Four new faculty members have joined the Daniels College of Business for the 2025-26 academic year in accounting, management, business information and analytics, and finance. Several other faculty received promotions.
“I am delighted to welcome our newest faculty members to the Daniels College of Business,” said Lorenzo Patelli, a professor in the School of Accountancy and associate dean of faculty and graduate programs. “These four outstanding researchers and teachers begin their journey with us bringing their unique expertise, energy and perspective. They share Daniels’ commitment to excellence and ethics, and they will exemplify our values to our students.”
Learn more about the incoming faculty below and welcome them into our Daniels community.
Orkun Baycik, Assistant Professor, Department of Business Information and Analytics
Orkun Baycik earned his MS in industrial engineering from the University of Arkansas and PhD in decision sciences and engineering systems at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He was previously a visiting professor in the Department of Business Information and Analytics at the Daniels College of Business and a clinical assistant professor at the Boston University Questrom School of Business.
His research and teaching interests lie at the intersection of analytics, operations and supply chain management, with studies focusing on both business and societal problems. His work on societal issues includes modeling and disrupting illegal supply chains, improving sustainability in the apparel industry, and evaluating government initiatives aimed at ending homelessness. In the business context, he examines the role of digital transformation and generative AI in supply chains, as well as how reputation badges influence customer purchasing behavior in online marketplaces.
Deepika Chhillar, Assistant Professor, Department of Management
Deepika Chhillar is an incoming assistant professor of management at the University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business. Her research sits at the intersection of strategic human resource management, corporate sustainability and digital governance, with a particular focus on the organizational implications of artificial intelligence.
She holds a PhD in business administration from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s Gies College of Business, and dual degrees in economics and computer science engineering from BITS Pilani, India.
Her work has been published in Business & Society and featured at leading conferences, including the Academy of Management, Strategic Management Society and EGOS. During her PhD, she received several awards, including the AAUW Doctoral Fellowship and the Richard A. Erley Award for Academic Excellence.
Prior to academia, Deepika worked across industry and consulting in roles spanning leadership development, advanced analytics and market risk. Her professional experience includes positions at Spencer Stuart, 9.9 Group, Schlumberger and Credit Suisse across the U.S. and India.
Arkadiy Lenchak, Assistant Professor, Reiman School of Finance
Arkadiy Lenchak, PhD, is an assistant professor of finance at the University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business. His primary research interests lie at the intersection of corporate governance, information disclosure and firm valuation, with a particular focus on how these factors influence financial market efficiency.
While much of the existing literature has emphasized quantitative indicators of firm performance, Arkadiy’s work brings attention to the increasing relevance of qualitative information—particularly language—as a source of insight into firm behavior and investor reaction. His current projects explore the role of language in corporate governance and strategic disclosure, the constraints investors face in processing complex information and the implications of these dynamics for market behavior.
Arkadiy earned his MSc in economics from the University of Rome Tor Vergata in 2014, and completed his PhD in finance at the University of Alberta in 2025. He has taught corporate finance at the University of Alberta, where he received the 2024 Teaching Award. His teaching portfolio also includes seminars for MBA and Executive MBA programs at Duke University and the Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Business.
Sheryl Moriarty, Assistant Professor of the Practice, School of Accountancy
Sheryl Moriarty completed the Daniels College of Business Executive PhD program in 2024. She also received her Master of Business Administration from the University of Denver. Her undergraduate work was completed in Canada. Sheryl is a certified public accountant (inactive) in Colorado, a certified internal auditor and was certified as a management accountant in Canada.
Prior to starting as an assistant professor of the practice, she became an adjunct professor at Daniels and Northern Michigan University.
Sheryl has over 30 years of business experience in financial, accounting and consulting positions for KPMG, BDO, RSM and others. The focus of her 20-year consulting career was to advise the office of the chief financial officer on an array of matters. Her most recent position was with BDO USA in McLean, Virginia, as managing director, accounting advisory and outsourcing.
She currently resides in Denver. When not at the gym, golfing or playing tennis, she enjoys spending time with friends and cheering on her daughter at various equestrian events.
Faculty Promotions
In addition to the new faculty joining this fall, several current Daniels faculty members have been promoted. They are:
- Shahram Amini, Associate Professor with tenure, Reiman School of Finance
- Bud Bilanich, Associate Teaching Professor, Department of Management
- Tom Hall, Professor of the Practice, School of Accountancy
- Tamara Hannaway, Teaching Professor, Department of Business Information and Analytics
- Paul Harrison, Associate Teaching Professor, Reiman School of Finance
- Michael Jacobs, Associate Teaching Professor, Reiman School of Finance
- Young Kwark, Associate Professor with tenure, Department of Business Information and Analytics
- Kenneth Leung, Teaching Professor, Reiman School of Finance
- Kathie Novak, Teaching Professor, Department of Management