Welcome

Here at the Michael J. Coles College of Business at Kennesaw State University, our faculty and staff continually develop new and innovative approaches to business education while also cultivating lasting relationships with economic and community leaders from across Atlanta and around the world.

Everyone at the Coles College is inspired to achieve excellence. Our educators are experts in their fields, our staff provide valuable support that empowers students to achieve their goals, and our graduates leave the College prepared to excel in a globalized business landscape.

As one of the world’s top business schools, Coles stays on the leading edge of business education and engagement by:

1. Ensuring our students are career-ready upon graduation. We offer students actionable career guidance through the Hughes Leadership and Career Program, while initiatives like the All Access Business Series and the Tetley Distinguished Leader Lecture Series put students in direct contact with Atlanta-area employers.
   
   
2. Building partnerships with Atlanta-area businesses. Coles is more than a world-class business school, we are also a major player in the local economy. Our Robin and Doug Shore Entrepreneurship Center brings students, faculty, and area business owners together to solve real-world business challenges.
   
   
3. Conducting quality research that influences decision-making at top organizations. A Brigham Young University report ranks Kennesaw State 61st in the world for publishing accounting research in top accounting journals. We are also ranked 18th in auditing research, 6th in accounting education research, and 24th in overall breadth of research published.
   
   
4. Changing lives around the world through international education. Coles offers dozens of education abroad opportunities, including a program that sees students join the Social Entrepreneurship Corps in Guatemala to help alleviate poverty by developing sustainable business programs.

Nationally recognized, internationally renowned, and home to a dedicated community of diverse students and educators, Coles College strives to leverage our passion for innovation in order to improve the lives of people everywhere. Simply put, we aspire to more.

Thank you for your interest in the Michael J. Coles College of Business.

Robin Cheramie, PhD
Dean, Coles College of Business and Professor of Management

Leadership

The Coles College dedicated leadership team includes the following:

Deans

Robin Cheramie, Dean of Coles College of Business
Hope Baker, Associate Dean for Assessment and Undergraduate Programs
Lisa Duke, Assistant Dean, Administration & Operations
Brett Katzman, Interim Associate Dean of Faculty and Research

Academic Department Heads

David Burns, Chair, Marketing and Professional Sales
Khawaja Saeed, Chair of the Department of Information Systems
Raj Veliyath, Interim Director, Michael A. Leven School of Management, Entrepreneurship and Hospitality and Professor of Management
Steve Smalt, Director, School of Accountancy
Aniruddha Bagchi, Interim Chair, Economics, Finance and Quantitative Analysis

Advisory Board 

The advisory board provides the Coles College administration with support and advice regarding policies, programs, and the direction of the College, among other duties.

• Advisory Board Members
  Mr. Robert L. Bachrach
  Retired Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer
  Congregation Etz Chaim

  Ms. Nancy Berger
  AVP-Consumer Billing & Delivery Innovations
  AT&T- Financial Billing Operations

  Ms. Sarah Boone
  Portfolio Manager
  G2 Wealth Management
  UBS Financial Services, Inc.

  Mr. Michael Chriszt
  Vice President and Public Affairs Officer
  Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta

  Mr. Kirk Gadebusch
  President
  Spyglass Solutions

  Mr. Chris K. Gruehn
  Financial Advisor
  Pinnacle Financial Partners

  Mr. Joseph Handy
  President & COO
  Georgia Aquarium

  Ms. Cindy Hannafey
  Managing Director
  UHY Advisors GA, Inc.

  Ms. Kristi B. Johnson, CPA
  Principal
  Windham Brannon

  Mr. William (Bil) G. Lako, Jr., CFP
  Executive in Residence
  Principal, Managing Director
  Henssler Financial

  Dr. Philip N. McCullough
  President
  McCullough Consulting, LLC

  Mr. Rotimi Olumide
  Modern Workplace Sales Leader (Americas)
  World Wide Specialist Sales

  Ms. Sheri Pitcher
  Vice President, Operations
  Pathbuilders, Inc.

  Mr. Lee Rhyant
  Executive in Residence
  President, LER Solutions, LLC
  Retired Executive Vice President and General Manager
  Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company

  Mr. Michael E. Russell
  President, MBA, CTP
  EtsSolutions

  Mr. Douglas Shore
  Co-Founder, Chairman, and Co-CEO, Retired
  Shore-Varrone, Inc

  Mr. Michael M. Smith
  Shareholder
  Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC

  Ms. Robyn Smith
  Executive Vice President
  Jackson Healthcare

  Mr. Brent Uken, CFA, ASA
  Retired
  Ernst & Young, Transaction Advisory Services

  Ms. Kerstin L. Valdes Benden
  CFO Consumer Business, VP-Finance
  Georgia-Pacific LLC

  Mr. Mark Wilson
  President & CEO
  ChimeSolutions

   

Executives In Residence 

• 2018-2019 

  Michael J. Coles
  Benefactor, Namesake
  Co-creator of Great American Cookie Company
  Former CEO of Caribou Coffee

• Past Executives In Residence

  Executives in residence provide coaching and mentoring to Coles College of Business students.

  William G. Lako Jr., CFP, Principal
  G.W. Henssler & Associates, Ltd.

  Bob Kilinski, Regional Operating Partner
  Keller Williams Realty International

  Bernice Dixon, Founder
  Advising Angels

  Connie L. Engel, Partner
  Childress Klein Properties

  Barry Flink, Executive Vice President and Partner
  FlexHR, Inc.

  John W. Gamble, Founder and Principal
  Tenacity, Inc.

  Rita Izaguirre, Principal, Ideas
  LLC.

  Harry Maziar, President
  Zep Manufacturing Company

  Larry Stevens, Partner (Retired)
  PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

  Harry Vardis, Founder and Principal
  Creative Focus, Inc.

  Steve Wurzbacher, Principal
  Tenacity

  Erin Wolf, Founder and Managing Partner
  SuiteTrack