Welcoming Our Newest Faculty Members to the E. J. Ourso College of Business
August 24, 2026
The LSU E. J. Ourso College of Business is pleased to welcome a diverse group of new faculty members for the 2026-2027 academic year. These additions bring specialized expertise to the college across various fields, including marketing, management, accounting, entrepreneurship and information systems.
"We are thrilled to welcome this outstanding group of educators to LSU," said Russell Crook, dean of the E. J. Ourso College of Business. "Their collective experience in research and industry directly supports our vision to deliver a strong return on investment for students and our state."
Meet Our New Faculty
Browse the tabs below to meet all the new faces joining our college this academic year.
Nathan McDavid
Instructor
Nathan McDavid is a Certified Public Accountant with more than four years of experience in public accounting, where he provided assurance services to a diverse range of organizations including governmental entities, credit unions, construction companies, and other commercial clients. McDavid earned both his Bachelor of Science in Accounting with a minor in Analytics and his Master of Accountancy from LSU. He graduated summa cum laude and was awarded the LSU University Medal, one of the university’s highest academic honors.
I came to LSU to give back to an institution that has played such an integral part in my personal life and professional career. I hope to provide students with the highest quality of education and to prepare them for their future careers.
Jinyeong Son
Assistant Professor
Jinyeong Son is an applied microeconomist who most recently served as a postdoctoral fellow in health care markets, policy, and regulation at Harvard University. Son's primary research interests are in health economics, public economics, and labor economics. His current work focuses on understanding how the evolving health care environment shapes access to services, utilization, and health outcomes, and also examining the determinants of children's human capital accumulation.
Brad Hall
Instructor
Brad Hall previously held several business analyst positions before joining the LSU Center for Analytics & Research in Transportation Safety (CARTS), where he developed reports, dashboards, analytical processes, and applications to support transportation safety efforts across Louisiana.
As an instructor, Hall uses his background in mathematics, analytics, programming, and applied research to equip students with practical data and technology skills that prepare them for the workforce.
Gideon Markman
Professor
H. Norman Saurage Jr. and Community Coffee Company Inc. Endowed Chair of Entrepreneurship
An internationally recognized scholar in entrepreneurship and strategy, Gideon Markman's research examines how entrepreneurs and organizations create, evaluate, and sustain new ventures. Before joining LSU, Markman served on the faculty at Colorado State University, the University of Georgia's Terry College of Business, and served as Editor-in-Chief of the Academy of Management Perspectives.
"I came to LSU because of its strong entrepreneurial spirit, outstanding faculty, talented students, engaged alumni, and genuine commitment to building a world-class entrepreneurship program. The opportunity to help shape the next generation of entrepreneurs and scholars alongside exceptional colleagues made LSU the right place for the next chapter of my career. I look forward to becoming part of the LSU community and contributing to its tradition of excellence."
John Rogers
Instructor
John Rogers joined the faculty full-time in January 2026. His teaching focuses on innovation, venture development, and strategic decision-making under uncertainty, with an emphasis on applying core concepts to real-world contexts through case-based learning and project-driven coursework.
Before entering academia, Rogers co-founded and led multiple ventures in West Africa across construction, agriculture, service-learning tourism, and mining. He also served as Director of Operations for a faculty-founded medical device startup at the University of Mississippi.
Heather Budden
Instructor
Heather Budden's research interests span entrepreneurship, artificial intelligence, creativity, student learning, and recruitment. She previously served as an instructor of Management and Supply Chain Management at Southeastern Louisiana University and as an adjunct instructor of Management at McNeese State University. Outside the classroom, Budden enjoys traveling, cooking, and teaching kindergarten catechism at Holy Ghost Catholic Church. A proud Southeastern alumna, she earned both her undergraduate degree and MBA from the university before completing her doctorate at Louisiana Tech University.
I came to LSU because being a Louisiana native, it was always a goal of mine to teach at LSU, the flagship university in the state.
Kwon Hee Han
Assistant Professor
Kwon Hee Han is a management scholar whose work focuses on corporate political activity, corporate governance, nonmarket strategy, and stakeholder managmenent. He holds a PhD in Human Resources and Industrial Relations from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, as well as master's and bachelor's degrees from Yonsei University (Seoul, South Korea.)
Emily Hsu
Assistant Professor
Emily Hsu is a phenomenological researcher who strives to address research questions that embody both timeliness and timelessness. Her work is driven by an interest in what makes us fundamentally human—our emotions and social nature—and how these shape the ways we connect, collaborate, and navigate the ever-evolving workplace and broader society.
I'm excited to be joining LSU and the Ourso community. From earning my PhD at Washington University in St. Louis to starting as an assistant professor at LSU, my academic journey has taken me downstream along the Mississippi River—a reminder that sometimes life's next adventure is just a boat ride away!
Tatenda Pasipanodya
Assistant Professor
Tatenda Pasipanodya conducts research on how organizations both shape and are shaped by the social networks and institutional environments in which they are embedded. His current work explores topics such as innovation, peer-based learning, employee mobility, and self-regulation, and spans industries including banking, oil and gas, and videogame development.
When he is not working, Pasipanodya enjoys history and art, live music, creative writing, mixology, and traveling. He received his PhD from Washington University in St. Louis in May 2024 and previously served as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Strategy and Innovation at Boston University.
Kaitlin Gravois
Instructor
Kaitlin Gravois examines how emerging technologies are changing the sales profession, with particular emphasis on the use of artificial intelligence in sales prospecting, salesperson decision-making, and sales performance. Prior to entering academia, Gravois gained extensive industry experience, including eight years in business-to-business sales, most of which were spent in healthcare sales. She has also developed and delivered sales training for students, business professionals, and executive audiences.
A fun fact about me is that I love home design and renovation projects, and I spend an unreasonable amount of time making sure every detail is exactly right!
About the E. J. Ourso College of Business
Since its establishment in 1928, the LSU E. J. Ourso College of Business has served as the flagship business college of Louisiana, playing an essential role in uplifting the economy of the state and the well-being of its citizens. Through its undergraduate, master's, and doctoral degree programs and professional educational offerings for the business community, the college is committed to preparing future business leaders for success. The college's dedicated faculty engage in innovative research that directly and positively addresses the ongoing and emerging concerns of our state, national, and global economy.