The Sanger team and its faculty champions serve more than 3,000 students across nine academic programs at Michigan Ross and offer several programs for the entire student body at Michigan. We thrive in providing challenging and transformative experiences that develop students into leaders for business and society.
Evan Marie Allison Pieknik
Associate Director, Flagship Programs & DEI
evamarie@umich.edu
Bio
Evan Marie is the associate director of flagship programs & DEI initiatives at the Sanger Leadership Center at Michigan Ross. With over 10 years of experience in the leadership development field, Evan Marie is passionate about helping others identify and become the best versions of themselves to build a more equitable and just society. In her role, she provides oversight to Sanger’s flagship programs including Story Lab, Legacy Lab, Leadership Crisis Challenge, and Leading Inclusive Teams. She also supports the strategic leadership of the Center and leads Sanger’s diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
Before joining Michigan Ross, Evan Marie spent over 5 years engaging in servant leadership working in the non-profit sector. Most notably, she led grassroots community organizing efforts to develop, empower, and amplify the voices of community leaders.
Evan Marie is a Master of Arts in Higher Education candidate with a concentration in diversity and social justice at the U-M School of Education and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology. Outside of work, she is an avid outdoorswoman and studies multiple martial arts.
Ben Applebaum-Bauch
Program Coordinator
bbauch@umich.edu
Bio
Ben is a program coordinator at the Sanger Leadership Center at Michigan Ross. He advances the development and delivery of leadership programs both for Ross students and the wider U-M community. He also provides logistical support for learning communities and individuals looking to expand their leadership capacities.
Prior to his time at Sanger, Ben served in a variety of roles for the American Youth Foundation, a non-profit committed to positive youth development and community building through experiential education. Most recently, as a project manager, he explored new program initiatives while implementing organizational systems that increased operational efficiency.
Ben holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology from Boston University. He is an avid backpacker and long distance hiker. He also enjoys baking berry pies and cooking.
Michelle Austin
Associate Director, Strategic Partnerships
meelliso@umich.edu
Bio
Michelle is the associate director for strategic partnerships at the Sanger Leadership Center at Michigan Ross. She supports the Center by overseeing its key strategic relationships with stakeholders including the Sanger Advisory Board, faculty, alumni, donors, corporations, and more. Additionally, Michelle oversees several initiatives such as Leadership Dialogues and the Michigan Ross Leader Endorsement. She also works closely with the marketing manager to strengthen the Center’s brand at a high level.
Before her associate director role, Michelle had ten years of experience in higher education. She worked for five years as the Center’s marketing manager and has served as assistant director of marketing and operations for the Office of University and Development Events at U-M.
Michelle has a Master of Arts in Higher Education from the U-M School of Education and a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Michigan-Dearborn. Her hobbies include reading, gardening, watching Michigan basketball, and spending time with her husband, her daughter, and her dog, Cazzie.
Jeff Domagala
Managing Director
jeffdom@umich.edu
Bio
Jeff Domagala is the managing director at the Sanger Leadership Center at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business. As managing director, he is responsible for the strategic oversight of transformative experiences, relationships with stakeholders, and the operations of the center.
Prior to his directorship, he served as an associate director of the Sanger Leadership Center managing a portfolio of programs and developed an internal team engagement strategy. Early in his career, Jeff served as the coordinator for leadership initiatives at Pace University in New York where he directed the operations of four multidimensional leadership programs and two leadership conferences. He also designed and taught a course on leadership development and social change.
At his core, he is an educator who cares deeply about transforming and empowering the people around him. Jeff is a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC), trained by the Co-Active Training Institute, the most rigorous and respected coach training and certification in the industry (2021). He is also a credentialed Associate Certified Coach (ACC) and a member of the International Coaching Federation. He sits on the Alumni Board for Saginaw Valley State University, where he received his undergraduate degree. Jeff has previously served in volunteer capacities with LeaderShape and the Student Leadership Knowledge Community through NASPA. In 2020, he developed a course titled “Becoming a Self-Aware Leader” for Michigan’s Wolverine Pathways program.
Jeff holds a master’s degree in College Student Affairs Leadership from Grand Valley State University. He is an amateur nature photographer and enjoys camping, kayaking, and exploring new places with his family and friends.
Lindred Greer
Faculty Director & Professor for Management and Organizations
greerll@umich.edu
Bio
Lindred (Lindy) Greer is the Faculty Director of the Sanger Leadership Center. She is also a Professor of Management & Organizations at Ross. Her research focuses on how to lead effective organizational teams, with specific interests in leadership skills in conflict management, diversity and inclusion, vision crafting, and the communication of emotions. Lindy has published in top management and psychology research outlets such as Academy of Management Journal, Organization Science, Journal of Applied Psychology, Science, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, among others. Her work has also been covered in media outlets including the New York Times, Forbes, and Fast Company. She has received awards for her research from the Academy of Management and American Psychological Association, and she was recently named one of the Top 40 under 40 Business School Professors by Poets and Quants.
Lindy also has extensive leadership experience in both academia and business. She’s currently an Associate Editor at the Academy of Management Journal, on the boards of six of the top management and psychology journals, and has served on the boards of professional associations such as the International Association of Conflict Management and the Conflict Management Division of the Academy of Management. She also serves on the boards of start-ups and actively coaches start-up CEOs and founders on leadership skills. She loves connecting with our students and alumni at this level, so always feel free to reach out to her for help in this area.
Lindy received her B.S. from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, and her Ph.D. in social and organizational psychology from Leiden University in the Netherlands. She spent the first part of her career as a professor of psychology in the Netherlands, and then joined the Stanford Graduate School of Business where she spent six years teaching their introduction course to their MBA program on Leading Teams as well as an elective she developed on leadership in startups. Michigan was able to steal her away to join the team at Ross in 2019.
Outside of work, she loves pilates reformer classes, running, dressage (ballroom dancing with a horse!), fantasy books, and her Cavalier King Charles spaniel, Creed.
Erica Haughton
Associate Director, Integrative Experiences
eritoma@umich.edu
Bio
Erica serves as the associate director for integrative experiences at the Sanger Leadership Center at Michigan Ross. Her responsibilities include overseeing strategy and execution for student onboarding programs and curricular experiences at Ross in addition to Sanger’s learning communities.
Before her associate director role, Erica served as a program coordinator with the Sanger Leadership Center overseeing various flagship programs and an events associate for the Office of University and Development Events at U-M.
Erica holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Grand Valley State University and is currently pursuing an MBA at Michigan Ross. She is a fitness enthusiast, an avid reader, and is mildly obsessed with her Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Lily.
Isabelle Lian
Research Lab Manager
ilian@umich.edu
Bio
Isabelle is a research lab manager at the Sanger Leadership Center at Michigan Ross. She assists in disseminating research, cleaning and analyzing data, as well as planning events run by the Sanger Lab.
Prior to working for Sanger, she worked as an intern at DuPont as a reporting and analytics intern, serving to create data visualizations for different business functions.
She is currently pursuing a dual degree as a Ross BBA and a Computer Science BSE through the College of Engineering at the University of Michigan. She is a mechanical keyboard enthusiast, boba connoisseur, loves hiking and traveling all over the world.
Claire Lowande
Program Coordinator
clowande@umich.edu
Bio
Claire Lowande is a program coordinator at the Sanger Leadership Center. She assists with the visioning, execution and evaluation of leadership programs for graduate and undergraduate students at the University of Michigan. She is passionate about skills development for students and aims to provide transformative experiences for future leaders.
Claire’s professional background has been in parks and recreation and collegiate recreation. She brings an understanding of experiential learning, community building, and program planning to her work at Sanger. The work Claire is most proud of has been with the Collegiate Recovery Program at The College of New Jersey where she provided a healthy place for students in recovery to build community, pursue their goals, and be refreshed.
Outside of work, Claire is involved in her church, her woodworking hobby, and outdoor recreation. For her, a perfect day in Ann Arbor includes time at Gallup Park, burgers at Frita Batidos and a stroll through the Arb.
Megan Martin
Marketing Manager
meganmn@umich.edu
Bio
Megan is the marketing manager for the Sanger Leadership Center. In her role, she oversees the Center’s brand strategy through the promotion of programs, events, and engagement with both internal and external audiences.
Prior to joining the Sanger team, Megan served in marketing roles at Aysling, Hearst Communications, and the University of Michigan’s Merit Network. During her time at Merit, she supported the Michigan Moonshot initiative by providing community leaders with the resources needed to expand broadband internet access across the state.
Megan holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Strategic Marketing from Davenport University. As a former collegiate hockey player, she loves to spend time at the ice rink and seeks out opportunities to skate, coach, and attend games whenever she can. In the warmer months, Megan enjoys camping, hiking, and exploring Ann Arbor with her family, friends, and her English Springer Spaniel, Posie.
Affiliates
Brian Flanagan
Chief Evangelist
Silke Janz
Leadership Coach
Kathy Macdonald
Leadership Coach
Sue Ashford
Michael & Susan Jandernoa Professor of Management and Organizations
Wayne Baker
Robert P. Thome Professor of Management and Organizations
Professor of Sociology
Professor of Organizational Studies, LSA
Faculty Associate, Institute for Social Research
Faculty Director, Center for Positive Organizations
Mike Barger
Clinical Assistant Professor of Business Administration
Charleen R. Case
Assistant Professor for Management and Organizations
Marcus Collins
Clinical Assistant Professor of Marketing
Julia Lee Cunningham
Associate Professor of Management and Organizations
Cheng Gao
NBD Bancorp Assistant Professor of Business Administration, Assistant Professor of Strategy
Amir Ghaferi
Associate Professor of Surgery and Business
Vice Chair for Strategy and Finance, Department of Surgery
Surgical Director, University Hospital Operating Rooms
Director, Michigan Bariatric Surgery Collaborative
Derek Harmon
Assistant Professor of Strategy
Morela Hernandez
Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy
Ligia Ramirez de Reynolds Collegiate Professor of Public Policy
Faculty Director, Leadership Initiative
Shirli Kopelman
Clinical Professor of Management and Organizations
Ethan Kross
College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
Professor of Psychology and Management/Organizations
Milisa Manojlovich
Professor
Department of Systems, Populations and Leadership
Dave Mayer
John H. Mitchell Professor in Business Ethics
Professor of Management and Organizations
Chair of Management and Organizations
A. Yesim Orhun
Associate Professor of Marketing
Michael R. and Mary Kay Hallman Fellow
Venkatram Ramaswamy
Professor of Marketing
Christopher Rider
Thomas C. Kinnear Professor and Associate Professor of Strategy
Tifani Sadek
University of Michigan Law School Clinical Assistant Professor of Law
Co-director, Zell Entrepreneurship Clinic
Jeffrey Sanchez-Burks
William Russell Kelly Professor of Business Administration
Professor of Management and Organizations
Cindy Schipani
Merwin H. Waterman Collegiate Professor of Business Administration
Professor of Business Law
Gretchen Spreitzer
Associate Dean for Engaged Learning & Professional Development
Keith E. and Valerie J. Alessi Professor of Business Administration
Professor of Management and Organizations
Maxim Sytch
Professor of Management and Organizations
Jim Walsh
A.F. Thurnau Professor
Gerald and Esther Carey Professor of Business Administration
Professor of Management and Organizations
Professor of Strategy
Chair of Strategy
James Westphal
Harvey C. Fruehauf Professor of Business Administration
Professor of Strategy
Co-Director of ICOS
