Michigan Ross Adds 12 Faculty Members
In the 2025-26 academic year, the Ross School of Business welcomed 12 new faculty members. The professors and lecturers will teach across all degree programs and cover a number of areas of research expertise, including accounting, business communications, finance, marketing, strategy, and technology and operations.
Daphne Armstrong, assistant professor of accounting, holds a BS and a Master's of Accounting from Brigham Young University and a PhD in accounting from the University of North Carolina. Before embarking on her academic path, Armstrong was a tax preparer at EY from 2018-19. Her research focuses on federal regulators, with a special interest in tax. Armstrong studies how companies interact with U.S. government agencies, which monitor and constrain company behavior to protect various stakeholders. She will teach Financial Accounting (ACC300).
Oğuzhan Çelebi, assistant professor of technology and operations, holds a BA from Koc University (Turkey) and a PhD in economics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Before Michigan Ross, Celebi was a postdoctoral scholar at Stanford University’s economics department from 2023-25. His research focuses on market design and economic theory, particularly how allocation mechanisms can be structured to balance efficiency, diversity, and fairness in contexts such as school choice and public resource allocation. He will be teaching Business Analytics and Statistics (TO301).
Bill De Herder, lecturer of business communications, holds a BS in English and psychology and an MA in creative writing from Central Michigan University. He also has a PhD in rhetoric, theory, and culture from Michigan Technological University. Last year, De Herder was a lecturer for U-M’s College of Engineering. Before Michigan, he was assistant director of MTU’s Multiliteracies Center and director of the Saginaw Valley State University Writing Center. De Herder’s research has explored connections between technical communication, social justice, writing center studies, cultural studies, and articulation theory. He is teaching Professional Communication Strategies (BCOM 350) and Introduction to Business Communication (BCOM 250). Additionally, he is advising graduate-level action-based learning teams.
Rebecca De Simone, assistant professor of finance, holds a BA in economics from the University of Florida and an MA and a PhD in finance from Columbia Business School. Before Michigan Ross, she served on the London Business School faculty and was a senior research assistant at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. Her research covers corporate finance and public economics, examining how regulatory and financial policies shape firms’ borrowing, investment, and production decisions. Emerging markets are a key focus area of her research. She teaches Valuation (FIN615) and Corporate Finance (FIN871).
Savannah Hall, lecturer of business communications, holds a BA from the University of West Florida and an MA and PhD in English Language and Literature from Indiana University. Hall is a program director for faculty research development within U-M's Office of the Vice President for Research. Before Michigan, she taught business communication at the IU Kelley School of Business (2019-22). Hall’s research focuses on science communication, intercultural communication, learner-centered pedagogy, and social impact. She teaches Professional Communication Strategies (BCOM 350) and will be a Multipdisciplinary Action Projects Program communication advisor.
Angela Kohlenberg, assistant professor of technology and operations, holds a BBA from the University of Alberta, an MBA from Schulich School of Business at York University, and a PhD in operations management from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Before pursuing her PhD, Kohlenberg was a lecturer of operations management at the University of Alberta (2017-20), and an operations manager and analyst for the City of Edmonton’s Urban Planning Department (2010-17). Her research focuses on the operations of two-sided markets, where demand and supply arrive and depart dynamically over time; examples include organ exchange programs, ride-hailing platforms, and perishable inventory systems such as blood and food banks. Kohlenberg will teach Big Data Management: Tools and Techniques (TO640).
Soojin Kwon, lecturer of business communications, holds a BA in economics and political science from Yale University, a Master's in Public Policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, and an MBA from Michigan Ross. She founded Talent Peak Advisors, which provides executive coaching and designs leadership team off-sites. Previously, she coached leaders at McKinsey & Company, and served as the Michigan Ross FTMBA managing director of admissions & program from 2004-22. In her current faculty role, she advises MBA students in MAP on communication and presentations. Her research interest is in leadership communication and how human intelligence can be leveraged as a competitive advantage in the age of artificial intelligence.
Curtis LaButte, lecturer of business communications, holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Windsor and is currently pursuing a PhD in general management (strategy) from Ivey Business School at Western University. Before Michigan Ross, LaButte was a lecturer at Ivey Business School and a senior account manager at the Business Development Bank of Canada (2017-21). He researches how individual and national conditions influence attitudes and behaviors critical to corporations and policymakers. Currently, he’s examining institutional trust and the propensity to pursue entrepreneurship. LaButte is teaching Professional Communication Strategies (BCOM 350) and will be a MAP communication advisor.
Kevin Lee, assistant professor of marketing, holds a BA in applied math from Harvard University and a PhD in economics from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Before Michigan Ross, Lee was a PhD student at Chicago Booth. His professional career includes roles with Meta and Planbase, a startup he co-founded. Lee's research focuses on applying AI to fundamental problems in marketing. His work leverages unstructured data and generative models to optimize advertising content and predict demand for new products. He teaches Marketing Management (MKT300).
Kevin Self, strategy lecturer, holds a BS and MS from U-M’s College of Engineering and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. Before Ross, he spent more than 30 years in private sector strategy development and execution across multiple industries (medical, CPG, energy, and built environment). He is a U-M Erb Institute advisory board member and cofounded Voices for Carbon Neutrality. His areas of interest include strategy, sustainability, and public policy. Self is teaching Strategies for Sustainable Development I: Competitive Environmental Strategy (Strategy 564).
Julian Terstegge, assistant professor of finance, has a BA in economics from Georg-August University and two degrees from Copenhagen Business School: an MSc in advanced economics and finance and a PhD in financial economics. Before Michigan Ross, Terstegge was a postdoctoral student at Copenhagen Business School. He researches asset pricing, focusing on equities, equity derivatives, and emission trading systems. Terstegge’s recent work shows that price uncertainty significantly reduces the effectiveness of emission trading systems in driving firms’ decarbonization investments. He will teach Financial Management (FIN300).
Kevin Wenzel, lecturer of marketing, holds a BS in mechanical engineering and economics from the University of Wisconsin and an MBA from Michigan Ross. Before Ross, he spent 21 years at Procter & Gamble in marketing/brand management and general management, retiring as vice president. He has spent four years on the board of directors for The Maids. He is the founder and lead consultant of Kevin Wenzel Consulting LLC. He is interested in applying publicly available generative AI models (e.g., ChatGPT) to improve marketing outcomes. He will teach Enhancing Marketing Practice with AI (MKT420).
