor Relations, Cornell University 1991
Research Expertise: Future of work, occupations and professions, collaboration.
Nicole Woolsey Biggart
Research Professor and Professor Emerita
Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley
Chair, Social, Political and Economic Sciences section of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Research Expertise
Economic and organizational sociology, firm networks, industrial change and social bases of technology adoption.
Course Taught
Strategic Innovations in Energy Efficiency
Fast Facts
Naga Lakshmi Damaraju
Lecturer
Ph.D. in business administration, Fisher College of Business, The Ohio State University, 2008
Research Expertise
Investment and divestment strategies, corporate governance, entrepreneurship, cultural influences on strategy and entrepreneurship
Area of Expertise
Management & Organizations
Joe DiNunzio
Executive Director, Mike and Renee Child Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Assistant Adjunct Professor
Master of Business Administration (MBA), Stanford Graduate School of Business, 1988
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Psychology, Harvard University, 1984
Research Expertise
Innovation, Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Management Consulting, Entertainment & Media, Technology
Areas of Expertise
Operations Management, Management & Organizations, Technology Management
Gina Dokko
Professor
Ph.D., Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
Research Expertise
Careers, job mobility, organization theory, organizational behavior, social networks, technology and innovation
Kimberly Elsbach
Professor Emerita
Fellow, Academy of Management
Ph.D., Industrial Engineering, Stanford University
Research Expertise
Perceptions of individuals and organizations, including perceptions of legitimacy, creativity, and trustworthiness.
Doug Findlay
Lecturer
Master of Business Administration (MBA), UC Davis Graduate School of Management
Bachelor of Science (B.S.), California State University, Sacramento
Lecturer Douglas Findlay brings over 30 years of experience in the technology sector, building extensive expertise and practical knowledge in the areas of product marketing, product management, new market development, market strategy, channel strategy, sales management, and business operations.
Stephen Garcia
Professor
Stephen Garcia is a professor in the Graduate School of Management at the University of California, Davis. He was previously professor of psychology and professor of organizational studies at the University of Michigan, where he also held faculty appointments at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and Stephen M. Ross School of Business.
Andrew B. Hargadon
Professor
Ph.D., Stanford University
Research Expertise
The effective management of innovation and entrepreneurship, particularly in the development and commercialization of sustainable technologies
Professor Andrew B. Hargadon has written extensively on innovation and entrepreneurship, particularly the commercialization science and technology and the management of research and development. He has published numerous articles and chapters in leading scholarly and applied publications.
Hargadon is at the forefront of teaching, research and practice in cross-disciplinary entrepreneurship, and is founding director of two key centers at UC Davis—the Mike and Renee Child Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the Energy Efficiency Center. These centers are dedicated to promoting entrepreneurship and innovation through educational programs bridging science, engineering and business. They provide a successful framework for university scientists and engineers to move their ideas out of the lab and into the world.
Hargadon received the 2009 Olympus Emerging Educational Leader Award in recognition for his strong entrepreneurship curriculum and success with the two centers.
Prior to his academic appointment, Hargadon worked as a product designer at Apple Computer and taught in the Product Design program at Stanford University.
A senior fellow at the Kauffman Foundation, Hargadon is the author of How Breakthroughs Happen: The Surprising Truth About How Companies Innovate (Harvard Business School Press, 2003).
His most recent book is Sustainable Innovation: Build Your Company’s Capacity to Change the World (Stanford University Press, 2015).
Hargadon received his Ph.D. from Stanford University’s School of Engineering, where he was named Boeing Fellow and Sloan Foundation Future Professor of Manufacturing. He received his M.S. in mechanical engineering and B.S. in engineering from Stanford University’s Product Design Program.
- AlwaysOn 2012 Power Players in Greentech: The University Players.
- Charles M. Soderquist Chair in Entrepreneurship, UC Davis Graduate School of Management, 2010-present.
- Olympus Emerging Educational Leader Award, National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance, 2009.
- Chancellor’s Fellow, UC Davis, 2005-present.
- Vanguard Award for the Energy Efficiency Center, Comstock’s Magazine, 2006.
- Professors of Manufacturing Fellow, Stanford Integrated Manufacturing Association.
- Boeing Fellow, Future Professors of Manufacturing, Stanford Integrated Manufacturing Association.
Jane Harrington
Lecturer
J.D., U.C. Davis, 2007
Master of Arts (M.A.) Organization Development, Sonoma State University, 2013
Master of Arts (M.A.) Educational Technology, 2002
Greta Hsu
Professor
Ph.D., Stanford University, Graduate School of Business
Greta Hsu is Professor of Management at the Graduate School of Management at University of California, Davis. She received her Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior, M.S. in Statistics, and M.A. and B.A. Sociology from Stanford University.
Through her research, Hsu develops understanding of how market categories are socially constructed, how they are used and strategically manipulated by market actors, and how they shape market evolution and competitive dynamics. Her work includes studies of industry dynamics in the cannabis, e-cigarette, wine, film, book publishing, global fashion, and high-tech industries. She has published in journals such as Administrative Science Quarterly, Organization Science, Strategic Management Journal, American Sociological Review, and the British Medical Journal.
Hsu is an associate editor at Administrative Science Quarterly and co-editor of Research in Organizational Behavior. She was formerly a department editor and associate editor at Management Science, senior editor at Organization Science, and co-editor of the Culture and Economic Life book series at Stanford University Press.
Courses Taught
The Individual & Group dynamics, Managing People in High-Performance Organizations, Strategy and Structure, People Analytics
Fast Facts
- Expert in market categorization processes, organizational identity, and industry evolutionary dynamics
Awards
- One of the Top Three Best Paper Awards for "The Impact of Mandated Pay Gap Transparency on Firms’ Reputations as Employers,” 2022, Saïd School of Business, Oxford University Center for Corporate Reputation's Annual Symposium, 2024
- Seeman Faculty Term Fellowship, UC Davis, 2011.
- Invited Speaker, Cornell University Johnson Graduate School of Management, 2011.
- Invited Speaker, The 13th Organizational Ecology Conference, Helsinki, Finland, 2010.
- Research Grant, National Science Foundation, Co-Primary Investigator on “SoD-TEAM: Longitudinal effects of design in open source projects,” ($750,000), 2006-09.
- Industry Studies Program Travel Grant, Sloan Foundation, (with S. Grodal), 2008.
- Small Grant in Aid of Research, UC Davis.
Gareth Keeves
Lecturer
Ph.D. Strategic Management, Stephen M. Ross School of Business, University of Michigan
Gareth Keeves' research interests include impression management and impression formation in the context of corporate leadership. His first stream of research draws from social and psychological theories to examine interpersonal interactions between top managers. The second stream of research examines the linguistics of organizational communications, using computational linguistics to characterize the nature of company filings.
Catherine Kendall
Lecturer
Doctor of Education (EdD) in Education Policy, Drexel University, 2014
Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Management Information Systems, University of California, Davis, Graduate School of Management, 1999
Bachelor of Science (BS) in Agricultural and Managerial Economics, University of California, Davis, 1993
Research Expertise
Macroeconomic history and trends, Domestic violence and marginalized populations, Intersectionality, Socio-ecological framework
Eric Liederman
Lecturer
M.D., Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine, 1989
M.P.H, Health Policy and Management, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 1996
B.A., Classical Archaeology, Dartmouth College, 1984
Research Expertise
Health Economics, Clinical Informatics, Medical Operations, Privacy and Security, Patient messaging
Areas of Expertise
Business Analytics, Management & Organizations, Technology Management
Donald A. Palmer
Professor
Ph.D., State University of New York, Stony Brook
Research Expertise
The causes, processes, and consequences of wrongdoing in and by organizations, and the role of power and politics in corporate decision making.
Consulting
Community health needs assessments, group decision-making facilitation.
Elizabeth Pontikes
Professor
Ph.D., Stanford Graduate School of Business
Research Expertise
Category strategy, market evolution, stigma in markets
Elizabeth Pontikes is a professor of management at the University of California, Davis, which she joined in 2019. She was formerly on the faculty of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business as an associate professor and was a visiting associate professor at the Kellogg School of Management. She is an associate editor at Management Science and a senior editor at Strategy Science.
Candice Reimers
Lecturer
Ph. D. Education, Work-Based Learning, University of Pennsylvania
Master of Education, Work-Based Learning, University of Pennsylvania
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Sociology, University of California, Irvine
Kayla Stajkovic
Visiting Professor
Ph.D., Organizational Behavior, University of Wisconsin - Madison, 2018
Areas of Expertise
Accounting, Management & Organizations
James Stevens
Lecturer
Master of Business Administration (MBA), University of Michigan Ross School of Business
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), American University
James Stevens is a lecturer in the UC Davis Graduate School of Management, teaching organizational behavior courses in the MBA program and leadership courses in Executive Education. He brings his more than two decades of leadership and senior management experience into the classroom. That experience includes leading diverse and successful teams, launching new programs and developing compelling curricula.
Mary Kay Vona
Lecturer
Ph.D., Organizational Development and Executive Leadership, The George Washington University, 1997
Research Expertise
Research focused on Organizational Transformation, Learning & Development, DE&I and Talent Management (primarily technology enabled transformation).
Matthew Zaragoza-Watkins
Adjunct Professor
Ph.D., UC Berkeley, 2014
B.S., Cornell University, 2009
Research Expertise
Industrial organization, environmental economics, applied econometrics
Areas of Expertise
Business Analytics, Economics, Statistics
540 Alumni Lane 3215 Gallagher Hall Davis, CA 95616
Chris Ziemba
Lecturer
Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.), Finance, Georgia State University