School of Business

Mayoor “Max” Mohan, Ph.D.
Interim Associate Dean for Strategic Affairs and Research Initiatives; Professor, Marketing

Mohan studies how firms compete and communicate, with research in business-to-business strategy, brand strategy and innovation. His work appears in the Journal of Business Research, Journal of Service Research, Journal of Product Innovation Management and Industrial Marketing Management, and has drawn notice from the Marketing Science Institute as well as outlets including Forbes and Bloomberg.

He teaches innovation and promotional strategy across undergraduate, graduate and executive programs, serves on editorial boards and co-authored a textbook on new-product planning. He mentors student consulting projects with community partners and, in 2024, was elected vice president for engagement at the Academy of Marketing Science.

Cesar Zamudio, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Marketing

Zamudio examines how new technologies influence the behavior of consumers, companies and investors, using analytics and behavioral experiments.

Recent projects explore effective advertising in virtual reality; how retail investors on platforms such as Robinhood evaluate “imbalanced” companies; and when audiences accept AI-generated advertising, with findings that trust is maintained when a provider’s face remains human.

He teaches marketing analytics for an AI-enabled workplace. Before entering academia, he founded and served as chief marketing officer of a promotional-products distributor.

Maurice L. Brown, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Business Essentials

A mathematics educator, 24-year Army veteran, published poet and spoken-word artist, Brown (Ph.D. ’22) brings a systems-minded, culturally responsive approach to classrooms. He holds a Ph.D. in systems modeling and analysis from VCU and bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mathematics from Virginia State University. At the School of Business, he leads BUSN 212: Business Problem Solving and Analysis, helping students connect algebraic, graphical and verbal reasoning into decisions for real clients and community partners.

In their words:
“My teaching approach is rooted in the belief that problem solving is more than computation,” said Brown. “What excites me most about working with students is watching them shift from ‘getting the right answer’ to understanding the process, gaining confidence as critical thinkers who can apply their skills across business and life.”

Michael T. McGarry, D.B.A.
Assistant Professor, Information Systems

McGarry is a former technology executive whose industry background includes successive C-suite roles at Genworth as CIO, chief technology and strategy officer, CTO and CISO. He brings enterprise-scale IT leadership into the classroom, integrating real projects, executive communication and an emphasis on outcomes students can show employers.

In their words:
“I teach for job readiness,” said McGarry. “Students work on applied projects that address real needs, learning to evaluate and apply emerging technologies and to present clear, executive-style results. I structure classes around short feedback cycles, team delivery and portfolio checkpoints so students finish with tangible work they can show to employers.”

Elena Olson, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Information Systems

Olson designs collaborative, hands-on learning that links technology to real-world impact. As founding faculty lead of Global STEMConverge, she connects business and engineering students across cultures to solve authentic technical challenges, drawing on more than 16 years in international education and a multilingual, multicultural background.

In their words:
“Learning should feel alive,” said Olson. “My favorite moments are when a student’s idea suddenly clicks or when teams realize how much they can achieve together. I love watching students grow, not just as professionals, but as empathetic problem solvers who see the world as their classroom.”