Academic Affairs Administration
Associate Dean of Academic Affairs
Michael Williams, PhD
Michael Williams has served Pepperdine University in a variety of leadership roles since joining the faculty in 2004. He is an experienced leader in graduate management education with competencies in program development, stakeholder engagement, and process improvement. As a scholar, he is interested in how technology shapes organizations, individuals, and society. He has published in leading empirical and practitioner outlets including European Journal of Operations Research, MIS Quarterly Executive, and books published by Oxford University Press. Michael is an award-winning teacher, including the Howard A. White Award for Teaching Excellence, Pepperdine’s highest teaching award. Additionally, has served as a visiting scholar and teacher at business schools around the world including University College Dublin (IE), Mannheim University Business School (DE), and Innsbruck Management Centre (AT).
Department Chairs
Jillian Alderman, PhD, CPA, CFE
ACCT, FIN, Real Estate
Jillian Alderman is an Associate Professor of Accounting. Prior to her academic experience, Jillian worked as an auditor at Deloitte and is professionally licensed as a CPA (Florida) and Certified Fraud Examiner. Jillian’s research interests are interdisciplinary and applied in focus, involving the study of how individuals’ beliefs, traits, and backgrounds influence their lives, and the resulting impact on organizations and society. Jillian has received the Howard A. White Award for Teaching Excellence from Pepperdine University and currently teaches Accounting courses in Part-Time and Full-Time programs, and a seminar on decision-making research for the EDBA program.
Kenneth Ko, PhD
DESC, ISTM, STGY, ENTR
Dr. Ko is an associate professor of decision sciences and department chair of Strategy‚ Information Systems Technology Management‚ and Decision Sciences. Dr. Ko has worked as a product manager for Hewlett-Packard, a business manager for PricewaterhouseCoopers, and a management consultant for Strategic Decisions Group where he is currently an outside consultant. Dr. Ko graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with honors, and Stanford University with a PhD in Management Science and Engineering.
Jaclyn Margolis, PhD
ABS, OTMT
Dr. Jaclyn Margolis holds a PhD in Management with a concentration in Organizational Behavior from Drexel University. She received her MBA from Drexel University and her BS in Finance and Economics with a minor in Psychology from Lehigh University. Dr. Margolis’s teaching focuses on organizational behavior, teamwork, leadership, and personal development. Her primary research interests include teams, leadership, motivation, and social comparison processes. Dr. Margolis worked in the financial services industry prior to pursuing her doctorate.
Brian McGilvray, JD
ECNM, LEGL, MKTG
Brian McGilvray currently teaches courses in leadership and ethics, business law, employment law, and human resources management at Pepperdine University’s Graziadio Business School. McGilvray previously taught at California State University, Northridge, and has guest lectured on ethics and family business issues at UCLA’s Anderson Graduate School of Management. In addition, he was awarded a Teaching Assistant Fellowship while attending Pepperdine University’s School of Law. McGilvray currently serves as the Chair of the Master of Science in Business Program in the Graziadio Business School.