Samford University’s Brock School of Business has welcomed five new faculty members. Bre Mertz, Courtney Peters, Yoonah Conoly and Kathryn Boyd have joined the Department of Entrepreneurship, Management and Marketing and Jay Lim has joined the Department of Economics, Finance and Quantitative Analysis.

Mertz holds a Doctorate of Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing, a Master of Business Administration, and a Bachelor of Science in Management from Louisiana Tech University. In her new role as an assistant professor, she will be teaching social media marketing and principles of marketing. Her primary focus in research is on optimizing individual well-being, specifically exploring topics within the context of consumer behavior and services. She is looking forward to having the opportunity to be a positive influence in the lives of her students and considers this opportunity of investment to be an honor.

Originally from Monticello, Arkansas, Peters is joining Samford as an assistant professor of marketing. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Memphis in 2022, her MAT from the University of Arkansas-Monticello in 2015, and her Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Arkansas State University in 2013. Her primary interest of research revolves around corporate impression management strategies with an emphasis on sociopolitical activism. In her new role, she is most looking forward to being back in the classroom and interacting with students and getting to work with young professionals in their preparation to better not only their workplace but also their communities.

Conoly is looking forward to bringing broad, global perspectives to the classroom and sharing her unique experiences with Samford students. Originally from Seoul, Republic of Korea, Conoly has had the privilege of studying, teaching and working in numerous countries and is looking forward to working on a campus that values the Christian faith. She received her Ph.D. in Hospitality Management from Auburn University, her Master of Science from the University of Guelph and her Bachelor of Arts from Ryerson University. As an assistant professor she will be responsible for teaching a course in operations management. Her primary interests in research include locally sourced food, food neophobia, consumer behavior in the hospitality and tourism industry, eye-tracking research and sports tourism.

Boyd received her Master of Business Administration from Samford University in 2019 and will be teaching world of business, business communication, principles of marketing and human resource management courses this semester. Originally from Columbiana, Alabama, Boyd is most looking forward to helping students build a strong foundation of business principles that will guide them through their time in the Brock School of Business as well as their future careers.

Lim is joining Samford as an associate professor with a Ph.D. in Management with an Information Systems concentration from Clemson University. Lim is originally from Alpharetta, Georgia. He is most looking forward to helping students prepare for analyzing and using data efficiently and proactively.

“We are excited to welcome these new faculty members to the Brock School of Business,” said Dean Chad Carson. “Our commitment to driving student success begins with our selection of passionate educators who work to raise the profile of our school and our student’s lives.”