Mesut Cicek is a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Marketing and International Business. He received his doctorate from Istanbul Bilgi University and was a visiting professor at Rutgers Business School before joining WSU. His research focuses on social media marketing, online product placement, and place authenticity and branding. Before his academic career, Cicek worked as a marketing manager and import manager in several private sector companies.

Chris Cooney is a clinical associate professor in the Department of Management, Information Systems, and Entrepreneurship. He previously taught strategic communication at the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication at WSU. He has an executive master of business administration degree from the University of Idaho, where he also worked as the senior director of marketing and communication and the director of web communication. Cooney is a member of the Adobe Education Leader Program, a community of thought leaders in education who use Adobe tools to promote creativity and critical problem-solving.

Brittney Gamez is the new fiscal specialist 2 for the Dean’s Office. She grew up in Lewiston and graduated from Lewis-Clark State College with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. She previously worked in office management for Eastside Marketplace in Moscow, Idaho. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband, cats and dogs, and doing crafts.

Tom Kokta is a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Marketing and International Business. He is the former head of consumer insights at Microsoft, and he has started and run multiple small businesses. Kokta earned his PhD at the University of Washington, a master’s degree in math at Syracuse University, a master of business administration at McMaster University, and a master of science degree in economics at Ulm University. He enjoys working at the intersection of marketing, data, and agile product development. Kokta is an avid photographer. His work has appeared in National Geographic Magazine and the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.

Hana Johnson is an assistant professor in the Department of Management, Information Systems, and Entrepreneurship. She has a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a PhD in organizational behavior from the University of Washington and a master’s in business administration from the University of California at Los Angeles. She has worked for Starbucks, Procter and Gamble, and Arthur Andersen.

Cynthia Johnston is an academic coordinator for WSU Vancouver. She previously worked for Portland State University in housing and residence life. After earning her master’s degree from Portland State in higher education administration and leadership, she worked at Seattle Pacific University in student employment and career development. She has a passion for helping students develop their strengths.

Jeff Joireman has been promoted to chair of the Department of Marketing and International Business.

Keri Jones Knight is a student engagement specialist at WSU Vancouver, supporting internship opportunities and department-sponsored events. She has a bachelor’s degree from Western Oregon University in deaf education and a master’s degree from Portland State University in educational leadership and policy with a focus on student affairs. She previously worked at Western Oregon University as the coordinator of clubs and organizations and at Aloha High School as a graduation mentor. Knight enjoys volunteering with youth in her community and training at her gym.

Garth Mader is a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Management, Information Systems, and Entrepreneurship. He previously spent 13 years at Amazon and has also worked at Nordstorm. He is best known for his work building new, disruptive customer experiences and helping drive efficiency, scale, and profitability in startups. Mader has a bachelor of science degree in business and marketing from the University of Washington and a master’s degree in business administration from Seattle University.

Titus Nordquist is the college’s PhD coordinator. He previously worked as the Online MBA coordinator for the Business Graduate and Online Programs office. He received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in sport management from WSU. Nordquist is a Washington native who loves to golf and hunt.

Calen Ouellette is the college’s senior director of development. He has nearly 20 years of public relations and fundraising experience, serving in a senior leadership and development role at the University of Southern California for nearly 15 of those years. Ouellette earned his master of business administration degree from the University of Southern California and his bachelor’s degree from WSU in 2000. In his free time, Ouellette is an active outdoorsman in tow with his two dogs, Charlie and Dexter.

Avery Smith is a clinical assistant professor of management information systems at WSU Vancouver. He previously worked as an adjunct faculty member at WSU Vancouver teaching strategic management. Smith has worked in technology management roles at HP Inc. and Oregon Health and Science University. He received his doctorate from George Fox University. Smith’s research interests include strategic thinking and technology leadership.

Xinchang Wang is an assistant professor of operations management in the Department of Finance and Management Science. He previously worked for Mississippi State University. He has PhDs from Georgia Institute of Technology and the National University of Singapore. Wang’s research focuses on pricing and revenue management with applications to queueing service systems, logistics, and supply chain management.

Rachel Worthy is an academic coordinator at WSU Vancouver. She has a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Western Washington University and a master’s degree in student affairs in higher education from Colorado State University. She previously worked at Bellingham Technical College as the youth re-engagement advisor, advising disengaged and at-risk youth as they pursued high school equivalency and post-secondary education.

Yixuan Xiao is an assistant professor in the Department of Finance and Management Science. She received her doctorate from Washington University in St. Louis and her undergraduate degree from Peking University. She was a faculty member at City University of Hong Kong before joining WSU. Her research focuses on operations management, supply risk management, interface of operations management and finance, and the pharmaceutical supply chain.

Keyang (Daniel) Yang is an assistant professor in the Department of Finance and Management Science. He received his PhD in finance from the University of Iowa. His research focuses on corporate finance. He currently teaches financial institutions and intermediation.

Nolan Yaws-Gonzalez is the Business Growth MAP manager at WSU Vancouver. In his role, he partners with others to help business students apply what they have learned to real-world challenges. He previously led both Career Services and New Student Programs at WSU Vancouver. Yaws-Gonzalez is passionate about student success and experiential learning and loves being a member of the VanCoug family.