Stratakis Chair in Corporate Governance and Accountability; Executive Director, LeBow College Center for Corporate Governance; and Fellow, Wharton Financial Institutions Center, University of Pennsylvania

Dr. Ralph A. Walkling is internationally known for his research involving corporate governance and corporate acquisitions and for his ability to communicate financial concepts in an effective and exciting manner. He is a recurrent industry consultant and a leading contributor to the top-refereed journals in the field, including The Journal of Financial Economics, The Journal of Finance, The Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, and The Rand Journal of Economics. He is a past associate editor of Financial Management and the immediate-past president of Financial Management Association.

Dr. Walkling has worked with law firms; government organizations; executives from Fortune 500 companies; and divisions, including American Electric Power, the Bank of America, Borden, Emery Ari Freight, and Marathon Oil. Expert witness testimony includes work on corporate governance, acquisitions, corporate finance, financial analysis, valuation and damage calculations. He has testified before the Judiciary Committee of the Ohio State Senate. Dr. Walkling has been actively involved in numerous executive development programs taught on location for particular companies, and at universities throughout the world.

Read: "Say on Pay" from Directors & Boards Magazine
Watch: Academics research vs. Market practitioners

Fellow, Wharton Financial Institutions Center, University of Pennsylvania

Dr. David A. Becher's areas of expertise include mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance and financial institutions. His publications on corporate governance include, "Board Classification and Managerial Entrenchment: Evidence from the Market for Corporate Control," and "Why Do Good Takeover Bids Fail: Managerial Bargaining or Bad Faith?"

Watch: Failure of Corporate takeover bids
Watch: Deregulation - Impact on mergers and pricing

Assistant Professor of Finance

Dr. Jie Cai's research interests involve the models of corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, executive compensation and derivatives. His publications on corporate governance include, "Shareholders' Say on Pay: Does it Create Value?," "Electing Directors," and "Executive Stock Option Exercises: Good Timing or Backdating?"

Watch:Long-Term Impact of Russell 2000 Index Rebalancing
Watch: Voice on Executive Compensation
Watch: Business Minute - Say on Pay

Associate Professor of Finance

Dr. Naveen Daniel's areas of expertise include corporate governance, mutual funds and hedge funds.

His published papers in corporate governance include "Do firms manage earnings to meet dividend thresholds?" and "Boards: Does One Size Fit All?"

Associate Professor Finance

Dr. Eliezer Fich's areas of expertise include empirical issues in corporate finance, particularly the effect of board composition and director compensation on the value of publicly traded firms.

His publications on corporate governance include, "Are Busy Boards Effective Monitors?," "The Impact of Stock-Option Compensation for Outside Directors on Firm Value, "Why do CEOs Reciprocally Sit on Each Other's Boards?," and "Are Some Outside Directors Better than Others? Evidence from Director Appointments by Fortune 1000 Firms."

Associate Professor of Finance

Dr. Jacqueline Garner's areas of expertise include investment banking, initial public offerings (IPOs), corporate finance, and corporate governance.

Her publications in corporate governance include "An Examination of Board Stability and the Long-term performance of Initial Public Offerings," "Electing Directors," "An Examination of Board Composition, Donation Sources, and Their Effects on Firm Performance for Non-Profit Firms," "Democracy or Disruption: Majority Versus Plurality Voting," and "Director and Executive Compensation and the Likelihood of Corporate Fraud."

Watch: Business Minutes - Electing Directors to Boards

Department Head and Professor of Finance

Dr. Michael Gombola's areas of expertise include topics involving empirical methods in corporate finance, particularly those that overlap accounting issues.

His publications in corporate governance include, "New Evidence on the Effectiveness of the Insider Trading Sanctions Act of 1984" and "Further Evidence of Insider Selling Before Seasoned Equity Offering Announcement: The Role of Growth Opportunities."

Dr. Gombola has served as a consultant to Johnson and Johnson Consumer Products and Advanta Corporation.

Watch: Distress Risk and Stock Returns Following Private Placements of Equity
Watch:Earnings Management in Reverse LBO's

Assistant Professor of Economics

Dr. Teresa Harrison's areas of research include applied microeconomics with emphasis in health economics, nonprofit organizations and mergers/acquisitions.

Her research in relation to corporate governance includes "Board Members, Executives, and Donors: How Does Their Influence Affect Nonprofit Firm Performance?"

Watch: Non-Profit Exit Rates
Watch: Business Minutes - Growth of Non-Profits

Associate Professor of Finance

Dr. Ed Nelling's areas of expertise include investments, corporate finance, real estate, and finance.

Dr. Nelling's legal and industry presentations involve work with law firms and executives from Fortune 500 companies and divisions including Johnson and Johnson, Invesco, and Arthur Andersen Business Consultants. He has also served as an expert witness in financial management cases.

His published papers in corporate governance include "Executive Compensation in Socially Responsible Firms" and "An Analysis of the Determinants and Shareholder Wealth Effects of Mutual Fund Mergers."

Watch:Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility