By Victoria Brito Morales

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS – Two top-notch scholars will join the leadership team for the UTRGV Robert C. Vackar College of Business and Entrepreneurship this summer.

Dr. Giorgio Gotti will serve as director and chair of the School of Accounting while Dr. Peter Magnusson will be the new Department of Marketing chair.

Gotti previously held the same position at the University of Texas at El Paso. He will begin his role at UTRGV starting July 2.

“I think the school, the college, and UTRGV have an amazing growth potential and an important role to play in the growth of the Rio Grande Valley,” said Gotti. “I am looking forward to learning and connecting with the RGV and international community surrounding UTRGV.”

Gotti is also a Dr. Gary J. Mann Family Distinguished Professor in Accounting. He serves on the board of directors of the American Accounting Association (AAA), the top organization for accountants in academia. He holds a doctorate and master’s in accounting from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville and earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from Bocconi University in Milan, Italy.

Magnusson, who starts Sept. 1, is currently a full professor of international marketing at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

“I’m excited about the opportunity to join the Robert C. Vackar College of Business and Entrepreneurship at UTRGV,” said Magnusson. “The college is on a nice upward trajectory and is setting ambitious goals. I look forward to helping move the college forward by focusing on expanding academic opportunities for our students, elevating the academic reputation of the college, and engaging with the broader RGV community.”

Magnusson, a Bennett Faculty Fellow in International Business in Alabama, holds a doctorate in international business and marketing from St. Louis University’s Boeing Institute of International Business, John Cook School of Business, and master’s and bachelor’s degrees in business from Indiana State University in Terre Haute.

Dr. Lance Nail, RCVCOBE dean, said hires like this signal growth not only for the department but for the university as a whole.

“We are so excited to bring such prominent global thought leaders to our faculty and academic leadership. Dr. Gotti is a seasoned department chair with an outstanding academic reputation as an expert on international accounting, textbook author, and director of AAA,” Nail said. “Dr. Magnusson is a leading scholar on international marketing who has won teaching excellence awards for his ability to transfer his knowledge to his students. Both Dr. Gotti and Dr. Magnusson will help lead our efforts to elevate our academic reputation.”

To learn more about the Robert C. Vackar College of Business and Entrepreneurship, visit www.utrgv.edu/cobe.