Since joining the college in 1997, Kristof-Brown has taught in our undergraduate, MBA, and PhD programs, produced rewarding research, and served as both the Management & Entrepreneurship Department Executive Officer and Senior Associate Dean. Her work with our advisory board and our most important donors is invaluable as she leads the college into the future. Her vision, insight, and past leadership roles at the college are huge assets as we tackle our strategic priorities.

During his time in the college, Zhao has served as the Department Head and Faculty Director of the Master of Science in Business Analytics program and the Leonard A. Hadley Professor of Business Analytics. His current research focuses on data science, especially the mining, predictive modeling, and simulation of social and business networks and social media. Kang is also currently on the editorial boards of Journal of the Association for Information Science & Technology and Information & Management. 

Keene has experience in a variety of aspects of business including retail, production, sales/marketing, credit/administration, project and general management. He is a member of the American Marketing Association and the American Management Association. He also works with a variety of small business and entrepreneurs in consulting endeavors.

Blackhurst’s responsibilities include overseeing the college’s vast portfolio of MBA and graduate offerings. Whether in Italy or Des Moines, Blackhurst’s team works diligently to deliver quality programs to students so that they can make a difference in the workplace.

With over 120 published papers and an NSF CAREER award under his belt, Street’s goal is to keep Tippie at the leading-edge of business through innovative research projects that have real-world applications. He is passionate about making connections between the college and other interdisciplinary research around campus and around the globe.

Ernst connects businesses and other organizations to resources in the college to help them grow. The Office of Strategic Partnerships develops relationships with all aspects of the business community in Iowa and other states, including corporations, nonprofits, and community associations. It draws together the college’s resources to deepen and broaden connections with these organizations, helping the college gain greater visibility while providing partners with solutions to their challenges.

With over two decades of dedicated service in the higher education sector, Katie has consistently demonstrated exceptional empathy, adaptability, and a firm commitment to encouraging a sense of belonging throughout her career. In her role at Tippie, she leverages these strengths to cultivate a culture characterized by high employee engagement, ultimately contributing to a positive and fulfilling employee experience.

Lana has spent the majority of her career working in marketing and communications for higher education. She develops and oversees brands, creates strategies for marketing and communication campaigns, and manages teams of marketing, communications, web, and events employees at Tippie.

McNiel has built a career in finance that began working as a state auditor for the state of Iowa through varied roles at the University of Iowa to become Tippie's CFO.