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.

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Mak Ahmad

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

Portrait of Joe DiNunzio

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

(530) 746-8657

540 Alumni Lane 3411 Gallagher Hall Davis, CA 95616

Headshot of Doug Findlay

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.

Andrew B. Hargadon

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.

(530) 752-2277

540 Alumni Lane 3316 Gallagher Hall Davis, CA 95616

Catherine Kendall headshot

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

(916) 293-2498

Eric Liederman

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

(510) 368-4319

Huy Tran

Huy Tran

Lecturer

Master of Business Administration (MBA), UC Davis Graduate School of Management

Huy Tran brings over 15 years of public and private sector experience in technology leadership, business transformation, continuous improvement, project management and data analytics. He has a career that spans higher education, healthcare and, most recently, Fortune 500 Technology.

Headshot of Hemant Vaidya

Hemant Vaidya

Lecturer and Director of Biotechnology Industry Immersion

Ph.D. Microbiology, Sardar Patel University, India
Post Doctoral Fellowship in Clinical Chemistry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis MO

Research Expertise
Healthcare, In Vitro Diagnostics, product development, executive management, Healthcare Biotechnology

Mary Kay Vona

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). 

Headshot of Ayako Yasuda

Ayako Yasuda

Professor, Maurice J. and Marcia G. Gallagher Chair in Finance

Ph.D., Economics, Stanford University, 2001

Research Expertise 
Technology Finance, Venture Capital, Private Equity, Entrepreneurial Finance, Sustainable and Responsible Finance. 

Ayako Yasuda is a professor of finance at the Graduate School of Management, University of California, Davis, Fellow of the Muir Institute for the Environment, and Fellow of the Private Equity Research Consortium. In July 2024, she was named the Maurice J. and Marcia G. Gallagher Chair in Finance at UC Davis.

(530) 752-0775

540 Alumni Lane 3402 Gallagher Hall Davis, CA 95616