School News: Faculty, Research and Impact

Johnathan Cromwell Appointed Rossi Chair

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Associate Professor Johnathan Cromwell has been named the Reverend P. Carlo Rossi Chair in Entrepreneurship, named in honor of the Rev. P. Carlo Rossi, S.J., an award-winning professor of languages at USF. As the Rossi Chair, Cromwell leverages his research and teaching expertise to continue to elevate the School of Management as a thought-leader in entrepreneurship.

Cromwell seeks out collaborations with faculty across disciplines to elevate the research culture at USF as well enhance student opportunities. With other USF faculty, he explores opportunities in courses and co-curricular activities to develop students’ entrepreneurial skills, knowledge, and leadership. Additionally, Cromwell serves as the Faculty Director of the E&I  Initiative at USF.

Established through the generosity of the C. Allen Wall Family Foundation, the Rossi endowment provides support for outstanding scholarship in entrepreneurship, collaboration with students and faculty, and integration of social justice and ethics in teaching and scholarship.

Recognizing Oustanding Faculty Research

In May, four faculty members were recognized with SOM’s “Outstanding Research Award.” The awards celebrate faculty research that advances SOM's mission, vision and values; is relevant to business and community leaders; and elevates our students' experience at USF. Our 2024 awardees are: Johnathan Cromwell, associate professor of entrepreneurship, for his research on the dynamics of team learning; Sara Ding, professor of finance, for her work on social trust and innovation in China; and Ryan Langan and Kelly Weidner, associate professors of marketing, for their investigation of sustainability offerings in business school’s marketing curriculum.

Celebrating Bay Area Family Businesses

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SOM’s Gellert Family Business Center held its 25th Anniversary gala earlier this year. It was a special day filled with insightful panelists, student testimonials, and family business honorees including: Ace Mailing, Cumaica Coffee, Sweet Joanna’s Café, Tin Wah Noodle, and Barrios Painting. The Gellert center is committed to providing family businesses with the resources they need to obtain long-term success through educational workshops and community networking events. If you’d like to learn more, please contact Professor Monika Hudson at mhudson@usfca.edu.

Moving Towards Racial & Social Justice in Business

At SOM, we are committed to embedding an emphasis on racial and social justice in our research, teaching, and student development. In the spring, our Racial and Social Justice in Business Impact Area hosted a panel to explore how DEI professionals are navigating both political backlash to equity initiatives across the country, and calls for meaningful organizational change related to racial and social justice. The panelists included leaders from Pixar, Meta, and The Nature Conservancy. This year, the area will continue to generate meaningful programming for students and conduct research on these critical issues. If you want to partner with faculty and students on this work, contact Professors Jerome Stewart and Allegra Chen-Carrel at ojstewart@usfca.edu and achencarrel@usfca.edu. 

Bringing Together the Digital Transformation Community

Understanding that we live in a rapidly changing, technology-driven world, we are preparing students with future-ready skills. As part of this effort, our Digital Transformation Impact Area hosted an open house to bring together students, alumni, faculty, and industry project partners. The evening featured a keynote speaker, Dr. George Roumeliotis from Airbnb. Faculty in this area will continue to partner with industry leaders in the Bay Area and beyond to create experiential learning opportunities for our students. If you are interested in learning more, contact Professor Thomas Grossman at tagrossman@usfca.edu.

Thinking About Sustainability Beyond 2030

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In an era where climate change, resource depletion, and social inequalities continue to challenge global stability, integrating sustainability into the core curriculum of management education has become not just important, but essential. Most recently, Professor Marco Tavanti co-authored the book Sustainability Beyond 2030: Trajectories and Priorities for Our Sustainable Future. It is now available through Routledge as part of the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) series. Feel free to reach out to Professor Marco Tavanti at atmtavanti@usfca.edu if you want to learn more about SOM’s sustainability initiatives.