Executive Advisory Board

The Executive Advisory Board consists of sponsoring financial institutions and Lucas College and Graduate School of Business representatives.

Platinum Level Member

Gold Level Member

Silver Level Member

Bronze Level Member

Lucas College and Graduate School of Business Representatives

Priya Kannan, PhD, Dean

Dr. Rangapriya (Priya) Kannan is dean the Lucas College and Graduate School of Business. Kannan is a first-generation immigrant and is the first woman and the first person from India to lead the Lucas College and Graduate School of Business on a permanent basis as dean.

Kannan joins SJSU from the University of San Diego, where she was the associate dean of faculty and accreditation and a professor of strategic management, innovation and entrepreneurship. She also serves as a research professor of entrepreneurship at University of Exeter Business School, one of the UK’s leading institutions. Prior to her role as Associate Dean, Dr. Kannan was the inaugural chairperson of the i3 department that houses Innovation and Entrepreneurship, International Business, and Interdisciplinary Studies at the Knauss School of Business. She was also the founding director of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Catalyzer (The CatalyZer). 

Before joining academia, Kannan gained valuable industry experience in both India and Silicon Valley. Her background includes expertise in leadership to affect strategic change, designing interdisciplinary programs, employee development, alumni and community outreach, and creating inclusive work environments. Her research primarily focuses on how individuals achieve innovation within limited resources using creative resourcing and reframing. She has published papers in several outlets related to strategy and innovation, including the Strategic Management Journal, Journal of Product Innovation Management, Organization Studies, Research and Technology Management, Oxford Research Encyclopedia, and Journal of Business Ethics.

Throughout her career, Kannan has achieved numerous accomplishments and received recognition for her contributions in research, teaching, and institution building. These include the Clarence L. Steber Professorship, a distinguished university award at the University of San Diego, as well as being named one of Poets & Quants' Top 50 Undergraduate Business Professors in the country in 2020 for her excellence in teaching. Kannan was also awarded San Diego Businesswoman of the Year in 2020 and was recognized as one of the SD 500 San Diego Most Influential Business Leaders in both 2021 and 2022 by the San Diego Business Journal. Additionally, she served as a visiting research fellow at the Cambridge Judge Business School.

Dr. Kannan earned a PhD from the UCLA Anderson School of Management. She earned her Masters in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from SJSU and was recognized as a Sally Casanova Scholar. Additionally, she has earned a Masters in Personnel Management & Industrial Relations from Tata Institute of Social Sciences (India), and is a graduate of the Cost and Works Accountants Society (India). Her undergraduate studies were completed at the University of Bombay (India), where she received a Bachelor of Commerce degree.

Stoyu Ivanov, PhD

Stoyu I. Ivanov is a Nancie Fimbel Investment Fellow in the Lucas College and Graduate School of Business at San José State University. He holds a PhD and an MBA from the University of Nebraska. Dr. Ivanov is the director of the Center for Banking and Financial Services at San José State University. He is a board member and advisor to the Financial Navigator Student Managed Investment Fund and the SJSU Silicon Valley Aggressive Growth Fund. He was an advisor to the 2015 CFA Investment Research Challenge Northern California Region winning team. He has taught Corporate Finance, Financial Markets and Institutions and Real Estate Finance classes at San José State University. His research interests are in the areas of exchange traded funds and indexing. He has published over 40 scientific articles.

Tijana Rajkovic, PhD

Dr. Tijana Rajkovic is an Associate Professor of Finance, and the Assistant Director of the Center for Banking and Financial Services at San José State University. She holds a PhD in Finance and an MBA from the University of Missouri. Her primary teaching and research interests lie in empirical corporate finance. Dr. Rajkovic's research has been published in the Journal of Corporate Finance, the Journal of Banking and Finance, and European Financial Management. In her spare time, Dr. Rajkovic enjoys spending time with her family, skiing, swimming, and watching movies.