Part-Time MBA Faculty

Jillian Alderman
Assistant Professor of Accounting

Dr. Jillian Alderman is an assistant professor of accounting at the Graziadio Business School at Pepperdine University. Her primary research interests involve the study of human behavior and decision-making, with a focus on topics such as investors' use of financial statements, auditor liability, and professional ethics. Since graduating with a PhD from the University of Central Florida in 2010, Dr. Jillian's award-winning research has been presented at over 20 conferences and workshops.

Mark Allen
Practitioner Lecturer of Organizational Theory and Management

Dr. Mark Allen is an educator, speaker, consultant, and author who specializes in talent management, corporate universities, and human resources. He is the author of Aha Moments in Talent Management, The Next Generation of Corporate Universities, and The Corporate University Handbook. Dr. Allen has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Columbia University, an MBA from Pepperdine University, and a PhD in Education from USC. An award-winning teacher, Mark teaches courses in leadership, management, human resources, creativity, and adult learning at Pepperdine’s Graziadio Business School and Graduate School of Education and Psychology and has taught business and management courses at a number of institutions.

Rob Bikel
Director of the SEER Program

Robert Bikel, MBA, DBA (‘21) is the Director of and Lead Faculty for the SEER (Social Ethical and Environmental Responsibility) Program at Pepperdine’s Graziadio School of Business. A faculty member since 2011, Bikel has taught various courses in the SEER program as well as Strategic CSR Executive Certificate classes. A Harvard graduate, he has a SEER-certified MBA from Pepperdine and has GRI (Global Reporting Initiative) certification. His doctoral research focuses on managing sustainability tensions at the corporate board level.

John Buckingham
Practitioner Instructor of Marketing

Mr. Buckingham has been a successful corporate and entrepreneurial executive during his 35-year career, starting with creating a division for Colgate Palmolive while still an MBA student in Boston. He began teaching as an adjunct professor of Marketing with the Graziadio Business School in June 2004, becoming a full-time member of the marketing faculty in 2007

Mark Chun
Department Chair of Decision Sciences‚ Information Systems‚ and Strategy

Dr. Mark Chun is a professor of information systems technology management at Pepperdine University's Graziadio Business School. He recently served as the Interim Associate Dean of Executive Programs. Dr. Chun earned a PhD in Information Systems from the University of Colorado at Boulder, received an MBA from the University of California, Irvine, and holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with an emphasis in management information systems from the University of Hawaii.

James di Lellio
Associate Professor of Decision Sciences

Dr. James A. DiLellio, is an associate professor of decision sciences in the Graziadio Business School at Pepperdine University. He holds a PhD in Applied Mathematics from Northwestern University and an MBA from Pepperdine. His current research interests are primarily in nonlinear optimization, simulation, and Kalman filtering techniques to model investment problems. The application of this research covers portfolio management, retirement planning, commodity price modeling, and the analysis of investment strategies. He has published papers in Energy Economics, Decision Sciences, Journal of Economics and Finance, Financial Services Review, and the Journal of Investing.

Jordan Drake
Practitioner Instructor of Accounting

Jordan Drake teaches Accounting and Finance at Pepperdine University's Graziadio Business School. He earned his MBA from Graziadio Business School, and he holds a BS in Accounting and International Business from Pepperdine University. Prior to pursuing academics full-time, Drake worked in accounting and finance for over ten years across various industries.

Steven Ferraro
Professor of Finance

Dr. Ferraro is a professor of finance at Pepperdine University and teaches Corporate Finance, Mergers and Acquisitions, Valuation, and Financial Statement Analysis, all at the MBA level. Dr. Ferraro holds a PhD from Louisiana State University, an MBA from Brigham Young University, and a BA from the University of Utah. Professional designations earned include Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) granted through the CFA Institute and Certified Cash Manager (CCM) granted through the Treasury Management Association. He is also a registered real estate broker in the state of California.

L Wayne Gertmenian
Professor of Economics

Dr. Wayne Gertmenian is a Professor of Economics. He holds a MBA from the University of Idaho and a PhD from the University of Southern California.

Nelson Granados
Rugeles Professor of Information Systems and Technology Management

Dr. Granados is the executive director of the Institute for Entertainment, Media, and Sports and professor of information systems and technology management. He actively combines academia with practice, as a member of the Board of Advisors for technology start-ups, and he is a frequent contributor to the Media and Entertainment section on Forbes.

Jozefina Kalaj
Assistant Professor of Economics

Before joining the Pepperdine faculty, Dr. Kalaj served as both an Adjunct Professor of Economics and the Program Coordinator for the Globalization, Economics, and Business cohort of the Women's Leadership Program at the George Washington University. Prior to pursuing her doctorate, she worked in the financial services industry. She holds a BA in Economics and Political Science from University of Michigan and a graduate degree in Economics from the George Washington University.

Kenneth Ko
Associate Professor of Decision Sciences

Dr. Ko is associate professor of decision sciences and department chair of Strategy‚ Information Systems Technology Management‚ and Decision Sciences. Dr. Ko has worked as a product manager for Hewlett-Packard, a business manager for PricewaterhouseCoopers, and a management consultant for Strategic Decisions Group where he is currently an outside consultant. Dr. Ko graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with honors, and Stanford University with a PhD in Management Science and Engineering.

Clemens Kownatzki
Associate Professor of Finance

In 2010, Dr. Kownatzki joined Pepperdine University and is currently Assistant Professor of Finance. In 2020, he became the Department Chair of Accounting, Finance and Real Estate. During his tenure, he was Academic Director of the MS Applied Finance program from 2017-2019. In 2016, he received a prestigious research grant from the Chicago Mercantile Group Foundation. Dr. Kownatzki’s primary research interest focuses on the important question of how risk and market volatility affects investment returns.

Erik Krogh
Practitioner Lecturer of Information Systems Technology Management

Dr. Erik Krogh has been a full-time member of the Pepperdine Graziadio Business School faculty since 2014 and became the academic director of the business school's MS in Business Analytics program in 2017. He holds a PhD in Information Systems from Claremont Graduate University, an MBA from the University of Southern California's Marshall School of Business, and graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Management from the Pepperdine Graziadio Business School.

Jaclyn Margolis
Associate Professor of Applied Behavioral Science

Dr. Jaclyn Margolis holds a PhD in Management with a concentration in Organizational Behavior from Drexel University. She received her MBA from Drexel University and her BS in Finance and Economics with a minor in Psychology from Lehigh University. Dr. Margolis’s teaching focuses on organizational behavior, teamwork, leadership, and personal development. Her primary research interests include teams, leadership, motivation, and social comparison processes. Dr. Margolis worked in the financial services industry prior to pursuing her doctorate.

Roger McMahon
Associate Professor of Marketing

Dr. Roger McMahon's MBA teaching duties at Pepperdine Graziadio Business School have focused on the areas of Marketing Management, B2B Marketing, and Marketing Consulting. In addition, he has served as the lead marketing faculty member for the full time MBA program and currently sits on the EMBA committee. He holds an MS from Pepperdine University and a DBA from Mississippi State University.

John Mooney
Professor of Information Systems and Technology Management

Dr. John G. Mooney is professor of information systems and technology management and academic director of the Executive Doctor in Business Administration at the Pepperdine Graziadio Business School. He also serves as the Graziadio School academic director to Pepperdine University’s Institute for Entertainment, Media, and Sports. Dr. Mooney holds a BS in computer science and a master of management science both from University College Dublin, and a PhD in information systems and business strategy from UC Irvine.

Kyle Murphy
Practitioner Lecturer of Strategy

Kyle Murphy is a full-time practitioner faculty of strategy for both the MBA and BS in Management programs at the Graziadio Business School. He brings over 25 years of management experience with a variety of companies, specializing in mid-market and start-up technology companies with an emphasis on growth and innovation. He holds an MBA from Pepperdine University and a DBA from Manchester Business School.

Michael Rainey
Practitioner Lecturer of Business Law

Mr. Rainey is a dynamic, insightful, highly-regarded adjunct law professor and business instructor with more than 20 years of hands-on legal and business experience. His legal positions include in-house counsel to an international firm, litigator for local law firms, and more than 15 years as a solo practitioner. Mr. Rainey is the winner of several awards for business management and outstanding teaching, as well as author of a popular law school course and the accompanying textbook. He is committed to the principles of community service, ethical business management and exceptional legal and business education.

Stephen Rapier
Assistant Professor of Marketing

Dr. Rapier has been actively engaged in marketing as both a practitioner and lecturer since 1982. As a practitioner, he has over 25 years of experience on both the agency and client side. He has provided strategic insight to brand and marketing, advertising, public relations, and market research to a range of organizations. They include 3M Unitek, Burson Marsteller, IndyMac Federal Bank, Caterpillar Lift Trucks, Utility Trailer Manufacturing Company, and more. He has lectured at CSU Long Beach, Los Angeles & San Bernardino, along with Claremont Graduate University, and USC.

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.

Mark Tribbitt
Associate Professor of Strategy

Dr. Tribbitt comes to academia with more than 14 years of experience within the financial services industry. During that time he has held a variety of management positions in retail, commercial and wholesale banking. He earned a Ph.D. in strategic management from Drexel University, an MBA from Villanova University, and a B.S. in finance from the University of Delaware.

Michael Williams
Associate Professor of Information Systems Technology Management

Dr. Williams serves as the Chair of Online Programs and has served in a number of academic and administrative roles at Pepperdine. His research has been published in leading empirical and practitioner journals in Information Systems including European Journal of Operations Research and MIS Quarterly Executive. Dr. Williams earned an MS and a PhD in Information Systems from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. He received an Mdiv and MS from Abilene Christian University.