Women's Leadership Initiative Faculty Fellows

WLI Fellows are a distinguished group of professors recognized for their outstanding contributions to the mission of the WLI through research, teaching and/or service.

Faculty Fellows:

• Advance research related to the WLI mission and faculty involvement in mission-driven priorities
• Encourage scholarship that advances diversity and gender equity
• Practice equity in their classrooms and in pedagogical design and development
• Mentor other faculty and students
• Promote equity and women’s leadership in the community

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Carlos J. Asarta

Professor of Economics
James B. O’Neill Director of the Center for Economic Education and Entrepreneurship (CEEE)
Carlos J. Asarta has published research related to gender and personal finance education, role-model effects and the gender gap in undergraduate course persistence and degree selection in economics. He promotes diversity, equity and inclusion in the community and through his editorial responsibilities as Editor-in-Chief of The American Economist. He actively works to ensure knowledge access to Latino/Hispanic students and has been involved with numerous diversity initiatives across the university. Full bio

Julia Bayuk

Associate Professor of Marketing
Associate Dean of Curriculum
Julia Bayuk’s research focuses on goal pursuit and examines tools such as planning, gamification and mindfulness to help consumers achieve their goals and overcome setbacks (e.g., saving money, eating healthy). Her passion for gender equity comes from her work with Lerner freshmen students, as she coordinates the Basics of Business course all Lerner freshmen students take and works closely with students to overcome challenges and stereotypes they face as they transition to college. Full bio

Amanda M. Convery

Assistant Professor of Accounting
Dr. Convery’s interest in the Women’s Leadership Initiative derives from her scholarship and teaching interests, including the organizational processes that govern the accounting and auditing profession. Dr. Convery promotes gender equity in the classroom by balancing gender representation in her classroom examples, analytical cases and guest speakers. She actively participates in Women Leadership Initiative and other campus events promoting gender equity on campus and beyond. Full bio

Kyle Emich

Associate Professor of Business Administration
Kyle Emich’s research explores the role of individual perceptions and emotions in team dynamics and other collective environments. His work often particularly focuses on stereotypes regarding women and other minorities and how allocating women appropriate status can help teams and organizations. It appears in journals including the Academy of Management Journal and Psychological Science and media outlets including TIME and The New York Times. Full bio

Laura Casares Field

Donald J. Puglisi Professor of Finance
Professor Field actively advocates to improve gender representation among undergraduate finance majors including helping to create the Women in Finance student club. She is a member of The American Finance Association’s Academic Female Finance Committee and The Committee for Radial Diversity. She does research on corporate governance and board diversity, specifically board leadership diversity and comply-or-explain board diversity disclosure policies. Full bio

Sheryl F. Kline

Deputy dean of Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics
Aramark Chaired Professor in the Department of Hospitality and Sport Business Management
One of Sheryl Kline’s research streams focuses on the impact of sponsorship and mentorship on women’s career success in the hospitality and tourism industry. She has been a role model leader throughout her career in the casino, hotel and resort industry and in academia, including numerous teaching and research awards. Most recently, she was recognized as one of Delaware’s Businesswomen of the Year by Delaware Today Magazine. Full bio

Stephanie Raible

Assistant Professor
Faculty Director of Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship with Horn Entrepreneurship
Stephanie Raible’s thought leadership is reflected in her recent work, including her new co-authored book, “Social Entrepreneurship A Practice-Based Approach to Social Innovation”. Her research centers on the identity transitions and work of new entrepreneurs, with a focal point on women entrepreneurs; their identity, boundary and emotion work; and their perceptions of the stereotypes and media depictions of entrepreneurs. Full bio

Anu Sivaraman

Assistant Professor of Marketing
As the interim chair of the Lerner Diversity Council at Lerner, Anu Sivaraman has been invited to present at various regional and national level conferences. Her research interests include counterfactual thinking and fundraising strategies. She teaches marketing and statistics and has won multiple awards for her work. She has designed and coordinated courses on the basics of business and the influence of race on business. Full bio

Ex Officio:

Amanda Bullough

Associate Professor – Management & Global Leadership
Co-Founder & Research Director – Women’s Leadership Initiative
Amanda Bullough is a Principal Co-Investigator on the GLOBE Project: GLOBE 2020. She has dedicated a large portion of her career to research and teaching women’s entrepreneurship and leadership. She is also the Academic Director of the Department of State’s Study of the U.S. Institutes Women Leaders summer program, working with young women leaders from sub-saharan Africa. Full bio

Wendy K. Smith

Dana J. Johnson Professor of Management
Faculty Director of the Women’s Leadership Initiative
Wendy Smith is the founder and faculty director for RiseUP – UD’s 3 day in person women’s leadership executive education program – and UD’s Women’s Leadership Online Certificate program. Her new book, “Both/And Thinking: Embracing Creative Tensions to Solve Your Toughest Problems,” integrates 25 years of academic research to explore how we embrace paradoxes to solve our toughest problems. Full bio