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Holly Frew
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Robinson College of Business
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ATLANTA — Georgia State University’s J. Mack Robinson College of Business has appointed three distinguished scholars to endowed faculty positions in marketing and computer information systems: Naveen Donthu as the Richard and Susan Lenny Distinguished Chair in Marketing; J.J. Po-An Hsieh as the Board of Advisors Professor in Computer Information Systems; and Likoebe Maruping as the John B. Zellars Professor in Computer Information Systems.
The appointments recognize faculty whose scholarship and leadership advance their fields and address the forces shaping the future of business, from marketing strategy and consumer behavior to artificial intelligence, digital innovation, and the evolving nature of work and organizations.
Naveen Donthu
Naveen Donthu is an internationally recognized scholar in marketing strategy and marketing science whose research spans branding, consumer behavior, advertising, and marketing productivity. He has published more than 150 peer-reviewed articles, and he is Robinson’s most-cited scholar with more than 75,000 citations. He is a Distinguished University Professor, Georgia State’s highest institutional-level faculty rank, and served as chair of Robinson’s Department of Marketing for 17 years.
The Richard and Susan Lenny Distinguished Chair in Marketing was established by Richard “Rick” and Susan Lenny to strengthen marketing at Robinson by supporting the recruitment and retention of outstanding faculty. Lenny, who earned a B.B.A. in marketing from Georgia State in 1974 and later served as chairman and CEO of The Hershey Company, has credited his Georgia State education, including the influence of his professors and fellow students, with giving him the confidence and motivation to pursue his career.
“Naveen Donthu represents exactly the kind of faculty excellence Rick and Susan Lenny sought to advance when they established this chair,” said Robinson College Dean Richard Phillips. “He is an extraordinarily influential scholar, a dedicated mentor to generations of doctoral students, and a longtime academic leader whose contributions have strengthened both the field of marketing and Robinson College.”
J.J. Po-An Hsieh
J.J. Po-An Hsieh studies how artificial intelligence and other digital technologies are reshaping work and organizations. His research examines digital innovation, human-AI decision-making, resilience and sustainability, and how organizations capture value from advanced information systems.
Hsieh joined Georgia State in 2015 and became a professor in 2024. In 2023, the Association for Information Systems honored Hsieh with its Mid-Career Award, which recognizes scholars in the mid-stage of their academic careers who have demonstrated exceptional performance in research, pedagogy, and community service in the information systems field.
“J.J. Hsieh is studying some of the most consequential questions facing organizations today, including how artificial intelligence is changing work and how humans and intelligent systems can most effectively work together,” Phillips said. “The international recognition he has earned reflects the combination we value at Robinson: rigorous scholarship, relevance to the challenges facing business, and a deep commitment to students and the academic community.”
Likoebe Maruping
Likoebe Maruping’s research examines how digital technologies transform innovation in organizations and how people collaborate, coordinate work, and create value in increasingly technology-enabled environments, with particular interests in digital collaboration, open innovation, digital transformation, and human-AI hybrids.
In addition to his research accomplishments, Maruping has made significant contributions to the development of future scholars through his active mentoring of students in Robinson’s Ph.D. and DBA programs. He has served as director of the Ph.D. program since 2022, and in 2021, the Association for Information Systems presented him with its Doctoral Student Corner Faculty Mentor Award. In 2025, the Communication, Digital Technology and Organizing division of the Academy of Management recognized him with the Distinguished Service award.
“Likoebe Maruping combines exceptional scholarship with an equally impressive commitment to developing the next generation of scholars,” Phillips said. “His work on digital transformation, collaboration, and the emerging relationship between people and intelligent technologies addresses questions that will help shape how organizations operate in the years ahead. That combination of intellectual leadership and mentorship makes him an important part of Robinson’s future.”
Learn more about the Department of Marketing and the Department of Computer Information Systems at Georgia State University’s Robinson College of Business.