Professors
Blake LeBaron and
Erich Schumann are the winners of this year’s Excellence in Teaching awards.
Dean Kathryn Graddy presents the awards, chosen by student vote, each spring to faculty members who demonstrate passion, commitment and outstanding contributions to
Brandeis International Business School.
Graddy said LeBaron and Schumann inspire students through their dedication to teaching and expertise in their respective fields.
LeBaron, the Abram L. and Thelma Sachar Professor of International Economics, is passionate about the future of data in business. In addition to teaching machine learning and data analysis classes, he is the program director of the business school’s
Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA) program.
“Blake is an expert in high-technology finance,” said Graddy. “He is the leader of our popular MSBA program and a prominent researcher in market simulations. At the same time, our students are drawn to his accessible and engaging teaching style.”
LeBaron’s research primarily deals with domestic and international financial markets. He is involved in empirical and theoretical studies of asset market behavior, and is a pioneer in the field of creating “artificial stock markets” using simulated computer traders.
An adjunct professor, Schumann has nearly two decades of experience leading the business consulting and recruiting firm Global Atlantic Partners, LLC in Boston. Prior to that he worked for Fleet Bank — formerly BankBoston — in a number of senior roles, including executive vice president and chief accounting officer. He also worked for the bank in São Paulo, Brazil; Frankfurt, Germany; Geneva, Switzerland; and Hong Kong.
Schumann teaches corporate governance, corporate fraud detection and prevention, and operational risk management.
“Erich has a wealth of high-level business and finance experience, which is so important to the foundation of our academic programs at the International Business School,” said Graddy. “He brings this real-world experience to the classroom, engaging students in practical discussions about how to lead businesses and manage major corporate divisions.”
