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Fresno State announced to supporters of the Craig School of Business a chance to digitally meet the four finalists for dean.

According to the announcement, the meet-and-greet is for “business leaders, advisory board members and other friends and supporters of the Craig School of Business” to learn about the candidates and provide feedback to the search committee.

The hire will permanently replace Robert Harper, who served as the Craig School dean for nearly 12 years until the end of 2019.

Below are the four candidates:

Sam Beldona

Sam Beldona currently serves as dean and tenured professor at the Kania School of Management at The University of Scranton in Pennsylvania, according to his CV.

Beldona has a Master’s of Business Administration in general management, a master’s in international business and a Ph.D. in business administration.

According to his CV, Beldona has been in business education since 1993, including a stint at International University of Japan in Niigata.

Christopher Johnson

Christopher Johnson has served as the associate dean from the Coggin School of Business at the University of North Florida. According to his CV, Johnson began teaching in 1996 and has spent most of his career at UNF.

Johnson has received a Bachelor of Science in economics and holds a Ph.D. in economics, both from the University of Alabama.

According to his biography on the UNF website, Johnson researches the “distribution of income with a particular focus on individuals and households in the bottom of the income distribution and link between macroeconomic growth and changes in poverty and income distribution.”

Julie Olson-Buchanan

Julia Olson-Buchanan is the current interim dean of the Craig School of Business at Fresno State and has been at Fresno State since 1992, according to her CV. Before that, Olson-Buchanan worked at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and IBM headquarters.

She holds a master’s and Ph.D. in industrial and organizational psychology, as well as a bachelor of psychology, all from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Olson-Buchanan researches conflict and mistreatment in organizations, technology-based selection and work-life balance and serves as the chair and main United Nations representative for the Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, according to Fresno State.

Michael Stevens

Michael Stevens has served as a distinguished presidential professor at Weber State University in Utah, making him the only candidate who is not currently a dean or associate dean, according to his CV.

Stevens has worked in higher education since 1988, after serving as a commissioned officer in the Marine Corps. He holds a bachelor of history and philosophy of economic thought from the University of Utah and a Ph.D. in organizational behavior from Purdue University.

According to his bio on the Weber State University website, Stevens has done employment testing and research in assessing aptitudes for working successfully in teams and in culturally diverse work environments.

Stevens was also a founding member of the Kosai Group, a consulting firm focused on global competency for executives, managers, staff and students.

The public is encouraged to participate in the Zoom interviews:

Candidate #1 – Michael Stevens

Date/Time: Tuesday, April 20^th from 4:00-5:00pm

Zoom Link: https://fresnostate.zoom.us/j/85715260578?pwd=MVJkRVkyZUFNZXVScktlK1dMOWhzQT09

Meeting ID: 857 1526 0578

Passcode: 330383

CV: Michael_Stevens_CV  

Feedback Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/L3NZ9T7

 

Candidate #2 – Julie Olson-Buchanan

Date/Time: Wednesday, April 21^st from 4:00-5:00pm

Zoom Link: https://fresnostate.zoom.us/j/85627614160?pwd=RXFCRi9ZN2lUdTd4NVlKU1QwYjZ5dz09

Meeting ID: 856 2761 4160

Passcode: 478488

CV: Julie Olson-Buchanan_CV

Feedback Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LMR7HX5

 

Candidate #3 – Christopher Johnson

Date/Time: Thursday, April 22^nd from 2:00-3:00pm

Zoom Link: https://fresnostate.zoom.us/j/81891663517?pwd=SFFSZ3kzQnRDVnd2M1VIRkJUWGxCQT09

Meeting ID: 818 9166 3517

Passcode: 159854

CV: Christopher_Johnson_CV 

Feedback Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/L3VVQZY

 

Candidate #4 – Sam Beldona

Date/Time: Thursday, April 22^nd from 3:30-4:30pm

Zoom Link: https://fresnostate.zoom.us/j/89213109298?pwd=dlJDekxKMld1bm52TmdNRVl0SmV1dz09

Meeting ID: 892 1310 9298

Passcode: 715178

CV: Sam_Beldona_CV 

Feedback Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LGFRGQS