School of Business and Public Administration welcomes new faculty

Four new members join this academic year

By California State University, Bakersfield

November 3^rd, 2023

The School of Business and Public Administration at California State University, Bakersfield welcomes four new faculty members in the departments of Accounting/Finance, Management/Marketing and Public Policy and Administration.

“It is always exciting to welcome new faculty to the school, and especially these fabulous four faculty who join me in my first year at CSUB," said BPA Dean Dr. Deborah Cours. "They bring experience, dedication, and relevant research and teaching subjects to BPA. I look forward to working alongside them, supporting their journeys, and celebrating their successes.”

Here is more information on each of the new members:

School of Business and Public Administration welcomes new faculty

Dr. Mingwei Liang, Assistant Professor of Finance

Dr. Liang's research focuses on empirical corporate finance, markets and strategy, and commercial real estate pricing. Much of his current research aims at improving understanding of market performance and pricing efficiency related to reducing information asymmetries for public firms as well as long-term dynamic asset allocation in the mixed-asset portfolio. He also wrote two peer-reviewed book chapters, “Mortgage-Backed Securities” and “Energy Risk Management,” in books published by the Oxford University Press.

Dr. Liang taught a fundamental course "Essentials of Finance" at Syracuse University and core real estate courses, including “Real Estate Investment”, and “Real Estate Market Analysis” at Florida State University. He has professional work experience in risk management, hedge fund and venture capital and has proficient programming skills in Python (machine learning, and NLP), R, MATLAB, Stata, Bloomberg, and Excel VBA.

Dr. Liang earned his bachelor's degree in international trade and economics from Shandong University and his master's degree in quantitative finance from Hofstra University. His Ph.D. in finance is from Syracuse University.

“The Accounting and Finance Department is excited about Dr. Liang's arrival," said Department Chair Dr. Di Wu. "Dr. Liang's impressive academic expertise and practical experiences will greatly enhance our finance program in the areas of student success and community engagement.”

Dr. Mahl-Geum Choi, Assistant Professor of Management

Dr. Choi received his Ph.D. in human resources and labor relations from Michigan State University. He obtained his Master of Science in management from Yonsei University in South Korea. Dr. Choi’s research interests include diversity training effectiveness and backlash, discrimination in the workplace and leadership.

“We are very excited for Dr. Choi to join our faculty. He comes very highly recommended from the Michigan State faculty and has an exciting research agenda examining the effectiveness of DEI training," said Dr. John Tarjan, chair of the Management/Marketing Department. "His research, combined with a compelling personal story, makes him an ideal person to bring leadership to the diversity component of our curriculum.”

Dr. Choi teaches BA 3008: Diversity in Organizations, which is related to his primary research interests.

“I am excited to be a part of CSUB BPA, which I find a collegial and welcoming culture. I would like to contribute to the school and program with my expertise and research experience," he said.

Dr. Patsy Kraeger, Associate Professor of Public Administration

Dr. Kraeger teaches graduate courses in public and nonprofit management. She holds a doctorate in public administration and a masters in nonprofit studies from Arizona State University and conducts research on philanthropy’s intersection with public policy, community development and community well-being. Prior to joining CSUB, she was a tenured associate professor at Georgia Southern University in the Department of Public and Nonprofit Studies.

Dr. Kraeger’s research interests are community development, community well-being philanthropy and social enterprise, public policy implications and deliberative practice in institutional philanthropy and social enterprise.

She is the reviews editor for "Local Development and Society" and the special issues editor for the "International Journal For Community Well-Being," both peer –reviewed journals. She is also the lead editor for the book "Social (In)Equality, Community Well-being and Quality of Life," which will be published in February.

Dr. Kraeger serves on the board of directors for the International Society of Quality-of-Life Studies and the Community Indicators Consortium (CIC). She is the past chair of CIC’s Education Committee. She is the founding co-chair of the Nonprofit, Philanthropy, Social Enterprise, and Entrepreneurship section of the World Social Science Association. She also serves on the board of the national nonprofit Healthy Democracy, focused on the deliberative practice of democracy.

“As a new faculty member in PPA, I am excited to teach in the MPA program here at CSUB," Dr. Kraeger said. "My goal in my teaching is to understand the central importance of community inclusively to prepare effective practitioners. I look forward to being a part of the CSUB and the Bakersfield communities. Inclusive community is central to my research philanthropy to inform decision-making thereby reducing the power divides through participatory models."

Dr. Creed Tumlison, Assistant Professor of Public Policy and Administration

Dr. Tumlison is originally from Arkansas, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in business management from Arkansas State University, his master’s degree in political science from the University of Arkansas, and his Ph.D. in public policy from the University of Arkansas.

His research focuses on decision-making within public policy and administration, broadly. Specifically, he examines how values and policy-relevant knowledge shape the policymaking process via trust in sources of information and risk perceptions, particularly in the context of environmental and energy-related policy issues. As such, he is very excited to be joining the faculty here at CSUB, with the Bakersfield area being surrounded by agriculture, oil production and renewable energy production.

“I am very excited to join the faculty here at CSUB.” Dr. Tumlison said. “The community, both on and off campus, has been very welcoming and I look forward to learning more about Bakersfield and getting involved in the community, as well as getting to know and grow with the students here at CSUB. I am also very excited to explore the national parks and nearby beaches with my family.”

In his free time Dr. Tumlison enjoys, perhaps excessively, watching college sports as well as hiking and other activities involving nature and wildlife.

Dr. Chandra Commuri, department chair for Public Policy and Administration, said he and his colleagues are excited that Dr. Kraeger and Dr. Tumlison are joining the department.

"Their research and teaching in public policy and nonprofit management will benefit our students. They will also be active members of our community," he said.

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Footnotes

Story by Karla Young, public affairs/communications specialist for the School of Business and Public Administration; photos contributed by the new faculty members

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FootNotes

Story by Karla Young, public affairs/communications specialist for the School of Business and Public Administration; photos contributed by the new faculty members