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.

Glossary
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Headshot of Shannon W. Anderson

Shannon W. Anderson

Professor Emerita

Ph.D., Harvard University

Research Expertise
Empirical analysis of quantitative and qualitative field-based data as well as survey data to study performance management and cost accounting in and at the boundaries of the firm (e.g., lean production, supplier performance management, customer profitability and lean consumption), integration of strategy, operations management and management accounting practices, and design of cost accounting systems, cost allocation mechanisms, and cost-based transfer pricing policy

Janie Chang

C. Janie Chang

Academic Executive Director, Master of Professional Accountancy Program

Ph.D., University of California, Irvine

Research Expertise 
Human information processing in accounting settings, behavioral issues in managerial accounting and auditing, nature of expert judgments, group decision making, accounting information systems, audit analytics, and cross-cultural research.

Janie Chang is the academic executive director of the Master of Professional Accountancy (MPAc) program at the UC Davis Graduate School of Management.

(530) 752-0512

540 Alumni Lane 3217 Gallagher Hall Davis, CA 95616

Paul A. Griffin

Paul A. Griffin

Emeritus Distinguished Professor

Ph.D., The Ohio State University, 1974

Research Expertise
Accounting, accounting and financial theory, evaluation of accounting methods, financial information and disclosures

Areas of Expertise
Accounting, Finance

Professor Paul Griffin is a leading international expert in accounting, financial information, and corporate disclosure.

(530) 219-1176

540 Alumni Lane 3314 Gallagher Hall Davis, CA 95616

Michelle Yetman

Michelle Higgins

Professor

Ph.D., University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Research Expertise
Accounting, financial reporting and valuation

Professor Michelle Higgins' (fna Yetman) research interests are in financial reporting quality, governance and taxation. She expands beyond the boundaries of the commonly investigated U.S. for-profit corporation by investigating international and nonprofit settings. Her research has been published in the Journal of Accounting Research, the Accounting Review, National Tax Journal, Management Science, Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, and the Journal of Accounting and Public Policy. She teaches the core MBA and MPAc course in financial accounting, as well as an accounting for non-financial managers course in the Wine Executive Program.

Higgins received her Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She earned her Master of Accounting Science from the University of Illinois, Champaign, and her MBA from Texas A&M University. She earned her Bachelor of Business Administration from Stephen F. Austin State University. She is a certified public accountant in Texas and a member of the American Accounting Association.

Awards

  • Best Paper Award 2013, American Accounting Association Annual Meeting, Government and Nonprofit Section Annual Meeting.
  • Dean’s Faculty Research Scholar, UC Davis Graduate School of Management, 2009-10.
  • Small Grant in Aid of Research, UC Davis, 2007-09.
  • New Faculty Research Grant, UC Davis, 2005.
  • Faculty Research Fellow, University of Iowa McGladrey Institute, 2002-03.
  • Scholarship, Educational Foundation for Women in Accounting, 1999.

(530) 754-7808

540 Alumni Lane 3108 Gallagher Hall Davis, CA 95616

Headshot of Marybeth Kavanagh

Marybeth Kavanagh

Lecturer

Marybeth Kavanagh joined the Graduate School of Management as a lecturer in 2018 after spending 30 years with IBM Corporation leading numerous software development and technical consulting engagements. Kavanagh’s extensive experience working with clients to achieve critical business goals through technological improvement and organizational change strategies gives her an excellent foundation for advising MBA student teams’ Integrated Management Project consulting projects for client organizations.

Michael W. Maher

Michael W. Maher

Professor Emeritus

Ph.D., University of Washington

Research Expertise
Accounting, cost-effectiveness of online education, healthcare costs, corporate crime and misconduct

A recognized expert on managerial accounting, Professor Emeritus Michael Maher is also an authority on corporate crime (e.g., fraud, bribery, antitrust). He develops profiles on companies and managers that commit corporate misconduct, and studies and lectures on corporate ethics and the responsibilities of business and auditors to stakeholders.

Grace Mubako

Grace Mubako

Visiting Professor

Ph.D., Business Administration - Accounting, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, 2012

Research Expertise
Audit judgment, Internal audit

Grace Mubako has 15 years of teaching experience in the area of accounting and auditing. Her research focuses on audit judgment and decision making, professional skepticism, as well as internal auditing and corporate governance issues. She also volunteers in several roles with the Institute of internal auditors where she advocates for internal audit awareness and education among students.

Gary Pieroni

Visiting Professor

Master of Business Administration (MBA), John F. Kennedy, 1993,
Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Accounting, California State University, 1980

Gary Pieroni has more than 14 years corporate financial reporting in a Fortune-50 company. He assisted in the standard setting process as an Academic Fellow at the International Accounting Standards Board in London from 2015-2017. Pieroni has more than 33 years teaching students at all stages in life at the UC, State University, and Community.

Ayung Tseng

Ayung Tseng

Assistant Professor

Ph.D., Accounting, Columbia University, 2015
Master of Business Administration (MBA), Finance, Yale University, 2009
Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.), Accounting, National Taiwan University, 2003

Research Expertise
Company disclosure, accounting measurement issues, asset pricing, innovation, healthcare

Keith Weissglass

Keith Weissglass

Lecturer

MBA, UC Davis Graduate School of Management, 2012
B.A., Psychology, Haverford College, 2005

Keith Weissglass joined the Graduate School of Management as a lecturer in 2018 to teach the Integrated Management Project capstone. He brings to the GSM a wide range of industry experience spanning the private, public, and nonprofit sectors.

Paul A. Wong

Paul A. Wong

Assistant Professor

Ph.D., Texas A&M University

Research Expertise
Financial reporting, financial analysts, corporate disclosures, auditor/audit firm networks and the role of the audit committee 

Assistant Professor Paul Wong joined the UC Davis Graduate School of Management in 2015 after having worked for Crowe Horwath (formerly Crowe Chizek) from 2007–2011 as a senior staff auditor in the not-for-profit and higher education group.

(530) 752-4983

540 Alumni Lane 3204 Gallagher Hall Davis, CA 95616