Favorite MBA Professors Of The Class Of 2024

“My favorite MBA professor has been Professor Steve Brister. I took his Strategic Branding course and participated in the Marketing Fellows Practicum under his guidance. What sets Professor Brister apart is his passion and interest for the subject matter, as well as his genuine connection with his students. His real-world experience in marketing for brands like Time Warner Cable, along with his own entrepreneurial ventures, bring engaging and relevant insights to classroom discussions. His advice was invaluable as we worked on our Marketing Fellows practicum projects with real clients. With his mentorship, we were able to help a growing brand with a tight budget effectively market to college students through an on-campus activation featuring student athletes.”
Izzi Gonzalez, University of Texas (McCombs)

“Every professor made a deep impact on me, but Dr. Jerry Strawser was the professor who impacted me most. Not only did he make accounting fun and show how it applied to our careers, but he was intimately involved with every aspect of the program. He was the first to congratulate us on case competition and internship search successes and was always eager to check in just to see how we were doing in the program. It was clear how much he cared about everyone in the program and how much he wants to share in our success, both in the program and afterward.”
Taylor Boles, Texas A&M (Mays)

“I was ready to drop my 8 a.m. Negotiations elective. Then, I met Professor Solène Delecourt. She brought an energy, vulnerability, and practicality to her classes that should be a model for every MBA professor. All of her classes were focused not just on practicing different types of negotiation, but also on having students understand their emotions and comfort levels with wielding power. In her class, negotiations were not a winner-takes-all competition, but a chance to build relationships and practice. She brought opportunities into the class for students to help real people. Finally, her laughter and humble humor set the tone for the class. If there is any professor I would take another class with, it would be her!”
Alex Berry, UC Berkeley (Haas)

“Cyrus Aram completely changed the way that I view business and approach new challenges, both in my work and personal life. Cyrus is extremely accomplished with years of experience implementing real change on an enormous scale, and the passion he brings when teaching inspires me every single day. The rigor and urgency in which Cyrus demands his students to always learn more has left me with a drive to never settle for doing just good enough, but to always push myself and those around me to be better. Cyrus effectively communicates the importance of being detail-oriented, a team player, and never forgetting that business is about working with people.”
Tess Sussman, UC Davis

“Hal Hershfield was my favorite MBA professor. I first met Hal in my core marketing class, where he combined quick wit, humor, and digestible lessons in a way that made a 3-hour class go by in a blink of an eye. Beyond his obvious accomplishments, excellent teaching style, and incredible research on how we view the future (seriously, look his papers up!), Hal exemplifies what it means to be a genuinely good person.

While in Hal’s capstone class, my brother-in-law was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor, and I needed to take some time to be with family. While I kept this news mostly quiet, I informed my professors on a need-to-know basis. Hal saw how important my family was to me and made multiple accommodations that gave me the flexibility I needed without sacrificing the quality or availability of his instruction. He checked in on me throughout this time, providing support as a professor and as a friend. When my brother-in-law was cleared of cancer, Hal was the first person I told at Anderson. Hal is simply an excellent teacher, mentor, and friend, and has shown me what it truly means to earns respect.”
Michael Bleggi, UCLA (Anderson)

“My Microeconomics for Managers professor, Emily Nix, has been one of my favorite professors at Marshall. She is an impressive role model, with myriad publications on wide-ranging topics and consulting experience with the Federal Reserve and World Bank. Her passion for teaching is undeniable, demonstrated not just by speaking close to 200 words per minute in her lectures, but also by how accessible she makes herself to students throughout her course. She is incredibly effective in explaining nuanced, complex issues in a multitude of ways so students with different learning styles can understand. She effortlessly applies class concepts to current events and garners genuine excitement about these topics from her students.”
Kate van Keulen, USC (Marshall)

“Brian McCann. Professor McCann teaches corporate strategy and gave me a new perspective on the topic. Prof. McCann has an amazing sense of humor that he uses effectively to keep the class engaged. He chooses excellent cases and fluently breaks them down, along with the associated frameworks. He’s always super prepared, too. His little gifts (e.g. squishy balls with corporate strategy triangle framework printed) made the class so much fun! Prof. McCann is also active on the campus outside the classroom and shockingly remembers each student by their name. What else could you ask from a professor!”
Rushikesh Jere, Vanderbilt University (Owen)

“My favorite MBA professor was Dr. Martin Davidson, who teaches a really powerful class titled Leadership, Diversity, and Leveraging Difference. He has done a remarkable job at taking his years of experience working with Fortune 500 executives on how to navigate differences in experiences, backgrounds, and perspective and turning those into teachable moments and conversations for aspiring leaders. On a personal level, being in his class was a really special experience for me, as it was the first time in the entirety of my educational career that I’d had an African-American male as a teacher or professor. There’s a real power in being in spaces of success and prestige and seeing someone who looks like you – and that’s difficult to find in academia as a Black male. I appreciated getting to learn from such an accomplished and incredible man like Davidson, and I look up to him a lot.”
Malcolm Stewart, University of Virginia (Darden)

“My favorite MBA professor is Jenny Graves. Prior to her tenure at UW, Jenny held positions at Bain Consulting as well as Starbucks, where she led food innovation and operations management. In her statistics course, Jenny not only covered foundational statistical tools like probability trees and regression analysis, but also encouraged students to learn how to ask the right questions.

“In her own words, Jenny enjoys, “applying things we learn, to how you view yourself – not as good or bad, but rather on a continuum like the normal distribution.  We’ll have a handful of great days, a handful of horrible days, but the majority of days will just be normal days. This helps provide a bit more perspective on life.” Her guiding principle to live a ‘beautiful ordinary life’ is something that will always stick with me.”
Kristen Bales, University of Washington (Foster)

“This is probably the toughest question because every professor has helped me in some way, and I am beyond grateful. For me, though, my favorite MBA professor undoubtedly has to be Professor Doug Villhard. From the very inception of my entrepreneurial aspirations, Professor Villhard believed in my vision. It wasn’t just about teaching me business theories or strategies; it was about nurturing my passion and fostering an environment where dreams could thrive. When Professor Villhard awarded me WashU Olin Business School’s first Entrepreneurship Fellowship, it wasn’t just a scholarship. As a Black, West Indian, Antiguan and Barbudan immigrant, I was embarking on a journey that many deemed improbable. But Professor Villhard saw beyond the surface; he saw talent, determination, and resilience.

He didn’t just open doors for me; he tore down walls. His mentorship goes beyond the classroom. It’s about instilling confidence, nurturing creativity, and fostering a spirit of innovation. Professor Villhard doesn’t just teach entrepreneurship; he embodies it. His passion for empowering others to pursue their dreams is infectious, which sets him apart as a truly exceptional educator. For his belief in me, for his unwavering support, and for being a guiding light on my entrepreneurial journey, I am forever grateful to Professor Villhard. He taught me more than how to succeed in business; he taught me how to make a difference in the world.”
Cherise Brookes, Washington University (Olin)

“Every professor has their own style to support students in the best way possible. That’s why I have many professors on my favorite professor list. However, my top favorite thus far is Professor Michael Wall, a professor of practice in Marketing and Entrepreneurship. His passion for helping students achieve their goals resonated deeply with me. The first time he shared his mission statement, it was clear he wasn’t just delivering lectures—he was invested in our success.

I’m impressed by Professor Wall’s enthusiasm and ability to maintain a lively classroom environment, ensuring that students thoroughly grasp the course material. Beyond the classroom, I am equally impressed by how consistently he makes time for students, offering guidance not only on academic matters but also on career development and personal goals. I remember reaching out to him urgently for help with my venture pitch. He made time for me, gave me excellent guidance on how to make a compelling pitch, and even followed up after my competition. Whenever we met, his reassuring words were, “If you need any help, you can reach out to me anytime.” He truly made me feel supported.”
Voranun Taweerutchana, Washington University (Olin)

“It would be Professor Peter Fader, the Frances and Pei-Yuan Chia Professor of Marketing, who has been teaching the Applied Probability Models in Marketing course for over a decade. Not only has Professor Fader fundamentally altered the way I think about building models to predict customer behavior, he is also the most engaging instructor I’ve experienced in the classroom. He makes every class interesting with modern examples, live exercises, and class participation. His high level of energy keeps every student attentive, and he constructively challenges us to be better learners, interpreters, and, ultimately, decision-makers. Outside of class, he is extremely accessible, willing to meet with students to further dive into concepts, provide professional guidance, or simply nerd out on any topic. Professor Fader has been recognized with numerous teaching and research awards and continues to inspire students in the classroom every day.”
Maximilian Kneis, Wharton School

“My favorite professor during my MBA was my Financial Accounting professor, Fabio Gaertner, Ph.D. I often heard that accounting can be dry and complicated, so I am surprised to admit that he was my favorite professor. Fabio made the class fun and easy to understand. Instead of exams, we had “celebrations” (which are exams) that featured party hats, streamers, and cupcakes. His attitude and way of teaching helped me realize that people and mindset are what can drive the quality of experiences. It also demonstrated the value of being able to explain complicated things in a simple and clear way.”
Xander Kessler, Wisconsin School of Business

“Zoe Chance is my favorite professor. On top of her amazing research and influence skills, I simply have never met anyone as empathetic and humble as Zoe. She is never afraid to lend a listening ear and provide mentorship when needed, but she has also taught me how to advocate for myself and establish boundaries. As a woman navigating corporate America, it can be tough balancing the lines between opening yourself up to new experiences, but also keeping yourself safe from those who intend to take advantage of you. Zoe has taught me, both inside and outside of class, how to navigate these spaces and keep my moral compass intact.”
MiChaela Barker, Yale School of Management

 

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