KU Business School dean names new leadership positions

LAWRENCE — University of Kansas School of Business dean Neeli Bendapudi has named several new appointments to leadership positions in the Business School.

Catherine Shenoy has been appointed MBA program director; Surendra Singh is the new director for marketing, economics and business law; and John Sweeney is the new director for accounting and information systems.

They join Bendapudi’s other recent appointees, Douglas Houston, associate dean, and Steve Hillmer, who was recently named director for finance, economics and decision sciences.

“I am firmly convinced that we are poised to rise to great heights as a school of business,” Bendapudi said. “We have great faculty and staff, dedicated alumni, supportive leadership at the University and an excellent student body. Together, we can achieve our common goals: making KU School of Business the best place for students to learn, the best place for faculty and staff to work, and the best place for our key stakeholders to invest. A strong team is necessary to make this happen, and I am very grateful to these members of the faculty for their willingness to serve.”

Bendapudi, a KU alumna, began her tenure as the School’s 11th dean this month.

Shenoy has been a member of the school’s faculty since 1993 and holds three degrees, including a doctorate in finance from KU. She has led the highly acclaimed Applied Portfolio Management (APM) program since 2001, working closely with business alumnus Kent McCarthy, who developed the student-led portfolio analysis and investment course, bringing leading corporate and financial executives to the classroom. Shenoy created the Financial Scholars Program at the School, along with the popular “Jayhawks on Wall Street,” in which business students visit alumni working in New York, are invited to the New York Stock Exchange trading floor and meet financial executives.

Singh, a professor of marketing, joined the School of Business in 1995. He earned his doctorate in business and a master’s in marketing from the University of Wisconsin and taught at the University of Oklahoma before coming to KU. Among Singh’s area of expertise are services marketing, global marketing, marketing communications and management. His research includes the effectiveness of multimedia ads, bilingual advertising and visual perception processing in Web page and website viewing.

Sweeney takes over as director of accounting and information systems. He comes to KU from Washington State University, where he served as chair of the accounting department and was the Ted Saldin Distinguished Professor of Accounting. Sweeney earned his doctorate from the University of Missouri and his MBA from Southern Illinois University. His research interests include the psychology of ethical development, factors influencing success and turnover in accounting organizations and whistle-blowing. He has taught at Eastern Oregon University, University of Missouri, Washington State University, University of Central Florida and Australian National University.