Volume 3
November 2025
Our third issue of the Faculty Focus brochure recounts a spectrum of research among premier faculty at the Wake Forest School of Business. This ranges from exploring how digital media transforms decision-making to developing strategies to alleviate fatigue among auditors to investigating the impact of private equity investment in major accounting firms and more.
Selected Stories
Enabling Teamwork – Greg Stewart
As senior associate dean for faculty and research, Greg Stewart’s goals include “building a culture of excellence that allows people to be engaged and motivated in doing work that aligns with their values, taking away any ba…
Deciphering Ambiguity
As an undergrad at the University of West Florida, Michelle Steward studied cultural anthropology, a discipline that examines the connections and variations of human cultures. That background, she says, still informs her work in marketing today.“I was most interested in how the decisions people make are shaped by their values and beliefs across contexts,. And I’ve always been absolutely fascinated by how those decisions play out in the marketplace.”Steward melded those…
Pursuing Sustainability
Stephen Smulowitz didn’t always intend to work in academia. After earning a Juris Doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, he began his career as a lawyer clerking in the Delaware Court of Chancery before working with the firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, and with the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) in Washington, D.C.Years later while working as a lawyer in Miami, Smulowitz realized it was time for a change.“I realized that practicing…
Preventing Stress
Devon P. Jefferson spent nearly 10 years in public accounting, first at KPMG in Washington, D.C., and then as an Audit Manager at a regional public accounting firm when her family moved to West Virginia. She enjoyed the work but also saw that the long hours and stress, especially during busy seasons, can diminish the well-being — and performance — of audit teams.That practical experience informs much of the research that Jefferson conducts as an assistant professor of accou…
Explaining Economics
Though Ali Zeytoon-Nejad grew up with an economist father, initially he pursued a totally different field of study: mining engineering. The discipline, which taps into mathematics, physics, chemistry, and geology, allowed Zeytoon-Nejad to learn how to find the most technically viable options in mine extraction, assessing the overall feasibility of mining projects.As he explored the technical viability of mining methods, Zeytoon-Nejad also began learning about the econom…
Evaluating Oversight
When Bill Marcum came to Wake Forest more than three decades ago as a visiting professor, he thought he’d only stay for a short time.“I came here to try to figure out what I wanted to do,” he says. “And I really like Wake, so I guess technically I’ve been here 30 years trying to figure out what my career would be.”Over the years since first coming to Wake in that visiting professor role, Marcum has risen through the ranks to his current role of Wall Street Partners Facu…
Shepherding Technology
In broad strokes, Yeongin Kim strives to understand how digital technologies transform decision-making.“I aim to ensure they are used responsibly to create value for individuals, business and society,” explains Kim, assistant professor of analytics, who joined the faculty in 2024.Kim’s goal of understanding how information is exchanged and how technology shapes that process has led him in several interesting directions, for instance, studying how technologies such as electr…
Exploring Private Equity in Accounting
Jenelle Conaway likes structure in all aspects of her life, so it’s no surprise she found an affinity for accounting. “I like rules and order,” shares Conaway, assistant professor of accounting, who joined the faculty in 2024.But she also enjoys exploring an idea and seeing where it will lead. That drives her research into international financial and audit issues. Her research has appeared in the Journal of Accounting Research, Contemporary Accounting Research, the Journal…
Unlocking Leadership
From a young age, Lisa Dragoni has been fascinated by the life experiences of others. That interest led her down the path of examining how people learn and grow into organizational leaders.“I’ve always had that curiosity about humans—how we’re wired and the things that we learn and develop over time,” she recalls. “When I was an undergraduate, I studied business, and I became really fascinated by organizational behavior—learning about motivation, theories of leadership and…
Modeling Impact
Scott Shafer has several titles. He is professor of operations management and business analytics at Wake Forest University’s School of Business. He’s also senior associate dean for the School’s graduate programs and faculty director for the Master of Science in Business Analytics program.“But, fundamentally, I’m a modeler,” admits Shafer, describing his research interests. “I develop models to help make business more competitive.”More specifically, he uses models—whethe…
