Ajay Menon, Ph.D.
Professor of Marketing and Dean
As Dean of the College of Business, Ajay Menon provides strategic direction for the College of Business. His responsibilities include: providing leadership for the College of Business; developing and maintaining relationships with all external stakeholders of the College; obtaining financial resources for the College to achieve its vision for success; broad oversight of the senior management of the College.

Menon holds a Ph.D. in Marketing and has been on the Marketing Department faculty since 1991. His teaching and research expertise lie in the areas of International Marketing, New Product Development & Management and Strategic Market Planning. His research interests focus in the areas of customer loyalty, new product management, and strategy implementation. He has coordinated and participated in several discussion round-tables on these and related topics at national and international forums. Menon’s research has appeared in the leading marketing and business journals. In addition, he has received several recognitions for his classroom teaching, including being named "Professor of the Year." Menon has been a consultant to several leading companies in Colorado.

Karin Cowles
Executive Assistant to the Dean
Karin Cowles joined the Office of the Dean in May 2008 as Executive Assistant to Dean Menon, and is responsible for handling the Dean’s calendar, travel and special projects. Her prior experience includes administrative and support roles in law firms and international corporations. You can contact Karin at 970-491-2398 or Karin.Cowles@business.colostate.edu

John Olienyk, Ph.D.
Senior Associate Dean

After earning his Ph.D. in economics at Colorado State University, Olienyk taught at Bradley University and worked in the investment banking industry. He joined the faculty of the Finance and Real Estate Department in 1982. He has developed a reputation as an outstanding teacher, and has been the recipient of several major (campus-wide) awards for excellence in teaching and in service to students. His primary area of research interest is international finance, and his research has been published in international finance journals.

Olienyk has substantial international experience. He has conducted research in Europe and has served as a consultant for several multinational corporations. He has been participating in the US Department of Agriculture's Faculty Exchange Program since 1999. As part of that program he has lectured at universities and conducted seminars and workshops on the market system in Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan, and has served as a host and mentor for visiting faculty from the former Soviet Union. Olienyk has also taught in MBA programs in Grenoble, France and Moscow, Russia, and he has twice served as a faculty member for the University of Pittsburgh's Semester at Sea.

Susan Athey, Ph.D.
Associate Dean, Undergraduate Programs
Susan Athey is Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs. She is responsible for coordinating curriculum issues and providing oversight of undergraduate programs in the College of Business. She also works with Student Services personnel to enhance the student experience in the College. Athey has received various teaching and advising awards.

Athey grew up in Maryland, graduated from Virginia Tech with a BS in statistics, from Colorado State University with an MBA, and from the University of Arizona with a Ph.D. in management information systems. She joined Colorado State University in 1987 and has taught programming and web development classes ever since. Previously, she worked for Westinghouse and Hewlett-Packard. She loves to travel and spent three months in Evora, Portugal in 2002 on a Fulbright Fellowship teaching graduate students.

John Hoxmeier, Ph.D.
Associate Dean, Graduate Programs

John Hoxmeier is the Associate Dean of Graduate Programs and an Associate Professor of Computer Information Systems. Hoxmeier is responsible for all graduate programs including the Executive MBA Program, Professional Distance MBA Program, and the Master of Management Practice Program. He received a Ph.D. from the University of Colorado-Boulder where his research included collaborative and group support systems. A Colorado State University alumnus, Hoxmeier received an MS from Colorado State University and a BS in business administration from the University of Nebraska. He worked in industry for 15 years prior to joining the faculty at Colorado State. He recently completed a Faculty Fellowship at Cranfield University in the UK and is a Service Learning Fellow at CSU. Hoxmeier's teaching and research includes data modeling, database design, information quality, and system response time. He has published in many IT and business journals including the Journal of Management Information Systems, Journal of Organizational and End User Computing, Journal of Business and Management, Business Process Management Journal, Software Quality Journal and Journal of Applied Management Studies. 

Pam Johannsen
Program Assistant
Pam Johannsen is a graduate of the University of Northern Iowa and has been with Colorado State University for decades! As a program assistant, Pam works closely with Dean Menon and the associate deans on programmatic issues and on scheduling and coordinating calendars and travel. She is responsible for coordinating the college’s undergraduate commencement ceremonies, Dean’s List, honors and awards luncheons, special events, Rockwell room scheduling, and works with other staff on college scholarships. Johannsen is the Rockwell Hall building proctor as well as the Equal Opportunity Officer for the college. Her depth of institutional knowledge is invaluable in referring students to the appropriate office for assistance and in helping students solve problems. You can contact Pam at 970-491-1499 or Pam.Johannsen@colostate.edu

Ernie MacQuiddy
Assistant to the Dean for Budgets and Financial Management
MacQuiddy is responsible for assisting the dean with developing, implementing and monitoring the College of Business budget.

Danell Bartsch
Accounting Technician for the College of Business
Bartsch is responsible for payroll and financial reporting. She is the assistant to the Budget and Financial manager.

Deborah Booker
Manager of Marketing and Communications

Deborah Booker joined the College of Business at Colorado State University as Manager of Marketing and Communications in 2006. Prior to moving to Fort Collins, she was with the Olin School of Business at Washington University in Saint Louis, where for eight years she guided marketing and communications strategy as Associate Dean for External Relations. For the preceding five years she was Director of MBA Admissions. Prior to working at Olin, Deborah’s career was spent in the contract furniture industry working in sales and marketing capacities for a major manufacturer. Deborah holds an MBA and a BS from the University of Maryland, College Park. She can be reached at (970) 491-7221 or Deborah.Booker@colostate.edu

Erik Olson
Director of Development
Erik Olson joined the College of Business on January 15, 2008. A former defensive back for the Rams who was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2000, Erik always remained connected to Colorado State University. After leaving the NFL, Erik returned to Colorado State to build on his bachelor’s degree in business administration and computer information systems (CIS) by earning his CIS master’s in 2004. While pursuing his master’s, Erik kept his ties to the Rams with live game analysis and post-game interviews with coaches and players, as well as a weekly column, “Keys to Victory,” at RamNation.com that ran until 2007. During this time he also opened a Cold Stone Creamery franchise. Erik developed strategies that brought the store into the top 10 nationwide and to a first place in total sales and gross profits statewide during its first five years. After leaving the franchise, Erik used personal capital in 2003 to purchase Uptown Liquors, creating a niche market in high-end wine management and delivery. Most recently, Erik helped jumpstart CRUNK!!!, an energy drink company developed by the late Sidney Frank. Erik managed the Midwest territory and handled key relationships with ambassadors of the brand. During more than four years at CRUNK!!!, Erik helped make CRUNK!!! one of the best selling energy drinks in the country.

David Nichols
Associate Director of Development
David Nichols joined the College of Business on January 7, 2008. He comes to us with ten years of experience working in development in the Fort Collins community. Most recently, he spent five years working as the Executive Director of the Platinum Pro Foundation, where most notably, he secured initial funding from the Christopher Reeves Paralysis Foundation on a collaborative program. He also worked for United Way of Fort Collins as director of agency relations and funds distribution and as a development specialist at Poudre Valley Hospital Foundation working on major gifts, planned giving, special events and scholarships. Nichols has held various board positions with the Colorado Watershed Network, has been a member of Rotary International, and served on the Team Fort Collins Criminal Justice subcommittee and Build-A-Generation task force. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of Wisconsin.