MBA Faculty

Julius Agbor

Adjunct Professor, School of Business and Economics

Biography

Over 20 years of professional experience working for governments, academia, think tanks and the private sector in developing, emerging and advanced economy contexts.

Education

• Ph.D. Economics, University of Cape Town (South Africa)
• M.Com. Economics (Cum Laude), University of the Western Cape, Cape Town
• B.Sc. Economics, University of Yaounde II (Cameroon)

Courses

MBA Courses

• Economics
• Finance

Kim Chatani

Professor, School of Business

Biography

Kim Chatani is a Professor in the School of Business at Concordia University Irvine where he teaches Accounting 604, Finance 606, Governance and Risk Management 615 A and International Finance 621. In addition, he teaches Auditing ACT 419, Financial Statements Analysis ACT 332 and FIN 332 and GASB 350, ACT 311 and 312 Intermediate Accounting at the Undergraduate level.

Professor Chatani’s experience includes numerous senior level positions at notable organizations: Audit Partner at Arthur Andersen, LLP and a Consulting Partner in charge of JD Edwards Business Solutions Group, Consulting Partner and Vice President of Technology Solutions at A.T. Kearney, Inc., Consulting Managing Director at BearingPoint (formerly KPMG Consulting) and Director of Japanese Advisory Practice at KPMG, LLP. He is also an Advisory Partner and Board member at Khronicle Partners, Inc., a boutique management consulting firm based in Irvine, CA. Concurrently, he serves on a number of organizations as a board member and the audit committee chairman.

He is a published author and expert on the topics of fraud and cyber-security, being interviewed numerous times in various publications including Forbes, Moody’s, and American Banker and speaking on Talk Radio. In addition, he is a frequent speaker at conferences with his knowledge cybersecurity and risk management. Professor Chatani is co-author of several Fraud Casebooks published by John Wiley & Sons of New York, is a contributing author for the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) Examination on IFRS training programs. He also provides his time to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) as the Orange County Chapter’s Vice President and Board member.

Education

• MBA in Finance from Boston University
• BS in Accounting from the State University of New York at Albany
• Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
• Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE)
• Certified Internal Services Auditor (CISA)
• Forensic Certified Public Accountant (FCPA)
• Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA)
• Fluent in English and Japanese

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Mark Christenson

Adjunct Professor, School of Business

Biography

Extensive line management experience in a variety of business settings from Fortune 500 companies and smaller organizations to owning a small business for 15 years. Varied background centered in general and brand management with consumer goods organizations. I have worked for Hunt Wesson Foods (packaged foods), The Upper Deck Company (sports collectibles/event marketing), The Queen Mary (consumer goods and attractions) and K-Co Products (consumer hardware).

Education

• BS in Business Administration (Marketing Emphasis) from Cal Poly Pomona
• MBA from The Claremont Graduate School

Courses

• Marketing Management
• International Management
• Change Management
• Human Resources Management

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Bruce Dannemeyer

Adjunct Professor, School of Business

Biography

Professor Dannemeyer is an attorney with over 40 years’ experience representing small businesses and individuals in business and real estate disputes. He volunteers his time as a temporary judge in Superior Court. He has shared his business experience, how faith has played a role in his career, and the value of an MBA in today’s business world.

Professor Dannemeyer has taught MBA courses in Essential Business Law, Contract Management, and Business Contracts. He has a B.A. degree from Valparaiso University and a J.D. degree from the University of California, Berkeley.

Education

• B.A. degree from Valparaiso University
• J.D. degree from the University of California, Berkeley

Courses

• MBA 610: Contract Management
• MBA 633: Essential Business Law
• MBA 637: Business Contracts

Mark Francis

Adjunct Professor, School of Business

Biography

Mark holds an MBA and MA in Sports Administration as well as a Diploma in University Teaching from the University of New Brunswick (Canada). He has recently been retained by Concordia University Irvine where he is serving as the Director of the Sports Business program and Assistant Professor. Mark has also served as a Sports Business Professor at UCLA Anderson’s Center for Media, Entertainment and Sports since 2011, and as an academic advisor to educational technology company and UCLA Anderson Academic partner, Athleta-Ed. He is also course developer and professor for the MBA program in Hockey Business at the Business of Hockey Institute for Athabasca University in Edmonton. In 2016, Mark had the privilege of acting as the Lead Instructor for UCLA Extension’s Custom Programs in Sports & Entertainment Marketing in Shanghai, China and served in a similar capacity for Jiaotong University of Shanghai in 2018. Mark currently serves as an advisor to IMPACT Internship LLC.

In addition to his professional academic work, Mark also boasts a wealth of consulting experience through his consulting company, MARK ONE Sports & Entertainment, whose clients have included Athleta-Ed, Edwards Technologies International, Panasonic, Business of Hockey Institute, California Center, BaAM Productions, Concordia University Irvine and UC Irvine.

Mark has in depth experience at all levels of Sports & Entertainment with significant expertise in fan/guest engagement technologies and large-scale event management and marketing. He speaks regularly on numerous topics related to the business of sports, hi-lighted by the 2019 Keynote presentation on the NCAA College Admissions Scandal, 2019 Future of Sports Conference with the LA Chargers, 2019, PrimeTime Sports Management Conference (Toronto), 2018 Keynote Presentation for Sport BC AGM, 2017 UCLA Anderson Big Data Conference, 2015 Gravity Summit & UCLA Sports Technology Panel, 2014 SATE Conference in Themed Entertainment, 2014 LA Dodgers/LA Chamber of Commerce panel on Sports Technology, and the 2014 Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce Panel on the “Art of Negotiation in Sport.”

Through his extensive industry work, Mark has developed a deep professional network of leaders throughout all levels of sports & entertainment, many of whom appear annually during his Sports Business program at UCLA Anderson. He also serves on the international board of advisors for the European-based IBJA Sports Alliance Group.

Mark served Head Coach of the Men’s Ice Hockey program at UCLA from 2010-2017 and won the 2017 PAC 8 Conference Championship, 2013 & 2017 Crosstown Cup and 2017 Los Angeles Kings College Cup. He was also selected as one of two finalists for the PAC 8 Coach of the Year Award for 2012 and was selected as Head Coach of the PAC-8 Selects at the ACHA National Championships in Philadelphia in 2011 and 2013 respectively. Mark served a two-year term as the Associate Executive Director of the PAC 8 Men’s Hockey Conference. Prior to his move to Los Angeles in 2010, Mark served as Head Coach for the University of New Brunswick Women’s Varsity Hockey program from 2004-2007 and holds 2 USports Canada National Silver Medals and 2 Atlantic University Sport Championships as an Assistant Coach with the University of New Brunswick Men’s Ice Hockey program (1999-2004).

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Kevin Grant

Biography

Dr. Kevin Grant is a widely published author, sought-after lecturer, and keynote speaker. Recently Dr. Grant was inducted into the International Educator Hall of Fame for his achievements in education. His consulting clients include Fortune 500, start-ups, small to medium businesses, educational institutions, and non-profit organizations. Dr. Grant’s goal is to help leaders and their businesses create an alternative future to grow profitably and transform their personal leadership, influencing their teams to become more productive, committed, and loyal.

Dr. Grant’s background as a Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operations Officer has allowed him to serve as a practitioner with a wealth of experience that cuts across the arenas of leadership education, training, and consultant management. His particular approach builds on real-life situations and needs, current knowledge, a variety of theoretical and methodological “standards”, and strategic thinking.

Dr. Kevin Grant has published journal articles on leadership transformation and written a book. He is currently completing two more books to be published in the near future. Most of Dr. Grant’s material for books and journals draws on his experience living in the UAE, and going to boarding schools in India and Pakistan. As a result, Dr. Grant has worked with and engaged in the International community and sees the world through a unique lens.

Education

• Ph.D. in Global Leadership & Entrepreneurship, Regent University
• MBA in Entrepreneurial Finance, Azusa Pacific University

Courses

• Leadership Development
• Finance
• Economics
• Global Leadership
• Ethics
• Management
• Strategy
• Human Resources

Karl Hoenecke

Dean, School of Business and Economics

Biography

Karl Hoenecke completed his undergraduate studies with a degree in History from UC Santa Barbara followed by an MBA from Concordia University in Irvine. Starting at Enterprise Rent-A-Car after college, he worked his way to higher positions at New Horizons Computer Learning Centers as a General Manager and VP of Sales. His career has included stops at Great Clips, Inc. and Starbucks in store development and business advisory. After Starbucks, Karl worked for managed service provider, TeamLogic IT as the VP of Business Development, before beginning his journey with GZ6G. Most recently, Karl worked for Sports and Location Based event company, GZ6G Technologies as the Director of Sales and Operations. GZ6G specializes in media and fan experience technology for sports stadiums and large venues. Karl led the IT Services division supporting enterprise clients and local business clients alike. Hoenecke has been an adjunct professor in the Business School at Concordia for the past several years teaching classes which include, Business Franchise Solutions, Management, Sales and the MBA Capstone.

Education

• Masters Business Administration, Concordia University Irvine ('14)
• Bachelor of Arts, University of California at Santa Barbara ('93)

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Greg LeFever

Adjunct Professor, School of Business and Economics

Biography

Father, Husband, Coach, Motivator, Educator, Author, and Founder of IMpowered Fitness, the premier holistic wellness center in Orange County. With over two decades of experience in personal and corporate fitness, Coach Greg has made it his mission to help others regain their vitality and health through personalized coaching.

In addition to his work at IMpowered Fitness, Greg is a bestselling author, the founder of Empowered Youth Life Style, a nonprofit that teaches young people the values of a healthy lifestyle, and an adjunct MBA professor at Concordia School of Business & Economics where he teaches Basic Selling Skills.

Courses

• MBA 652: Basic Selling Skill

Anthony Marcus

Adjunct Professor, School of Business and Economics

Biography

Over 35 years of professional experience in the legal industry. Worked for the Los Angeles District Attorney, the County Counsel, and Fuller Theological Seminary.

Dr. Marcus is the owner and founder of Anthony Marcus Law Firm and has acted as a managing partner since its inception. Dr. Marcus has been practicing law since 1989. He received his Juris Doctorate Degree Cum Laude from Alexandria University, School of Law top 5 percent of his class. To protect the United States Constitution, he later obtained his Ph.D. examining the application of international law in the United States Courts. Dr. Marcus is a dedicated litigator practicing in both Federal and State Courts. Throughout his career, he has successfully represented a diverse clientele in a broad range of complex cases. His previous experience at the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office has taught him how to be a fierce advocate for justice. Dr. Marcus is practicing before the California Superior Court, United States Southern District of California, United States Central District Court of California, and the California Court of Appeal. Dr. Marcus is affiliated with the American Bar Association, the Orange County Bar Association, and the Los Angeles Bar Association.

Education

• J.D. Juris Doctorate
• Ph.D. Doctor of Philosophy

Courses

• MBAS 613 Sports Law and Ethics
• SPBU 350 Sport Law

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Robert McClatchy

Adjunct Professor, School of Business

Biography

Robert's career spans over the transportation, finance, and nonprofit sectors where he has held operations management, controller, and CFO positions. He currently serves on the boards of Reef Check and Blue Water Photo.

Robert specializes in asset and equity valuations using hard data to develop and test pricing and forecast models.

Education

• Pepperdine University, MBA
• UC Riverside, Environmental Science, B.S.

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Jeffrey McNutt

Adjunct Professor, School of Business and Economics

Biography

Jeff is a versatile and results driven real estate executive with experience in development, project management, redevelopment and reinvestment, acquisitions, entitlements, underwriting, due diligence and financial analysis. Excels in empirical data analytics, asset implementation and short and long-term strategic planning / execution. Leverages strong communication skills to deliver impactful executive and=board presentations. An accomplished leader who drives financial performance; implements value-generating programs; and consistently exceeds company objectives. He has held positions with a Fortune 500 luxury home builder, a fully integrated public real estate investment trust and one of the largest privately held owner / developers of apartments, office, retail and resorts. His development experience includes mixed-use, apartments, retail, master planned communities, for sale and build-to-rent SFD product with over 4,000 home and apartment units developed with a total project capitalization exceeding $1.8 billion.

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Raj Mitra

Adjunct Professor, School of Business

Biography

Mitra has held vice-president and senior director level leadership roles in global product marketing, product development and product life cycle management with Hewlett-Packard, Cisco Systems and Thales. His leadership style accelerates collaboration among functions while deploying best practices and processes.

Mitra blends an expertise in translating market insights and business acumen into high impact innovative product portfolios along with a global Go-To-Market skill set. For over twenty years, he has developed, launched and marketed over 100 products for Hewlett-Packard, Cisco, Thales, Intel, and Duracell.

Education

• MBA, New York University, Stern School of Business, New York, NY
• Bachelor in Mechanical Engineering, BITS, Pilani, India

Courses

• New Product Development
• Marketing for Results
• Marketing Communications

Ben Olbon

Adjunct Professor, School of Business and Economics

Education

• M.B.A. Concordia University – Irvine
• B.A. Political Science, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
• Certified Energy Leadership Index - Master Practitioner

Experience

• Director of Sales and Training for Breakthrough Sports
• Founder of Outcome Elite Mental Strength Coaching and Leadership Development Academy
• 20+ years in Sales Training and Sales Leadership in Healthcare and Finance
• Captain (O-3) United States Marine Corps
• Division I Athlete

Courses

• Leadership and Development
• Basic Selling Skills
• Advanced Selling Skills

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Mary Kay Park

Biography

Dr. Park’s primary role since 2013 has been to manage a global nonprofit impact media firm with innovative leadership and intercultural communication knowledge providing her firm with many firsts (media analytics, content strategy & innovation, and brining third-party validation such as BBC & VOA programming and a glowing review from the Atlantic to mention a few.

Mary Kay’s passion is helping clients lead in a VUCA world (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity, Source: Bennis & Nanus) with clarity, understanding, and agility. Dr. Park’s role in this is by delivering customized learning sessions utilizing experiences in management, intercultural communication, & transnational project management. Additionally, as a serial entrepreneur, I have learned how to fail fast and learn from mistakes. I've learned & grown the most from peers and students where I've been given the chance to share my craft at institutions such as Harvard Grad School of Ed, Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS) and Biola University and at fortune 500 corporate training settings.

Navigating and emerging from the global pandemic experience highlighted the following personally: "Essential both in personal & work life are meaningful relationships." And difficult to deny is the fact that building meaningful relationships can be exponentially aided by Intercultural communication Insights.

Education

• Ph.D of Philosophy in Intercultural Studies, Biola University

Courses

• Entrepreneurship

Roger Philips

Professor, School of Business

Biography

Roger Philips has been in international management for over twenty years. In addition to his consulting practice, he is adjunct professor and lead course instructor for the international business strand of Master of Arts in International Studies program at Concordia University. This program emphasizes study of Chinese business. Prof. Philips also teaches in the MBA program and leads business study tours to Shanghai and Beijing.

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Yi Schuler

Professor & Academic Advisor, School of Business and Economics

Biography

Dr. Schuler has lived and served in higher education in both China and the United States. She has taken on various roles at Concordia since 2008 with experience in teaching, new program development, curriculum design, social research, faculty and student support, student recruitment, advising and retention, risk and change management, budgeting and marketing.

Dr. Schuler also worked seven years in a US high tech company as senior global accounts manager. She is bilingual in Mandarin Chinese and English. She has published and presented at various conferences. Her most recent publication is a book translation (from English to Chinese): Armstrong, J. (2017). Like mother, like daughter? How career women influence their daughters’ ambition, translation published by The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Publishing House (2018).

She is a long term volunteer at her church and other community organizations. Dr. Schuler is a proud mother of two adult children, Michael and Michelle. In her spare time, she enjoys mountaineering, ultra-running, cycling, mountain biking, hiking, and backpacking.

Education:

• Ph.D. – Intercultural Education, Biola University, La Mirada, CA
• M. A. – British and American Literature, Sichuan University, China
• B. A. – English Language and Culture, Minor – French, Sichuan International Studies University, China

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Edward Willett

Adjunct Professor, School of Business

Experience

Over 30 Years of professional experience in the sports industry. Worked for Sports Illustrated, USA TODAY, ESPN, LPGA, Topgolf and several sports startups .

Education

Over 30 Years of professional experience in the sports industry. Worked for Sports Illustrated, USA TODAY, ESPN, LPGA, Topgolf and several sports startups.

• BA, Bucknell University, MBA, University of Denver

Courses

• Sports Leadership
• Sports Media
• Public Relations

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Megan Williams

Adjunct Professor, School of Business and Economics

Biography

Megan has extensive experience managing large scale projects pertaining to complex mergers and acquisitions, strategy and innovation/technology. Additionally, Megan has expertise in setting up project management offices and leading global virtual teams.

Megan Williams is currently working as Senior Project Manager for General Electric (GE) Healthcare. She is an experienced project leader with a proven track record of leading successful clinical projects, technology projects, and product development initiatives to improve patient care.

She is passionate about mentoring young professionals and is honored to serve as a Concordia University Irvine MHA advisory board member.

Education

• MBA from Concordia University Irvine
• B.A. from University of California, Irvine

Courses

• Project Management

Drew Wolf

Professor, School of Business and Economics

Biography

Dr. Drew Wolf serves Concordia University Irvine School of Business as the MBA Director and Assistant Professor. Before joining Concordia University Irvine nine years ago, Dr. Wolf held a variety of staff and teaching positions at a private Christian university and a large community college, both in Ohio.

Prior to his work in higher education, Dr. Wolf worked in management for a large financial institution as well as for a non-profit company. One of his favorite experiences was working ten years for the Professional Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

Dr. Wolf’s education includes his doctorate in Educational Leadership and Management preceded by degrees in Corporate Communication. Dr. Wolf has had papers presented in California, Ohio, New Mexico, and India. His two most recent peer-reviewed publications focus on the incorporation of a theoretical framework using Appreciative Inquiry to develop resiliency in businesses. He has also served as a peer reviewer for a number of publications including the International Journal of Human Resource Management. He has volunteered for a number of years for LASEC, Los Angeles Sports and Entertainment Commission.

Courses

• MBA 642 Effective Communication
• MBA 603 Management
• MBA 678 E-commerce
• BUS 261 Information Technology

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Laszlo Zoltany

Adjunct Professor, School of Business

Biography

Professor Zoltany likes to be referred to as an entrepreneur or intrepreneur in business and in education. His philosophy of teaching evolved from embracing the concept around andragogy while working in corporate America and instructing business courses at Concordia University. He has hands on business knowledge as a Financial Manager of national, public and private organizations. Professor Zoltany considers the most important position he has ever had is teaching currently for his alumni at Concordia University as an Adjunct Professor. Some of the organizations he has worked with and learned from include: The Irvine Company, UDR, Inc., Strategic Sanitations, Inc., and The Ticket Group, Inc. His goal is to 'create the savvy business leader' by teaching the importance of global and diversity perspectives in business and future business trends.

On a personal level, my hobbies include "Tennis". My favorite sports include tennis, soccer, and basketball. My door is always open. Please feel free to e-mail me with any questions. Please remember, I am outdoors on weekends and won't always get reception, while on the courts and chasing down tennis balls. I promise to get back to you within 24 hours.

Education

• MBA, Finance - Brandman University, Chapman University System, Irvine, CA
• Bachelors of Art, Business Administration, Organizational Leadership - Brandman University, Chapman University System, Irvine, CA

Courses

• MBA-604-Accounting
• BAL-309-Finance Basics for Managers
• BAL-201-Macroeconomics

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