UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Charles H. Whiteman, John and Karen Arnold Dean of the Penn State Smeal College of Business, has announced the appointment of Dan Cahoy and Kimberly Cornaggia as chairs of the Department of Risk Management and the Department of Finance, respectively, in the college.
Cahoy, Robert G. and Caroline Schwartz Professor of Business Law, earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Iowa and a law degree from the University of New Hampshire.
Cahoy has a research expertise in intellectual property law and he teaches classes on general business law and regulation as well as technology law. His research has been published in numerous peer-reviewed academic journals on topics that include sustainable energy innovation, FDA regulatory policy, reforming the U.S. patent system, trademarks and sustainable upcycling and business and human rights.
Having worked as a litigating patent attorney in New York City, Cahoy’s background in the practice of intellectual property law is extensive. However, when he and his spouse were hired as tenure-track faculty members at Penn State in 2001, Cahoy said he realized that academia could provide a more fulfilling way for him to make an impact on the world though his cutting-edge coursework and pursuit of an exciting research agenda.
He credited the “amazing” students at Penn State Smeal for allowing him to teach beyond just what’s read in a book but what can be applied in the future to make them “better global citizens.”
Similarly, he attributed his longstanding leadership at Smeal to colleagues and friends, whom he said he admires greatly. In his 22 years with the University, he has served in leadership roles in Smeal, including as research director for the Center for the Business of Sustainability, various academic organizations and as one of the Penn State participants in last year’s Big Ten Academic Alliance. Cahoy said he views his position as an opportunity to serve his department, a responsibility he doesn’t take lightly.
Cahoy said he plans to support growth and engagement within an academically diverse department, with the intent to impact the students, faculty and initiatives he supports.
“I will work to promote the excellence of our various disciplines as well as individual faculty members, facilitating collaboration where possible,” Cahoy said.
Cahoy will succeed Keith Crocker, whom he called a “mentor and great leader.”
Cornaggia, Louis and Virginia Benzak Professor of Finance, earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Nebraska and a doctorate in finance from Purdue University.
She has taught courses at the graduate and undergraduate levels in subjects including corporate finance, corporate restructuring, equity valuation, multinational finance and capital markets. In addition, she has conducted and published research in corporate finance, credit risk, credit ratings, municipal finance and student loans.
Cornaggia said she enjoys mentoring the research process with junior faculty and doctoral students. In addition to research, she has served on a number of committees, including college-level promotion and tenure committees, Undergraduate Policy Committee, Graduate Policy Committee, Competitive Research Funding Committee, the College Strategic Plan Steering Committee, the Graduate Council, the Academic Standards Committee and the Committee on Graduate Faculty Status.
She attributed her service to the department, college, University and profession as the experience that led to her appointment as department chair.
“These interactions with faculty across departments and across colleges and campuses hopefully prepare me for administrative responsibility in this new role,” Cornaggia said.
Cornaggia said she plans to utilize that collegial environment to continue focusing on excellence in scholarship, classroom instruction and student mentoring.
Cornaggia will succeed William Kracaw, whom she describes as “so good at his job that none of us welcome turnover.”
Both Cahoy and Cornaggia said they feel grateful to be given the opportunity to serve their respective departments and to promote the vast contributions of the work done within them.
“I view our work here as a great privilege," Cornaggia said. "We are tasked with knowledge creation, as well as knowledge dissemination, both of which are highly rewarding endeavors.”