The University of Akron (UA) College of Business has welcomed six new faculty and professional staff members, bringing a diverse range of academic expertise, professional experience and research interests to the classroom starting in fall 2026.
 
The newest members of the College of Business faculty — Dr. Neil Filosa, Dr. Theresa Haskins, Dr. Josh Hilton, Bill Kroll and Piotr Skomra — bring expertise spanning human resource management, economics, sales and accounting. Their backgrounds also reflect the college’s commitment to connecting classroom learning with real-world business challenges and emerging issues facing today’s organizations. Blair Suttles has also joined the college as associate director of undergraduate recruitment and retention, serving as a key point of contact for prospective students and their families throughout the college search and enrollment processes.
 
“We are thrilled to welcome these six outstanding individuals to the College of Business,” said Dr. Terry Daugherty, dean of the College of Business. “Each brings a unique combination of academic expertise, professional experience and a passion for helping students succeed. Their diverse perspectives will strengthen our classrooms, expand our research capabilities and create new opportunities for our students to learn from faculty who understand the complexities of today’s business environment.

Dr. Neil Filosa

Assistant Professor of Economics, Department of Economics

Filosa, assistant professor of economics, joins the college as an economist specializing in public economics, labor economics, and the economics of law and crime. His research examines public policy and workforce issues, including police officer retention, recruitment and workplace climate, as well as the effects of public health policies in schools. He earned his Ph.D. in economics from Michigan State University and received the MSU Department of Economics’ 2025 Excellence-in-Teaching Award.

Dr. Theresa Haskins

Visiting Assistant Professor of Practice of Management, Department of Management

Haskins, visiting assistant professor of practice of management, joins the college with extensive experience in human resource management, organizational development, change management and inclusive talent practices. She earned her Doctor of Education in Organizational Change and Leadership from the University of Southern California and has taught graduate-level human resource management courses at USC. Her professional experience includes leadership roles with JPMorgan Chase & Co., where she led organizational development and change management strategy for the integration of firmwide testing, control and oversight teams. She has also supported NASA's accessibility, disability-inclusion and neurodiversity efforts, serving as an expert in the evaluation of inclusion plans for scientific proposals submitted to the astrophysics division.

Dr. Josh Hilton

Visiting Assistant Professor of Practice of Economics, Department of Economics

Hilton, visiting assistant professor of practice of economics, joins the college as an economist specializing in industrial organization and labor economics. His research focuses on corporate sustainability communication, including greenwashing, greenhushing and the strategic disclosure of environmental information. Hilton earned his Ph.D. in economics from Wayne State University and brings several years of teaching experience in economics, statistics and econometrics. He also received Wayne State’s 2025 Mendelson Award in Economics for his dissertation.

Bill Kroll

Associate Professor of Practice, Department of Marketing; Director, Fisher Institute for Professional Selling

Kroll transitions to full-time faculty this fall following his appointment to director of the Fisher Institute for Professional Selling. He brings more than 26 years of professional selling and sales leadership experience to the role, following a distinguished career with Colgate-Palmolive, where he held progressive leadership positions in sales, account management, business development and sales training. As director of the Fisher Institute, Kroll will work closely with students, faculty and corporate partners to expand experiential learning opportunities, strengthen employer engagement and continue the institute's tradition of developing highly sought-after sales professionals.

Piotr Skomra

Visiting Assistant Professor of Practice of Accounting, George W. Daverio School of Accountancy

Skomra, visiting assistant professor of practice of accounting, comes to UA with expertise in accounting, auditing and emerging audit technologies. His research focuses on audit quality, cybersecurity, audit governance and the collaboration between internal and external audit functions. A certified public accountant, certified information systems auditor and certified management accountant, Piotr brings significant industry experience from Pitney Bowes, IBM and PricewaterhouseCoopers, along with teaching and research experience from Case Western Reserve University. He also received the Best Innovation for Teaching Award in 2024 at the American Accounting Association (AAA) Annual Ethics Research Symposium.

Blair Suttles

Associate Director, Recruitment & Retention, Dean's Office

Suttles comes to the college with experience in higher education, admissions, adult education and student support, having most recently served as an assistant director of first year admission and campus visit coordinator for Baldwin Wallace. Blair’s experience spans adult education, transfer and nontraditional student recruitment, program development, strategic planning and community partnerships. Blair holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a minor in gender and diversity studies from Xavier University and a Master of Education in Adult Learning and Development from Cleveland State University.
 
UA’s College of Business is internationally accredited and ranked among the top 1% of business schools worldwide by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). Through experiential learning, career readiness and strong corporate connections, the college empowers every Zip to say “yes” to opportunity and Experience Business.