Meet the PKE MBA Faculty
Our Presidents and Key Executives MBA faculty members are among the leading authorities
in their respective disciplines. In addition to superior academic credentials, their
experience include corporate executives and board members, successful entrepreneurs,
and respected executive mentors.
Charles Kerns
Professor of Applied Behavioral Science
Dr. Kerns has more than 30 years of business, management and consulting experience. He joined Graziadio as an associate professor of applied behavioral science and has taught in nearly every program at the Graziadio School and served as the associate dean of academic affairs. Dr. Kerns is a diplomate and holds ABPP certifications in both industrial-organizational psychology and organizational and business consulting psychology.
Kurt Motamedi
Professor of Strategy and Leadership
Dr. Motamedi is Professor of Strategy and Leadership at Pepperdine University. He received his PhD and MBA from UCLA - Anderson Graduate School of Management in Strategy and Organization Development, and his MSEE in semiconductor and computers from UC-Santa Barbara. Professor Motamedi helps develop and grow companies, works with management on strategic planning and execution, trains and develops high performing management teams and executive talent.
Demosthenes Vardiabasis
Professor of Economics
Dr. Vardiabasis has over 25 years of experience as a professor, entrepreneur, executive, and consultant. He has founded several companies and has served as a chairman and CEO of the IQ Now Corporation, which was acquired by a public company and of Health Windows, which provided services to such companies as American Express, Hilton, Yamaha, and Honeywell. He holds a master of arts from the University of Essex and a PhD from the University of Southern California.
Miriam Lacey
Professor of Applied Behavioral Sciences
An authority on organization behavior and development, Dr. Lacey has been at the forefront of integrating behavioral science with management principles of human resources and quality management systems. At the Graziadio Business School, Dr. Lacey teaches exclusively in Executive Programs and has served as Chair of the Personnel Committee, Vice-Chair of PKE Programs, and is a past member of the Faculty Council. Known for her wisdom regarding excellence in leadership, employee motivation and change management, she maintains a vibrant executive coaching and team-building practice.
Jaime Salas
Assistant Professor of Marketing
Dr. Salas is an assistant professor of marketing and has more than 12 years of industry experience. His main research is focused on the implementation of service infusion strategies among traditional industrial manufacturers. His research was sponsored by the Center for Services Leadership at Arizona State University, where he won several teaching awards.
John Scully
Practitioner Lecturer of Accounting and Finance
Dr. Scully's professional experience includes 25 years of finance, accounting and auditing service with Fortune 500 firms, mid-size companies and start-up organizations. This experience has been gained with aerospace, manufacturing and consulting organizations. He holds masters degrees from the University of Delaware, the University of Pennsylvania, an MBA from Temple University and a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania.
Executive Mentors
The Pepperdine EMBA and PKE MBA programs are the first and only Executive MBA programs to feature an executive advisor. Considered as important as the faculty, the class advisor remains with your class cohort throughout the duration of the program. They bind the class together, acting as chair and mentor to provide help in individual and group situations. They read and grade papers, mediate conflict within and among groups, and maintain continuity throughout the program. Our Executive Mentors are all “doctorally trained” as all mentors are required to have a doctoral degree or be pursuing one.
John Carnesale
Executive Coach, Executive MBA Programs
Mr. Carnesale’s leadership and entrepreneurship skills have provided him the opportunity to excel within the commercial real estate and finance fields at the pinnacle of this business sector with national recognition. These skills are transmitted into the educational forum via both his class advisors position at Pepperdine University and his association at Holy Cross College through his ongoing participation with these exceptional institutions of learning.
Cesar Landeros
Executive Coach, Executive MBA Programs
Mr. Landeros has over 23 years of experience in the health care services industry; with an extensive period working in the long term care sector on both non-for-profit and Fortune 500 for-profit organizations. His experience includes extensive work in management, behavioral organization, leadership development and training.
Dwight Barrett
Executive Coach, Executive MBA Programs
Dr. Barrett considers every experience in his 20-year professional journey as fundamental to becoming the administrator, teacher, and leader he is today. His intent is to use those lessons learned to provide perspective within the PKE cohort academic journey.
Testimonials
The Presidents and Key Executives MBA program serves a unique constituency of learners, those that sit at the C-level—or equivalent—positions in their organizations. If that fits you, consider this exclusive MBA program as an opportunity to connect and grow with a group of like-minded individuals, learning from a group of world-class faculty dedicated to your success.
Presidents and Key Executives MBA Program Chair