Mendoza Welcomes New Faculty

Blessed Basil Moreau, founder of the Congregation of Holy Cross, once said, “Education is the art of helping young people to completeness.”

Of course, his ardent educational vision formed the foundation of the congregation and continues to guide every aspect of the University of Notre Dame.

With Moreau’s charge informing their efforts, 14 new faculty members joined the Mendoza College of Business in fall 2015. (Sriram Somanchi, management instructor, is not pictured.)

They are especially diverse in terms of experience, education, personal background and interests.

This diversity — along with the excellence and dedication Notre Dame has always required from its professors — promises to advance Mendoza students to completeness. Just as Father Moreau envisioned.

Ph.D., Stanford University;
BS, Carnegie Mellon University

“I study the psychology of consumer financial decision making. When it comes to
managing finances, it’s easy for people to feel overwhelmed and out of control. The goal of my research is to help consumers regain control and make better financial decisions.”

McKenzie Rees, Postdoctoral Teaching and Research Associate

Ph.D., University of Utah;
BS, Utah State University

“Too often good people do bad things without realizing it. Understanding why unethical behavior so often goes unnoticed by those who engage in it and what can be done to overcome such oversight can help mitigate the ethical challenges that are so common in today’s workplace.”

Samuel Ranzilla, Associate Professional Specialist, Department of Accountancy

BS, University of Detroit

“After my retirement from a Big 4 accounting firm, I am pleased to be back at ND, teaching the global language of business, accounting, and how auditing serves the capital markets.”

Brittany Solomon, Research Assistant Professor, Department of Management

Ph.D., MA, Washington University;
BA, Honors College, University of Arizona

“I’ve always been fascinated by interpersonal perceptions and how (dis)agreement among individuals influences real-world behaviors. Thus,
the inherent connection between management and psychology provides
a perfect fit for my research and teaching interests.”

Ph.D., University of Pennyslvania; MBA, University of Chicago;
M. Div. & Licentiate in Sacred Theology, Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley;
MA, University of Minnesota; BA, Loyola University, New Orleans

“I chose communication as a scholarly focus because it is central to every human endeavor. Knowing how we best communicate helps me to better proclaim the Gospel and, as a teacher, to assist others in fulfilling their full potential as children of God.”

Scott Nestler, Associate Professional Specialist, Department of Management

Ph.D., University of Maryland; MSS, Army War College;
MS, Naval Postgraduate School; BS, Lehigh University

“My mantra (borrowed from Kelly Corrigan) is, ‘Make yourself useful, doing something hard, with good people.’ Teaching business analytics courses at Notre Dame is a great way for me to achieve this.”