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.
Mary Katharine Acho Tartoni
Marketing & Communications Coordinator
mkatart@umich.edu
Bio
Mary Katharine is the marketing & communications coordinator at the Sanger Leadership Center at Michigan Ross. In her role, she assists in promoting Sanger programs through content creation, market research, and social media engagement.
Mary’s professional background includes various legal and marketing related roles. She enjoys strengthening communication strategies and finding ways to highlight multiple perspectives. She founded her own creative agency in 2020, working to convey brand missions and beliefs to a diverse clientele. She is also interested in brand development and presence, as well as using market data and analytics to create a personalized marketing approach.
Mary is currently continuing her studies at the University of Michigan. She loves film, photography, and all things creative. She is a big U of M football fan and a proud Diet Coke enthusiast.
Michelle Austin
Assistant Director, Programs & Partnerships
meelliso@umich.edu
Bio
Michelle is the assistant director of programs and partnerships at the Sanger Leadership Center at Michigan Ross. She has been a part of Sanger for seven years, serving previously as associate director and as marketing manager prior to her current role. Before coming to Ross, Michelle worked at the U-M Office of University Development for six years in marketing and events. She started her career as a market researcher and account manager for a metro-Detroit agency serving Fortune 100 clients.
Michelle is a firm believer that leadership is a skill, and she is a dedicated teacher and student of the subject. Her notable projects and accomplishments at Sanger have included creating the Center’s social media, brand strategy, and website; creating and directing the Center’s data strategy; and researching and executing the Michigan Ross Leader Endorsement, its leadership credential for graduate students.
Michelle has a Master of Arts in Higher Education from the U-M Marsal Family School of Education and a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Michigan-Dearborn. Outside of work, Michelle spends her time reading, gardening, watching Michigan basketball, and enjoying life 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.
Megan Guest
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.
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.
John Stothoff
Data Analytics Coordinator
stothoff@umich.edu
Bio
John Stothoff is the data analytics coordinator for the Sanger Leadership Center, and a behavioral research associate for the Sanger Research Lab. In his coordinator role, he helps to support program specialists with data-driven evaluations that lend to collaborative conversations and program development.
As an undergrad, John worked with faculty in the Management and Organizations department in both research and teaching assistant roles, starting in the fall of 2021. His experience in the construction management and advertising spaces inspire him to articulate practical and creative management practices with scientifically driven insights. He is also interested in contributing to the larger body of Ross, gaining his doctorate, and continuing on a lifelong journey of learning.
John graduated from the Stephen M. Ross School of Business in 2023 with a Bachelor of Business Administration and minor in Real Estate Development. Outside of work, Jack loves being outdoors, reading good novels, drawing and spending time with his two Labrador Retrievers.
Nicholas Viviano
Program Specialist
nviviano@umich.edu
Bio
Nick Viviano is a program specialist at the Sanger Leadership Center. Nick collaborates with thought leaders, students and other stakeholders to plan, execute and evaluate leadership programs for Ross students and the broader U-M community.
Before joining Michigan Ross, Nick designed resources and executed programs to increase opportunities for students and employees to engage with diversity & inclusion and training & development initiatives in Brooklyn, NY and Shanghai, China. Working out of EF Education First’s office in Shanghai, Nick was a member of the inaugural team tasked with developing the company’s global D&I strategy, and individually focused on the implementation of educational programming and mentoring structures for employees across 6 countries.
Nick graduated magna cum laude from Northeastern University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Political Science. Outside of work, Nick finds the most joy in traveling, reading good books, and participating in meaningful conversations with socially conscious and passionate people.
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
