The Business Faculty
Najiba Benabess, Ph.D.
Dean of the School of Business
Professor of Economics
benabessn@etown.edu | Office: Hoover 202
- Ph.D., Economics, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee
- M.A., Economics, Western Illinois University
Najiba Benabess serves as Dean of the School of Business at Elizabethtown College, PA. She holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee and Master’s degree in Economics from Western Illinois University. Prior to Elizabethtown College, Dr. Benabess served as the Dean of the Tabor School of Business at Millikin University in Central Illinois for five years and as the Director of School of Business and Management in Norwich University in Central Vermont. Over the last twenty years, she has a record of teaching undergraduates and graduates courses and advancing to progressively more responsible administrative and leadership positions ranging from Associate Director of the MBA Program, Director of School of Business & Management, Director of the MBA program, and Dean of the Tabor School of Business. In October 2020, she completed an intensive Leadership Program through Harvard Business School Executive Education. She has presented her research in various conferences nationally and internationally; and published a variety of papers in Peer Reviewed Journals. In August of 2021, she was honored with receiving the Academic Global Business Advancement’s Dean Of The Year award (AGBA) for making a significant contribution to the success of the Tabor School of Business while supporting the AGBA’s mission of global diversity and inclusion. In 2018, Dr. Benabess received the Fellow Award in AGBA’s 15th Annual World Congress that held at the National Institute of Development Administration in Bangkok Thailand, the highest honor bestowed to an academic scholar leader recognizing a person’s globally acclaimed professional accomplishments. Dr. Benabess serves as a Peer Reviewer for Higher Learning Commission since 2017, and enjoys being involved in communities.
Cristina Ciocirlan, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Management
ciocirlanc@etown.edu | 717-361-6618 | Office Hours
- Ph.D., Public Administration, Penn State University, Capital Campus, 2006
- M.A., Economics, 1998
- BA, Economics, 1996
Dr. Ciocirlan is the 2015 recipient of a U.S. Fulbright Scholar Award in the U.K., to study environmental behaviors in organizations at Durham University. She worked with local and international banks and consulted with several small and medium-sized businesses. As a graduate student, she received full scholarships to study in Prague, the Czech Republic, Budapest, Hungary and Colchester, U.K. She presented several papers at national and state conferences (several of which won "The Best Paper Award") and published her research in peer-reviewed journals. Her research interests focus on environmental psychology, diversity, inclusion, and equity in organizations, managerial decision-making, and family business management. Dr. Ciocirlan teaches Management and Organizational Behavior, Talent Management, and People Analytics.
Bryan Greenberg, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Marketing
greenbergb@etown.edu | 717-361-1282 | Office Hours
- Ph.D., Mass Communication, Syracuse University
- MBA, Marketing
- M.S., Media Management
- B.A., Binghamton University
Dr. Greenberg's research focuses on advertising, media management and film marketing. He has served as a consultant for the last seven years conducting research projects for clients in the film, publishing, and distance learning industries. Previously, he was a Corporate Development Manager for the Center for the Media Arts and Regional Marketing Manager for the Washington Post Educational Group.
Dmitriy Krichevskiy, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Economics
Website | krichevskiyd@etown.edu | 717-361-1271 | Office Hours
- M.A., Economics, Florida International University (2006)
- B.A., Economics, Florida International University (2004)
- Ph.D., Economics, Florida International University (2012)
Dr. Krichevskiy joined the faculty in August 2011. Previously, he was a research associate in the Lumina Project at Florida International University, where he also had been a teaching assistant. He was an adjunct professor at Miami (Fla.) Dade College and an engineering manager at Fontainebleau Hilton in Miami.
Sean Melvin, JD
Associate Professor of Business Law
melvins@etown.edu | 717-361-1280 | Office Hours
- B.A., American Literature, St. Thomas University, 1987
- MBA, Pennsylvania State University, 2000
- J.D., Honors, Rutgers Law School, 1993
Sean P. Melvin is an Associate Professor of Business Law and has taught at Etown since 2000. Dr. Melvin is the author of five books (including two textbooks), has contributed over two dozen scholarly and professional articles and case studies to various publications, and is a member of the Academy of Legal Studies in Business. His most recent textbook, The Legal Environment of Business: A Managerial Approach as published by McGraw-Hill/Irwin in October 2010 and is in use at over one hundred colleges and universities. His recent article Case Study of a Coffee War: Starbuck v. Charbucks won “Best Case Study” and “Distinguished Proceedings” at the 86th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Legal Studies in Business and was published in the Spring 2012 volume of Journal of Legal Studies Education. Before his academic career, Professor Melvin was a corporate lawyer in a large Philadelphia-based law firm and went on to become vice-president and general counsel at a publicly-traded technology company in King of Prussia, PA. Melvin earned his Juris Doctorate from Rutgers Law School where he was awarded the American Jurisprudence Award in Business Organizations.
Jared Miller, CPA
Lecturer in Accounting
millerjared@etown.edu | 717-361-6616 | Office Hours
- M.S., Taxation, Villanova University
- B.S., Economics with an Accounting and Finance concentration, Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania
Professor Miller joined the faculty in 2016. He taught accounting and taxation courses at Albright College and York College prior to coming to Elizabethtown College. He currently teaches Introduction to Accounting, Introduction to Taxation, Advanced Accounting, and Advanced Studies in Taxation. Professor Miller brings over 20 years of experience in the field of public accounting working in international, regional and local firms. He currently runs a tax consulting practice and maintains his Certified Public Accounting license. Professor Miller is also actively involved with the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA) and was recently elected to Council. He is also a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).
Emma H. Neuhauser, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Finance
neuhausere@etown.edu | 717-361-4752 | Office Hours
- Ph.D., Finance, State University of New York at Buffalo
- MSc, Computer Science, National University of Singapore
- BEng, Computer Science, Tianjin Institute of Technology, China
Dr. Neuhauser's research interests are Corporate Finance, Corporate Governance, Financial Engineering and Securities, Financial Institution and Markets, and Investments. She has held a variety of positions at a number of institutions including Redback Networks Systems Canada Inc. and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China. She brings with her experience as a quantitative research analyst, system verification engineer, business consultant, and project manager.
Dr. Neuhauser has taught corporate finance at the State University of New York at Buffalo. She is a member of the American Finance Association, Financial Management Association and Global Association of Risk Professionals, and has earned several prestigious awards for her work.
Sanjay Paul, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Economics
Website | pauls@etown.edu | 717-361-1543 | Office Hours
- Ph.D., Economics, State University of New York, Buffalo
- BTech, Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, India
Dr. Paul joined Elizabethtown College in fall 2002. Before joining Etown, Dr. Paul taught economics at a liberal-arts college in the Midwest for 10 years. He has taught courses in microeconomics, macroeconomics, mathematical economics, international economics, economic development, and managerial economics.
Dr. Paul's research interests include globalization, trade policy and innovation. He writes a newspaper column on economic issues and drinks too much coffee for his own good.
Terrie L. Riportella, CPA
Edgar T. Bitting Chair of Accounting
Director of Accounting
riportellat@etown.edu | 717-361-3753 | Office Hours
- B.S., B.A., Bucknell University
- CPA
- MBA, St. Josephs University
Ms. Riportella joined the faculty in 2002. She has 11 years of experience working outside academia in the field of accounting. Her most recent position was as a Senior Manager of Finance for Mapquest.com, a wholly owned subsidiary of America Online. Previously, she spent 7 years in the manufacturing industry with Dana Corporation holding various positions including experience in accounting information systems implementation and as plant controller. She also has public accounting experience with the firm of Ernst & Young. Prior to joining Elizabethtown, Ms. Riportella taught several classes at Albright College. Prof. Riportella serves as faculty advisor for the Accounting & Finance club and is a member of various professional organizations.
Petru Sandu, Ph.D.
Professor of Entrepreneurship and Management and Director of the Family Business and Entrepreneurship Program sandup@etown.edu | 717-361-1269 | Office Hours
- BA, Business and Economics, The Academy of Economics Studies, Bucharest, Romania
- MBA, Fisher College of Business, The Ohio State University
- Ph.D., Entrepreneurship, Al.I.Cuza University, Iasi, Romania
Dr. Sandu's scholarly interests are in the areas of family business and entrepreneurship, with a special focus on family business professionalization, entrepreneurial ecosystems, and family business succession. His research has been published in several peer-reviewed journals and his work on family business professionalization was featured in Forbes.
Dr. Sandu was a visiting professor at the University of Jaen, Spain in 2013 and 2020 during his sabbaticals. He was also a visiting professor at the Bader International Centre, Herstmonceux Castle, U.K. (a campus of Queen's University, Canada) in 2009 and 2010. Dr. Sandu teaches courses in Entrepreneurship, Family Business, and Corporate Strategy. He participated in various programs in Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, Denmark, Iceland, U.K., France, Italy, and Luxembourg. Dr. Sandu served as Dean and Associate Dean of the School of Economics Sciences and Public Affairs at "Stefan cel Mare" University of Suceava in Romania and founded a family business. He joined Elizabethtown College in 2003.
Randolph L. Trostle, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Finance Emeritus
trostler@etown.edu | 717-361-1393
- B.S., Elizabethtown College
- M.Ed., MBA, Shippensburg University
- Ph.D., Lehigh University
Dr. Trostle is a member and past secretary of the Central PA Chapter of the Financial Executives International and former Chair of the Lancaster County Hospital Authority. He has served the College as department chair (1993-1999), acting dean of the faculty (2001) and vice-president of Finance (2003-2007). For 20 years, he was an adjunct professor in the MBA program at Lebanon Valley College. Currently, he serves as the advisor to the Trostle Investment Portfolio (TIP), the department's student-managed investment portfolio (SMIP). He is a financial consultant with DDMP Investment Advisors, LLC.
Hossein Varamini, Ph.D.
Turnbull-Jamieson Chair and Professor of Finance and International Business Director of International Business
Website | varaminih@etown.edu | 717-361-1278 | Office Hours
- B.S. in Business Administration, Tehran Business College, Iran
- MBA Phillips University
- Ph.D. Kansas State University
Dr. Varamini joined the College in the Fall of 2000 as the Director of the International Business Program after holding a similar position at a different institution for over ten years. His primary teaching areas are International Business and Finance. In addition to his individual research publications in the fields of foreign direct investment and foreign exchange markets, Dr. Varamini has published articles with other colleagues and with his students. Some of his articles have been published in the American Journal of Business, Journal of East-West Business, Journal of Global Business, Journal of International Business and Economy, Journal of Economics, Journal of Applied Economics and the Journal of Current Research in Global Business. He is a member of the Academy of International Business, Academy of Finance and the Association for Global Business.
Brett Beckfield
Adjunct Professor of Business
beckfieldb@etown.edu | 717-756-6601
- B.S., Industrial Engineering, Iowa State University, 1986
- MBA, Western Illinois University, 1990
Mr. Beckfield has spent his career in business and supply chain. His focus has been on engineering, manufacturing, operations, and supply chain, as well as process design, systems implementation, supply chain strategy, and people development. He has served in a number of senior executive roles as well as running his own consulting firm.
Basil Holobetz
Adjunct Professor of Business
holobetzb@etown.edu | 717-361-1279
- B.S., Business Administration, Villanova University, 1982
- MBA, International Management, Thunderbird School of Global Management, 1984
- AACSB Professionally Qualified Bridge Program, The Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University, 2009
Mr. Holobetz began his career with Namma Cargo Services Co., Ltd. in Saudi Arabia. He later spent 20 years in the export trading industry in the U.S. before becoming a licensed financial advisor/consultant and attaining the AAMS and PFP designations along with the Pennsylvania Life and Health Insurance licenses. Currently he is an independent consultant with his own business, Holobetz Global Consultants, which specializes in the marketing of small to medium sized firm's products and services to worldwide markets. He is the co-founder and president of the International Business Society.
Kemal Ozkanca
Adjunct Professor of Business
ozkancak@etown.edu | 717-361-1281 | Office Hours
- B.S., Political Science and International Relations, Girne American University, Cyprus, 2004
- B.S., Business Administration (with concentration in Finance), Elizabethtown College, 2010
- MBA, Penn State University, 2018
Mr. Ozkanca founded and managed his own textiles company in Turkey. Following his graduation from Elizabethtown College, he worked as a Financial Analyst at various leading companies. He has over eight years of professional career in Finance, Accounting, and Management in a variety of industries, including asset management, banking, manufacturing, and engineering with focus on budgeting and forecasting, profitability analysis, balance/income statement modeling, trend, cost, margin analysis, sales forecasting, cash flow and depreciation analysis as well as system development, integration, and data mapping.
