On May 5, the USC Marshall School of Business celebrated faculty and staff at the 2026 Faculty and Staff Awards for their outstanding leadership, mentorship, research, and service at Marshall and the USC.

USC presented Kristin Diehl, professor of marketing, with the Provost’s Mentoring Award, which honors an individual faculty member who demonstrates exemplary mentoring through investment in and generosity toward the academic and professional success of the university community. It is one of the most prestigious honors given to faculty.

USC presented Nandini Rajagopalan, Joseph A. DeBell Chair in Business Administration and professor of management and organization, and Greys Sosic, senior vice dean of faculty and academic affairs with the USC Mentoring Awards for Faculty & Postdocs; Kristen Schiele, associate professor of clinical marketing, with the USC Mentoring Award for undergraduate students; and Sha Yang, professor of marketing, with the USC Mentoring Award for graduate students. USC Marshall presented Christopher Jones with the prestigious Dean’s Award for Community.

“Marshall’s research awards recognize faculty whose work does much more than add to the scholarly conversation,” said Peer Fiss, associate vice dean for research. “Rather, their work shapes that conversation, it opens up new lines of inquiry, and, in many cases, changes how people understand important problems in business and society. What makes these awards especially meaningful is that they reflect the remarkable breadth of research here at Marshall; they include foundational work but also work with clear impact on practice and public life.”

We congratulate the following exemplary members of the Marshall community:

FACULTY AWARDS

Dean’s Award for Community
Recognizes staff who have demonstrated extraordinary commitment to the Marshall School through exemplary dedication and performance while also embodying the USC Unifying Values.

• Christopher Jones, Professor of Finance and Business Economics

Dean’s Award for Research Excellence
The Marshall Dean’s Award for Research Excellence is given to faculty whose research meets the highest aspirations of the school and university.

• Paat Rusmevichientong, Professor of Data Sciences and Operations
• Joe Raffiee, Associate Professor of Management and Organization
• Somya Singhvi, Assistant Professor of Data Sciences and Operations

• Cheryl Wakslak, Associate Professor of Management and Organization

Dean’s Award for Research Impact

• Nan Jia, Capt. Henry W. Simonsen Chair in Strategic Entrepreneurship

Dr. Jagdish Sheth Impact on Practice Award
The Dr. Jagdish Sheth Impact on Practice Award recognizes a faculty member whose scholarly activities have meaningfully changed practitioner entities.

• Davide Proserpio, Associate Professor of Marketing

Evan C. Thompson Award — Teaching & Learning Innovation
The Evan C. Thompson Faculty Mentoring and Leadership Award is given for excellence in and commitment to mentoring and leadership.

• Patricia Dechow, Professor of Accounting, Finance and Business Economics

• Richard Sloan, Associate Dean of Research, Professor of Accounting, Finance and Business Economics

Evan C. Thompson Award — Faculty Mentoring & Leadership
The Evan C. Thompson Faculty Mentoring and Leadership Award is given for excellence in and commitment to mentoring and leadership.

• Clive Lennox, Professor of Accounting

• Julia Plotts, Professor of Clinical Finance and Business Economics

Chairs in Research Excellence

• Jacob Bien (DSO), USC Associates Chair in Business Administration

• Grace Gu (DSO), Dean's Assistant Professorship in Business Administration

• Sriram Dasu (DSO), Richard and Jarda Hurd Chair in Distribution Management

• Lan Luo (MKT), Jerry and Nancy Neely Chair in American Enterprise

• Stephanie Tully (MKT), Dean’s Associate Professorship in Business Administration

• Evan Weingarten (MKT), Robert R. Dockson Assistant Professor in Business Administration

• Nan Jia (MOR), Capt. Henry W. Simonsen Chair in Strategic Entrepreneurship

Chairs in Teaching Excellence

• Scott Abrams (FBE), The Smalley-Mendoza Family Chair in Teaching Excellence

• Kirk Snyder (BUCO), Ivan and Elna Chin Chair in Teaching Excellence

Distinguished Faculty Service Award

• Christine El Haddad, Associate Professor of Clinical Management and Organization

Undergraduate Golden Apple Awards (Core)

• Gordon Ho, Professor of the Practice in Management and Organization

• Dennis Shen, Assistant Professor of Data Sciences and Operations

Undergraduate Golden Apple Awards (Elective)

• Julia Plotts, Professor of Clinical Finance and Business Economics

• Meg Simons, Adjunct Professor of Marketing

Undergraduate Golden Apple Awards (Mentoring)

• Jason Frenn, Adjunct Professor of Clinical Business Communication

• AJ Ogilvie, Associate Professor of Clinical Business Communication

Graduate Golden Apple Awards (Core) — MBA Programs

• Nandini Rajagopalan, Professor of Management and Organization

• Matthew Hill, Assistant Professor of Clinical Finance and Business Economics

• Stephen Lind, Professor of Clinical Business Communication

• Baizhu Chen, Professor of Clinical Finance and Business Economics

Graduate Golden Apple Awards (Core) — MS Programs

• Diane Badame, Professor of Clinical Marketing

• Suh-Pyng Ku, Professor of Clinical Finance and Business Economics

• Peng Shi, Associate Professor of Data Sciences and Operations

• Mark DeFond, Professor of Accounting

• Kathy Takayama, Assistant Professor of the Practice of Data Sciences and Operations

• Hovig Tchalian, Assistant Professor of Clinical Entrepreneurship

Graduate Golden Apple Awards (Elective)

• Larry Vincent, Professor of the Practice of Marketing

• Ike Silver, Assistant Professor of Marketing

• Arvind Bhambri, Associate Professor of Management and Organization

RTPC Summer Corporate Externships

• Inga Maslova, Associate Professor of Clinical Data Sciences and Operations

• Marco Aponte-Moreno, Professor of Clinical Management and Organization

• Alireza Kabirian, Associate Professor of Clinical Data Sciences and Operations

• Jody Tolan, Assistant Professor of Clinical Management and Organization

• Kristine Xie, Associate Professor of Clinical Data Sciences and Operations

Dr. Douglas Basil Award — Junior Faculty

• Diego Daruich, Assistant Professor of Finance and Business Economics

Marshall Faculty Award — PhD Mentoring

• Sha Yang, Professor of Marketing

USC Mentoring Award — Graduate Students

• Sha Yang, Professor of Marketing

USC Mentoring Award — Undergraduate Students

• Kristen Schiele, Associate Professor of Clinical Marketing

USC Mentoring Award — Faculty & Postdocs

• Nandini Rajagopalan, Professor of Management and Organization

• Greys Sosic, Senior Vice Dean of Faculty and Academic Affairs

Provost Mentoring Award

• Kristin Diehl, Professor of Marketing

Walter Wolf Award

• John Matsusaka, Professor of Finance and Business Economics

Awards in Teaching Excellence

• Gordon Ho, Professor of the Practice in Management and Organization

• Nan Jia, Capt. Henry W. Simonsen Chair in Strategic Entrepreneurship

• Austin Pollok, Assistant Professor of Clinical Data Sciences and Operations

• Larry Vincent, Professor of the Practice of Marketing

USC Distinguished Professor Award

• David Hirshleifer, Professor of Finance and Business Economics

STAFF AWARDS

Dean’s Award for Community
Recognizes staff who have demonstrated extraordinary commitment to the Marshall School through exemplary dedication and performance while also embodying the USC Unifying Values.

• Elizabeth Matthew, Operations Manager, Marketing Department

The Game Changer Award
Recognizes the influence and contributions of those who have helped transform the way things are done at Marshall.

• Jennifer Alderete, Assistant Director, Stewardship, External Relations

• Jerry Whitfield, Assistant Dean, Director of Digital Media

The Rockstar Rookie Award
Recognizes those who have been at Marshall for less than a year but have made a significant impact on the school.

• Nuria Wolfe, Program Manager, AI for Business

• Cam Pham, Program Manager, Financial Services Career Hub

Behind the Scenes Wonder Award
Although not often seen by those outside of their department, the outstanding work of these staff members makes them invaluable to Marshall's success.

• Emily Mojica, Assistant Director, Undergraduate Admissions

• Sandra Vega, Department Manager, Management & Organization

The Luminary Award
Presented to those who inspire, uplift, and bring out the best in others.

• Lori Chan Velasco, Senior Director, Stewardship

• Cherie Molina, Senior Director, Alumni Relations

The Emerging Leader Award
Presented to those who lead by example, motivate others, and demonstrate initiative, accountability, and a commitment to growth. They show potential for future leadership within Marshall and/or Leventhal.

• Catherine Feathers, Assistant Director, Stewardship & Donor Relations

• Lauren Irwin, Program Director, Financial Services Career Hub

Golden Compass Awards — Undergraduate Programs
Recognizes outstanding Marshall and Leventhal staff for their mentoring, voted on by students.

• Claudia Aguilar, Senior Associate Director/UG Career Engagement, UG Career Services

• Lusine Balikyan, Associate Director, Career Strategist, LSOA Career Services

Team Awesome Award
Recognizes teams that drive Marshall forward by demonstrating collaboration, synergy, and perseverance.

• Specialized Masters
• Undergraduate Advising & Student Affairs