Myke Yest, a Professor of Practice in Finance at the A.B. Freeman School of Business, teaches both graduate and undergraduate classes in such areas as Risk Management, Corporate Finance, Private Equity, Venture Capital, and Cases in Finance. He has also developed the Selber Courses on Distressed Debt and Hedge Funds, based on a generous donor gift.

Outside the classroom, Myke acts as program director for Tulane’s Partnership Program with CFA Institute and co-Director of the Altman Program in International Studies and Business. Myke also consults for a local investment advisor firm that helps high-net worth individuals prepare for retirement. He holds a BBA in Business Management from Stetson University, an MBA from the University of South Florida, and a PhD in Finance from Tulane University, in which he focused his research on mutual fund management structures.

Having spent over 20 years in the finance industry allows Myke to integrate both practice and theory into his finance courses. His dynamic approach toward teaching has earned him numerous awards, including twice-winning the Howard J. Wisner “Professor of the Year” award at the Freeman School of Business. He has also been recognized by four graduating Executive MBA classes for excellence in teaching as well as receiving the Dean's Excellence Award for teaching graduate programs.

Professor John M. Trapani III has been on the Freeman faculty for more than 26 years, and he has taught economics for more than 40 years. Beyond his extensive contributions to student learning in the classroom, his influence at Freeman extends into vital administrative work as executive director of the Goldring Institute and the Martin F. Schmidt Chair of International Business.

His research areas include industrial organization, economics of regulation, and applied econometrics.

Professor Trapani teaches micro- and macro-economics to graduate students in the MBA and EMBA programs. He strives to raise students’ interest levels in economics by demonstrating its practical application to management and policy.

Professor Trapani’s work has made a critical difference for the Freeman school. He has served as vice dean and he manages executive programs for the business school; oversees curriculum development, staffing and marketing; and manages Freeman’s international programs.

Professor Trapani’s work with Freeman has helped expand our international focus. He helped establish a Ph.D. program for faculty in Latin America, which has been recognized by universities, including the University of the Andes in Bogota, for its impact. Currently, he plans trips for students all over the world, with 16 student groups studying across the globe.

Professor Trapani has received more than 35 honors and awards for his teaching, including appearing on Tulane’s Teaching Honor Role many times. He loves economics – he reads it, teaches it, and lives it daily – and he works to bring practical applications into the classroom to engage his students.

He served on the Board of Directors of the North Texas Higher Education Authority, Volunteers of America, and Equitable Bank, N.A. He is past president of the Dallas-Fort Worth Chapter of the International Association of Energy Economists and was a member of the Dallas Economist Club. He earned his doctorate in economics from Tulane University.

Dr. Chris McCusker received a Ph.D. in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he won a “Dissertation Research Award” from the American Psychological Association for his research on cultural differences in negotiation. Prior to coming to Tulane, Dr. McCusker served on the faculties of Columbia Business School and Yale School of Management (10 years). His courses include leadership, negotiation, business ethics, organizational behavior, power and politics, and human resource management.

CHRIS MCCUSKER Clinical Professor Freeman School of Business Tulane University

Dr. McCusker has also created many executive education programs, including the Yale Management Program for Lawyers. In addition, he has taught executive and EMBA education for Tulane University, Washington University in St. Louis, Columbia University, University of California at Berkeley and Yale.

Dr. McCusker also works part-time as a senior consultant for Turknett Leadership Group, where he does leadership development consulting, executive coaching and executive seminars. His consulting activities are focused on designing leadership development programs that involve executives as teachers. His coaching specializes in leadership development for high-potential leaders, technical leaders and those who are facing cross-cultural management issues. Dr. McCusker also offers management seminars on a variety of topics including leadership, negotiation, business ethics, and cultural differences. Some clients include BellSouth, Kroger, Boston Consulting, FBI National Academy, Imerys, AGL Resources, UCB Pharma, and others.

Dr. McCusker has research interests in areas of leadership, ethics, cultural conflict, and the role of business in society.