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. Bremer She earned her bachelor of scienceBachelor 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.

Email: jbremer@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.

Email: fcuervog@vols.utk.edu

Second year

440 Stokely Management Center

Rehab Elkhayat’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.

Email: relkhaya@vols.utk.edu

First year

Annabelle Gallup’s primary research interest 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.

Email: agallup@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.

Email: ahaddox@vols.utk.edu

Fifth year

440 Stokely Management Center

Tan's 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, andformation and analyzes how socially constructed categories (e.g., gender, race, occupation) shape evaluation processes. His Kim’s 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. Tan 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 and both his master's and bachelor's degrees in Political Sciencebachelor’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

Email: tkim34@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.

Email: mkim68@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.

Email: gwilli50@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.

Email: nyakushk@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, Zhang Yi also completed an exchange semester at Reutlingen University in Germany, where she deepened her knowledge of international business.

Email: yzhan267@vols.utk.edu