Five Michigan Ross Professors Earn Promotions

John Branch was promoted to clinical associate professor of business administration. Branch teaches a variety of marketing and international business courses at the undergraduate, MBA, and executive levels. He is co-director of the Yaffe Digital Media Initiative at Michigan Ross and a research fellow at the William Davidson Institute. He also holds an appointment at the University of Michigan Center for Russian, East European, & Eurasian Studies. Branch earned a PhD in marketing from the University of Cambridge, a Doctor of Education in educational leadership from U-M, a Doctor of Professional Studies from Middlesex University, an MBA from the University of New Brunswick, an MA in education from Washington University in Saint Louis, and a BESc in electronics from the University of Western Ontario.

Julia Lee Cunningham was promoted to associate professor of management and organizations, with tenure. Lee Cunningham teaches BBA, MBA, and executive education courses on organizational behavior, global leadership and teams, and negotiation. Her research focuses on the psychology of narratives, lay theories, and behavioral ethics. She was named one of the Top 50 Undergraduate Business Professors by Poets&Quants in 2020, and she is a National Geographic Fellow for the Making the Case for Nature program. In addition, she is currently a faculty affiliate at the Center for Positive Organizations, the Sanger Leadership Center, and the Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise at the University of Michigan; and the STAR (Sustainability, Transparency, Accountability Research) Lab at Harvard University. Lee Cunningham holds a PhD, an MPP, and an AM from Harvard.

Maxim Sytch was promoted to professor of management and organizations, with tenure. Sytch teaches Leading People and Organizations in the MBA core, Human Behavior and Organization in the Online MBA core, and several Michigan Ross executive education programs. His research explores how networks of relationships among individuals and organizations emerge and shape behaviors and outcomes. He was named one of the Top 40 Business School Professors Under 40 by Poets&Quants in 2014. Sytch holds a PhD from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. 

Christopher Williams was promoted to professor of accounting, with tenure. Williams has taught Accounting Principles and Financial Statement Analysis to MBAs and undergrads, as well as Intermediate Accounting to undergrads. He has also taught executive education courses on value creation and risk management. Williams is the Clyne Crawford Teaching Fellow and the Michael and Joan Sakkinen Faculty Fellow at Michigan Ross. Williams holds a PhD in accounting from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and earned his master’s and bachelor’s degrees in accounting from Brigham Young University. 

Brian Wu was promoted to professor of strategy, with tenure. He teaches Strategic Thinking and Competitive Analysis in the Executive MBA Program; and Mergers, Acquisitions, and Corporate Development in the Full-Time, Weekend, and Evening MBA programs. Wu’s research examines the dynamics of corporate scope and the evolution of industries. He is a Michael R. and Mary Kay Hallman Fellow and faculty director of China Initiatives at Michigan Ross. He was named one of Poets&Quants' Best 40 Business School Professors under 40 in 2016. He was recognized with Neary PhD Teaching Excellence Award in 2015 and as Ross Researcher of the Year in 2021. Wu holds a PhD from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania as well as a BS from Tsinghua University and an MSc from the National University of Singapore.