Meet the FLC Katz School of Business Department

Our professors combine advanced degrees with real-world expertise across every business discipline. From data analytics and information security to Indigenous business management and international marketing, our faculty bring cutting-edge research and practical experience to the classroom.

Many are FLC alumni who chose to return, bringing both global perspectives and deep community connections. Whether you're interested in entrepreneurship, sustainable tourism, or corporate finance, you'll learn from experts who've published research, consulted for major organizations, and built successful careers in their fields.

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Elizabeth Cartier, Ph.D.
Interim Dean, Associate Professor of Management

Expertise

  • Human Resources

Education

  • Ph.D., Management, Isenberg School of Management, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 2017
  • M.B.A., Concentration in Leadership, Norwich University, Northfield, VT, 2010
  • B.A., Psychology, Fordham University, New York, NY, 2002

Contact:

Phone Icon 970-247-7622
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Carma Claw, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Management

Expertise

  • Business policy and strategy
  • Indigenous business management
  • Business ethics
  • Tribal sovereignty and enterprises

Education

  • Ph.D., Management, New Mexico State University
  • M.B.A., New Mexico State University
  • B.S., Business Information Systems, University of Utah, David Eccles School of Business

Contact:

Phone Icon 970-247-7296
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Paul F. Clay, Ph.D.
Professor of Management

Expertise

  • Knowledge management systems
  • Data analytics
  • Research methods

Education

  • Ph.D., Management Information Systems, Indiana University, 2006 
  • M.S., Economics, University of Utah, 2000 
  • B.A., Business-Economics, Fort Lewis College, 1998

Contact:

Phone Icon 970-247-7210
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Daniel E. Clayton, Ph.D.
Lecturer of Economics

Areas of expertise:

  • International migration
  • Economic development
  • Economics of poverty and inequality
  • Financial inclusion

Education:

  • Ph.D. in Economics, University of New Mexico Albuquerque, 2024 
  • M.A. in Economics, University of New Mexico Albuquerque, 2016
  • Bachelor of Business Administration in International Business, Sam Houston State University, 2008

Contact:

Phone Icon 970-247-7591
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Dr. Lacey Donley
Assistant Professor of Accounting

Expertise

  • Financial reporting 
  • Auditing 
  • Benford’s Law 
  • Corporate consolidation and IFRS

Education

  • Ph.D., Accounting, Louisiana State University
  • B.A., Accounting and French, Fort Lewis College

Contact:

Phone Icon 970-247-6059
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Jose Gomez, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of CIS

Areas of expertise:

  • Computer Networks
  • Information Security
  • Virtualization
  • Experimental Testbeds

Education:

  • Ph.D. in Informatics, University of South Carolina, 2024
  • B.E Electronics, Catholic University of Asuncion, 2017

Contact:

Phone Icon 970-247-7584
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Dr. Ivan Guardiola
Chair and Professor of Management

Expertise

  • Management
  • Data science and analytics
  • Predictive modeling
  • Optimization operations research
  • Simulation
  • Applied probability and statistical modeling

Education

  • B.S. in Electrical Engineering, NMSU, 2002. 
  • M.S. in Industrial Engineering, NMSU, 2003. 
  • Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering, Texas Tech University, 2007

Contact:

Phone Icon 970-247-7093
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Dr. Eric Huggins
Associate Dean, Professor of Management

Expertise:

  • Business analytics

  • Operations research

  • Supply chain management

  • Quantitative analysis in sports

Education:

  • Ph.D., Industrial and Operations Engineering, University of Michigan, 2002

  • B.S., Applied Mathematics, Harvey Mudd College, 1991

  • M.S., Industrial and Operations Engineering, University of Michigan, 1993

Contact:

Phone Icon 970-382-6912
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Alireza Kasaie, Ph.D.
Visiting Assistant Professor of Business Administration

Areas of expertise:

  • Optimization
  • Simulation
  • Machine Learning
  • Operations Research

Education:

 

  • Ph.D. in Industrial and Systems Engineering, University of Missouri-Columbia, 2023
  • M.S. in Industrial Engineering, Khatam University, 2017
  • B.Sc. in Industrial Engineering, Azad University, 2015

Contact:

Phone Icon (970) 247-7641
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Dr. Mika Kusar
Professor of Management

Expertise 

  • Entrepreneurship 
  • New ventures 
  • Small business 
  • Small technology firms 

Education 

  • Ph.D., Georgia State University, Managerial Science, 2010 
  • MHA, Finance, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2000 
  • B.A., Economics, University of Arkansas, 1997 

Contact:

Phone Icon 970-247-7277
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Antonio Lecuna
Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship

Education:

  • Ph.D. in Management Sciences, ESADE Business School, 2012.  
  • Master of Business Administration, Boston University, 1999.  
  • Bachelor of Science, Babson College, 1997

Areas of expertise:

  • Entrepreneurship
  • Imagination
  • Latin America
  • Institutions

Contact:

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Dr. Doug Lyon
Professor of Management

Expertise

  • Entrepreneurship
  • Business Policy and Strategy
  • Leadership
  • Principles of Management

Education

  • Ph.D., Strategic Management, International Business, University of Kentucky, 1997
  • M.S., International Management, International Finance/Relations, American Graduate School of International Management, 1988
  • B.A. Accounting, Fort Lewis College,1987

 

Contact:

Phone Icon 970-247-7289
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Chris Lyon
Senior Lecturer of Accounting

Expertise:

  • Accounting Information Systems
  • Certified Public Accounting
  • Managerial Accounting
  • Tax

Education:

  • M.S., Accounting and Taxation, University of Colorado, 1990
  • B.A., Accounting, Fort Lewis College, 1986

Contact:

Phone Icon 970-247-7236
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Dr. Tomasz Miaskiewicz
Associate Professor of Marketing

Expertise

  • Product Design
  • Digital Marketing
  • Marketing Research

Education

  • Ph.D., Business Administration, Leeds School of Business, University of Colorado at Boulder, 2010
  • B.Sc., Computer Science and Business, University of Pittsburgh, 2002

 

Contact:

Phone Icon 970-247-7495
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Dr. Rick Mull
Professor of Finance

Expertise

  • Venture capital funding 
  • Corporate control
  • Corporate governance
  • Entrepreneurial finance
  • Capital budgeting and risk
  • Financial institutions
  • Banking systems and cost structures
  • Loan pricing
  • Real estate 

Education

  • Ph.D., Finance, University of Georgia
  • MBA, Finance, Texas A&M University
  • B.A., Geology, Texas A&M University

Contact:

Phone Icon 970-247-7557
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Melissa Nelson, DBA, CPA, CMA
Assistant Professor of Accounting

Education

  • D.B.A., Accounting, University of Wisconsin, Whitewater, WI, 2023
  • M.B.A., Information Systems, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA, 1999
  • B.B.A., Accounting, The University of Texas, Austin, TX, 1993

Areas of Expertise

  • Sustainability Accounting with a focus on water risk
  • Auditing and Assurance
  • Data Analytics
  • Accounting Ethics

 

Contact:

Phone Icon 970-247-7350
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Dr. Stephanie Owings-Edwards
Professor of Economics

Expertise

  • Industrial organization
  • Labor economics
  • Microeconomics
  • Game Theory and Behavioral Economics 

Education

  • Ph.D., Economics, George Mason University, 1996
  • M.A., Economics, University of California, Los Angeles, 1988
  • B.A., Economics, University of Southern California, 1985

Contact:

Phone Icon 970-247-7589
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Dr. Nate Peach
Professor of Economics

Expertise

  • Regional Economics
  • Environmental Economics
  • Applied Econometrics
  • Economic Development

Education

  • Ph.D., Economics, Colorado State University, 2011
  • M.A., Economics, Colorado State University, 2007
  • B.S., International Business, Messiah College, 2000

Contact:

Phone Icon 970-247-6407
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Sarah Schwarz, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Marketing

Areas of expertise:

  • Global Marketing
  • Strategic Marketing Management
  • Consumer Behavior
  • Market Research
  • Consumer Culture Theory

Education:

  • PhD in Program Management (Marketing & Branding) University of Innsbruck, Austria 2019–2023
  • MAG in International Economic & Business Studies (Marketing & Human Relations) University of Innsbruck, Austria 2013–2019
  • Exchange Program as Part of MAG (No Degree) Wilfrid Laurier University, Canada 2016–2017

Contact:

Phone Icon 970-247-7590
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Dr. Cristián Sepúlveda
Associate Professor of Marketing

Areas of expertise

  • Marketing
  • Operations & logistics
  • International marketing

Education

  • Ph.D., Marketing & sustainable business practices, University of Wyoming, 2019
  • M.A., Economics, The University of Texas at Austin, 2014
  • Industrial Engineering degree, Universidad Gabriel Mistral, Santiago, Chile, 2008

Contact:

Phone Icon 970-247-6605
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Kaori Takano, Ph.D.
Professor of International Business

Expertise

  • Corporate social responsibility
  • Corporate communication
  • School-business partnerships
  • Cross-cultural management
  • Organizational behavior
  • Public policy

Education 

  • Ph.D., Educational Leadership, University of Dayton, 2011 
  • MBA, Ashland University, 2000 
  • B.A., English, Seinan Gakuin University, 1989 

Contact:

Phone Icon 970-247-7060
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Dr. Michael Valdez
Professor of Management

Expertise

  • International management
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Cross-cultural issues

Education

  • Ph.D., University of Hawaii, Manoa, 2009
  • M.B.A., University of Hawaii, Manoa, 2004
  • B.A., Pepperdine University, 1994

Contact:

Phone Icon 970-247-7436
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Dr. Deborah Walker
Chair and Professor of Economics

Expertise:

  • Austrian economics 

  • Economics 

  • Evolution of Economic Thought 

  • Industrial Organization 

  • Microeconomic Theory 

  • Public Choice/Public Sector Economics 

  • Public Policy 

Education:

  • Ph.D., Economics, George Mason University 
  • MBA, Economics, Arizona State University 
  • B.S. Economics, Arizona State University 

Contact:

Phone Icon 970-247-7624
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Adjunct Instructors

Kimberly Jackson J.D., LL.M.
Adjunct faculty for Business Administration
email

Paula Jakubanis, JD
Adjunct Professor of Business Law
970-247-7402
email


 

Emeritus Faculty

 

  • Bernard Anderson, Ph.D., Business Administration
  • Leonard Atencio, Ph.D., Economics
  • Jim Clay, Ph.D., Economics
  • Jeremy J. Coleman, Ph.D., Business Administration
  • Joseph Colgan, Ph.D., Accounting
  • Roy Cook, DBA, Management
  • Larry Corman, Ph.D., Business Administration
  • Robert Dolphin, Jr., D.B.A., Finance
  • William Dodds, Ph.D. Marketing
  • Reginald Graham, Ph.D., Business Administration
  • Larry Goff, M.A., Business Administration
  • Robert Harrington, Ph.D., Accounting
  • Iqbal Memon, D.B.A., Economics
  • Reed McKnight, Ph.D., Accounting
  • Eugene Lee Holehan, Ed.D., Business Administration
  • Ken Hunt, Ph.D., Marketing
  • O.D. Perry, D.B.A., Business Administration
  • Richard Podlesnik, Ph.D., Business Administration
  • Charles Tustin, Ph.D., Business Administration
  • Suzanne Wilhelm, LLM, JD, Professor of Law
  • Laura Yale, Ph.D., Marketing

Katz School of Business professional staff

Leah Hale
Admin Assistant II

603 Berndt Hall
970-247-6532
lrhale@fortlewis.edu