Introducing Our Newest Business Faculty Members, Part II

The Driehaus College of Business welcomed 14 new distinguished teachers and scholars to it full-time faculty this fall. Earlier this month we profiled nine of them from the Department of Management. Here we introduce you to the remaining new business faculty members from the Department of Economics, School of Accountancy & MIS, and the School of Hospitality Leadership. From a thought leader in the field of health economics to a trained chef and sommelier in the hospitality industry, these faculty members bring diverse professional and teaching experiences from around the globe to Driehaus:

Anthony LoSasso

Anthony LoSasso is a nationally recognized leader in the field of health economics. With research that spans health and labor economics, health policy and health services, he has extensive experience studying the effects of insurance in both the private and public sectors. He is particularly interested in the effects of health insurance benefit design on health care utilization and health outcomes. At DePaul, LoSasso is a professor and Driehaus Fellow in the Department of Economics, where he teaches health economics and econometrics courses. He is the recipient of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Five-year Independent Scientist Award. He is a Double Demon who earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics from DePaul.

“I graduated from DePaul back in 1991, so coming back to the university as a faculty member in the department that first taught me economics is enormously special for me,” LoSasso says.“ I am really looking forward to helping the Economics Department build its capacity in health economics and connecting with the huge and growing health care sector more generally.”

Joel Reynolds

Joel Reynolds is a trained chef and sommelier with more than 10 years of industry experience, and the newest assistant professor at the School of Hospitality Leadership. His research focuses on foodservice management and leadership competencies, and his current work examines food safety practices in child care businesses. Reynolds teaches courses in hospitality management, food service management and restaurant entrepreneurship. He joins DePaul from Niagara University in New York. He has a PhD in hospitality management from Iowa State University. “Chicago is an amazing laboratory of hospitality, with five-star hotels to Michelin-starred restaurants,” he says. “The city has so many great examples of what hospitality management can be, so I’m excited to bring industry experts to the classroom as well as bring DePaul students out into real-world settings.”

Peter Aghimien

Peter Aghimien brings over 35 years of teaching experience and professional experience as a licensed and certified public accountant to the School of Accountancy & MIS. He joins DePaul from Indiana University, where he played a key role in developing their new Master of Science in Accounting program. Aghimien has received several awards for his excellence in teaching and has taught and conducted research in a variety of institutions in the United States, Africa, the Middle East and Europe. He has published widely on research topics that include international accounting, auditing and managerial and financial accounting. As a clinical professor in Driehaus, Aghimien teaches financial accounting and financial reporting. He holds a doctorate of business administration from Louisiana Tech University.

“I strive to integrate real-world examples in my class teachings and offer professional exam mentoring to my students to help encourage and prepare them for accounting-related professional exams,” Aghimien says. “I am excited to join the faculty at DePaul and look forward to collaborating with students in their learning odyssey.”

Anton Shigaev

Anton Shigaev is visiting DePaul from Kazan Federal University in Russia as a clinical professor in the School of Accounting & MIS, where he teaches management accounting and introductory accounting courses. He received his MBA with distinction from DePaul and a doctorate of economic sciences from Kazan Federal University. In addition to teaching, Shigaev has experience working as a senior economist in the aviation industry and as a business consultant specializing in product pricing and financial analysis. His research interests include various aspects of financial reporting and analysis, management accounting, and accounting education. Shigaev’s research has been published in numerous journals and he has presented his findings at conferences in 10 countries around the world.

“I strive to create opportunities for students to work on real-life problems by engaging them in professional activities in the classroom,” he says. “I believe it is necessary to involve students as active and informed participants and collaborators in the learning process.”

Brian Thompson

Brian Thompson is the founder of Black & Essington Solutions, an investment advisory firm, where he manages client portfolios and provides financial advisory services. He has taught finance and economics courses at DePaul’s business college as an adjunct instructor for six years and now serves the Department of Economics full-time as a clinical professor. While at DePaul, Thompson has been a major player in the development of the Business Strategy & Decision Making MBA concentration. He also was a TEDx DePaul University speaker in 2017, delivering a talk titled “Connecting Young Minorities to their Future Selves.” Thompson’s areas of research include emotions and judgement in risk-based decision-making and influence-driven cognitive biases. He is a Double Demon with an MBA and a DBA in business from DePaul.

“Raising student's awareness about the power of economics as a language of business is always a key priority for me," he says. "Each class is an opportunity to engage with students about current events taking place, allowing them to use the skills they are building in preparation for their careers and the rest of their lives.”

Read about the five faculty members who joined the college's Department of Management & Entrepreneurship this fall: Maija Renko, Michael Braun, Stephanie Dohrn, Robert Gramillano, Sharon Glennon, Xingzhi Jia, Mona Pearl, Paul Sanchez-Ruiz and Kevin Taylor.