Management PHD Students | Haslam College of Business

Management & Entrepreneurship

PHD Students

Janelle Bremer

Second year

440 Stokely Management Center

Janelle Bremer’s research interests span strategic management and organizational theory. Her current research explores firm resource dependence and power. She earned her Bachelor of Science in accountancy from Case Western Reserve University and her MBA from the University of Hawaii. Prior to entering the doctoral program, she founded several companies and taught entrepreneurship and strategic management.

Eduardo Cuervo

Email: fcuervog@vols.utk.edu

Third year

440 Stokely Management Center

Eduardo Cuervo holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from UPAEP University in Puebla, Mexico, as well as a Master’s degree in quantitative finance from Oklahoma State University. Before joining the Ph.D. program, he worked in Mexico as an investment analyst and financial advisor. Cuervo’s research aims to understand how the way we talk about entrepreneurship influences entrepreneurship and entrepreneurs. He focuses on cultural narratives, myths, testimonies, and advice.

Rehab Elkhiyat

Email: relkhaya@vols.utk.edu

Second year

440 Stokely Management Center

Rehab Elkhiyat’s research interests center around strategic decision making, venture growth, entrepreneurs and stakeholders. Specifically, she studies the monitoring and advisory role of venture capitalists in creating or demolishing value for their backed firms at times of crisis and its impact on VCs’ reputations. Rehab completed her MBA in finance from Lehigh University. She received her undergraduate degree from Egypt in accounting, and she is a certified management accountant (CMA). Prior to pursuing her Ph.D., Rehab worked directly with founders, venture capitalists and PEs through her job as a finance manager and later as a financial advisor with companies across M.E.A., the U.S. and Europe.

Annabelle Gallup

Email: agallup@vols.utk.edu

First year

Annabelle Gallup is primarily interested in researching organizational behavior, focusing on identity, personality, and team dynamics. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in liberal arts from Excelsior University and her MBA from East Tennessee State University. Before joining the doctoral program, she worked as a martial arts instructor, taught a business class, and worked as a graduate assistant.

Ava Haddox

Email: ahaddox@vols.utk.edu

Second year

440 Stokely Management Center

Ava Haddox earned her Bachelor of Science in international business and a minor in entrepreneurship from Oklahoma State University. Prior to joining the program, she worked in various roles as a Spanish-to-English translator, as well as working as a teaching and research assistant in the Spears School of Business. Her research interests center around ethical and DEI topics in cross-cultural contexts. She is curious about how these issues impact minorities, particularly women and immigrants, who are integrating into the American workforce or engaging in entrepreneurship.

Tan Kim

Email: tkim34@vols.utk.edu

Fifth year

440 Stokely Management Center

Tan Kim’s research examines social evaluations (celebrity, reputation, status) in complex environments, focusing on how these influence stakeholders’ cognitive processes and decision-making. He explores emotional resonance between organizational actors and audiences in celebrity formation, and analyzes how socially constructed categories (e.g., gender, race, occupation) shape evaluation processes. His work covers interactions between organizations/executives and both external and internal stakeholders, as well as the temporal aspects of social evaluations, emphasizing emotional connections’ role in their evolution. He employs content analysis and machine learning techniques in his research.

Tan Kim earned his M.S. in human resources and organizations from Seoul National University as well as master’s and bachelor’s degrees in Political Science from Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea. Prior to entering academia, he gained diverse professional experience: he worked as an administrative officer at the Korean Academy of Management, a human resource specialist at GS Global Corporation, and served as an intelligence officer (First Lieutenant) in the Republic of Korea Air Force.

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/tankim0224
Personal Website: tankim.net

Minji Kim

Email: mkim68@vols.utk.edu

Third year

440 Stokely Management Center

Minji Kim’s research interests broadly center on investigating the psychological dynamics of individuals in the context of corporate governance. Particularly, her research examines how status hierarchy influences the decision making and behavior of CEOs, top management teams and boards of directors. She is also interested in antecedents and consequences of fault lines in boards and top management teams. Prior to joining the program, she earned her B.A. in psychology and sociology and her M.A. in social psychology from Sogang University in Seoul, South Korea.

Gavin Williamson

Email: gwilli50@vols.utk.edu

Fifth year

440 Stokely Management Center

Gavin Williamson received a B.A. in business administration with a minor in entrepreneurship from Lycoming College. Prior to joining the SEO program, he worked in various roles in nonprofits and as a GMAT tutor. His research focuses on the people side of entrepreneurship, especially entrepreneurial careers and startup workforce management.

Nataliia Yakushko

Email: nyakushk@vols.utk.edu

Fourth year

440 Stokely Management Center

Nataliia Yakushko received her MBA from Valdosta State University and her Bachelor of Business Administration in finance from Ivan Franko National University in Lviv, Ukraine. Prior to joining the Ph.D. program, Nataliia was managing a family entertainment center in Valdosta, GA. Her research interests center on entrepreneurial well-being, resilience to adversity, resourcefulness and community-embedded venture emergence.

Yi Zhang

Email: yzhan267@vols.utk.edu

First year

Yi Zhang’s research interests center on social entrepreneurship and impact investing, driven by her commitment to advancing sustainable business practices and leveraging business models to address social challenges. Prior to joining the SEO Ph.D. program, she worked at an investment company in China. She holds a master’s degree in prosperity, innovation, and entrepreneurship from University College London, and a bachelor’s degree in economics with a focus on finance from Donghua University in China. During her undergraduate studies, she also completed an exchange semester at Reutlingen University in Germany, where she deepened her knowledge of international business.

Management PHD

Student Placement

Becca Arwine (2024)

Assistant Professor, University of Cincinnati

“Being a part of the PhD program at UTK was an incredibly rewarding experience. The supportive faculty, diverse research opportunities, and collaborative environment truly exceeded all my expectations of a PhD program. I feel confident the SEO program has prepared me for a vibrant and impactful academic career. Specifically, my favorite memories involve doctoral student runs and get togethers, department hikes, and UTK football games. I’m grateful to have been a part of this program and to have met the many wonderful people involved with it!”

Ace Beorchia (2023)

Assistant Professor, Kennesaw State University

“On top of the rigorous academic and professional training that I am receiving, I am also developing authentic friendships that will last a lifetime. Ten years from now, I guarantee I will be sitting at a restaurant chatting and laughing with my fellow students and faculty members from the program. That is the great thing about our culture. We hold one another to a high professional standard, yet at the same time, we are one another’s number one advocates.”

Ashley Roccapriore (2023)

Assistant Professor, Auburn University

“The SEO Ph.D. program is a unique blend of research rigor meets genuine camaraderie. The single thing that sold me on joining the program was the people. There is not a single faculty member that wouldn’t be happy to meet with you to discuss ideas or obstacles you’re facing, both in coursework and research. This ability to interact with renowned scholars has made a world of difference in both my personal and professional growth.

One distinguishing feature of the program are weekly sessions called Pathways, where students can present current research to receive feedback, hear from faculty (both from within UTK and outside universities) on their own ongoing projects, or receive direction in “Help Me, I’m Stuck” sessions. My peers in other doctoral programs have said that sessions like this would have changed their research and career paths had they been offered an opportunity like this to interact with faculty regularly. The environment created by the department diffuses into the Ph.D. student relationships as well; all are extremely willing to help each other and the friendships I’ve made so far are ones that I can see continuing throughout my career.”

Jaewoo Jung (2022)

Assistant Professor, University of Dayton

“People compare getting a Ph.D. to running a marathon because of the enormous time and effort required to complete it. If you agree, I guarantee that the strategy, entrepreneurship and organizations program at the Haslam College of Business is the best marathon course to run. Faculty and staff are excellent coaches and running partners who are always ready to guide students in the right direction for a successful career and provide unending support. Also, Ph.D. students are always running together and have developed a wonderful culture and friendship. I’m sure there will be some hilly and challenging areas of the course, but the members in the department will keep students moving until they reach the finish line.”

Trey Lewis (2021)

Assistant Professor, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech)

“The SEO Ph.D. program has been nothing short of an amazing experience for me. The department fosters a culture of research freedom to pursue and develop meaningful ideas. I received nothing but support and was empowered by the faculty at every stage of the program, from coursework to comprehensive exams and all the way through the dissertation. In my view, the training and preparation received from the management and entrepreneurship program at UT were nothing short of world-class. As a result, I felt prepared to develop my own independent research program. After demonstrating that potential on the academic job market, I successfully transitioned to an assistant professor role at an excellent institution of my choosing (even during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic).”

Jiaju (Justin) Yan (2020)

Assistant Professor, Baylor University

“The strategy, entrepreneurship and organizations program of Haslam College of Business is one of the most rigorous and challenging academic programs in the nation. The student body is comprised of most talented graduate students across the globe. Doctoral students will receive intensive intellectual and practical training in organizational research from nationwide distinguished scholars and accomplished faculties. The program is designed to cultivate the future organization and strategy researchers and outstanding college educators.”

Nick Mmbaga (2019)

Assistant Professor, Butler University (initial placement)

Now at Indiana University

“The strategy, entrepreneurship and organizations program at Haslam should be described as a family of scholars. Students are provided with a progressive yet developmental environment conducive for learning and academic growth. The program is ripe with distinguished and approachable scholars, ambitious and talented students and effective administrators who are creating new knowledge for the next wave of entrepreneurs and organizational leaders.”

Mike Lerman (2019)

Assistant Professor, Iowa State University

“Earning a Ph.D. in the strategy, entrepreneurship and organizations program at the University of Tennessee has been a tremendous opportunity. I am consistently guided towards a successful career in academia by a strong faculty team that invests time and energy into my development as a scholar. No school can guarantee my success, for I have to be willing to work hard; however, in the strategy, entrepreneurship and organizations program, I have always been given the utmost opportunity to simply focus on working hard and learning. In addition, the students in the strategy, entrepreneurship and organizations program are close-knit, and always willing to help each other. In my opinion, the qualities I have described are absolutely vital to picking a Ph.D. program that can help you achieve your potential. If I were to choose a program again, I would, without hesitation, still choose the University of Tennessee.”

Erika Williams (2018)

Assistant Professor, University of Southern Indiana

“The camaraderie is genuine. The students here are not competing with each other; we support and encourage our peers so that we can all be successful.”

T. Daniel White (2017)

Returned to United States Air Force

Now the Head of the Department of Management, U.S. Air Force Academy

“This has been perhaps the most challenging experience of my life, but I love going to work every morning! This is a truly developmental atmosphere. It feels like a family.”