John R. Deckop, PhD
Associate Professor, Human Resource Management.

John Deckop has taught for 20 years at the Fox School of Business in the areas of human resource management and business ethics. He is the Chair of the Human Resource Management Department (1995-2002) and Chair of the Collegial Assembly (1999-2000). His previous teaching honors include being named Temple University’s MBA Faculty of the Year by students in 1998 and 2007.

Dr. Deckop is a prominent researcher in the areas of risk and justice in compensation systems, the deleterious effects of materialism in the workplace, employment policies that facilitate the transition from welfare to work, spirituality in the workplace, and human resource management ethics. He is a member of the editorial boards of the Academy of Management Journal and Group and Organization Management. Dr. Deckop also served on the boards of several non-profit organizations and is currently an officer of PathWaysPA, a Philadelphia Region non-profit organization that provides service and advocacy for women, children, and families.

Dr. Deckop received his PhD degree in Industrial Relations from the University of Minnesota.

Steven Balsam, PhD
Professor of Accounting and Merves Research Fellow

Steven Balsam is a professor of accounting and Merves Research Fellow at Temple University’s Fox School of Business. He published Executive Compensation: An Introduction to Practice and Theory, the first text to combine practice and theory on this important subject. He has published many articles in prestigious academic journals such as: The Accounting Review, Journal of Accounting Research, Journal of Accounting and Economics, Contemporary Accounting Research, Journal of the American Taxation Association, Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Journal of Accounting, Auditing and Finance, and Accounting Horizons. He has also published in practitioner journals including the Journal of Accountancy.

Dr. Balsam is a faculty advisor for the Temple University chapter of Beta Alpha Psi, and from 2003-2006 he organized annual conferences at the Fox School on the issues surrounding share-based compensation. Prior to his career at Temple University, Dr. Balsam taught at Baruch College in New York, where he received his PhD and the University of Rochester. Before entering academia he was a Certified Public Accountant for the international accounting firm of Ernst & Young.

John G. Soss, PhD
MSFE Program Director, Department of Finance

With more than 20 years of distinguished academic and industry experience, John G. Soss, Director of the Master of Science in Financial Engineering (MSFE) Program in the Department of Finance at the Fox School, is an expert in the derivatives and capital markets. Dr. Soss played a pivotal role in the advancement of the MSFE program curriculum, the recruitment of the inaugural class of 25 MSFE Scholars and the creation of career development activities for the program. The Fox MSFE program offers a challenging course of graduate training in this exciting and rewarding area. Prior to returning to academia, Dr. Soss enjoyed a dynamic investment banking career in New York and London, including senior positions at S.G. Warburg and the Union Bank of Switzerland. Dr. Soss managed derivatives franchise business in North America, Europe and Asia. His teaching and research interests focus on global derivatives and international financial markets.

Dr. Soss is the recipient the Fox School’s 2007 Financial Management Association Teacher of the Year. He earned a BA in mathematics from the Colorado College and his PhD in finance from the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management.

Sandra Sokol
Director,
Fox Executive MBA (EMBA) & Professional MBA (PMBA) & MS Programs

Sandra Sokol joined Dean's Office staff at the Fox School of Business in 1990. She received both her BBA (1999) and MBA (2001) from the school. Over the past couple of years, as Director of the Fox School’s Executive MBA (EMBA) and Professional MBA (PMBA) & MS Programs, she helped successfully carry out Dean Porat’s initiative to elevate the Fox MBA to a first-class program. She also built a strong network for students by launching the Fox Women's Leadership Initiative (FWLI), and she introduced International Field Study experiences for PMBA students to Asia in 2006 and to Latin America in 2007. In recent times, Ms. Sokol has been working on developing executive education partnerships with corporate partners. Her efforts were rewarded with the launch of a Business Certificate Program in conjunction with the University of Pennsylvania Health System, one of the area’s largest employers. The commitment of Ms. Sokol to the Temple community has encouraged and made a difference in the lives of many students.

Amber L. Ziminski, BBA
Service Administrator, Vanguard Group

A summa cum laude graduate of the Fox School, Amber Ziminski was named to the Dean’s List every semester she attended Temple University. In 2006, she was also inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma, the International Business Honors Society. She served multiple roles for the Business Honors Student Association, including President from 2006 to 2007. Ms. Ziminski also served as Chair for Temple University’s Relay for Life committee. She held several internship positions at the Vanguard Group in their College to Corporate Internship Program. In the client relationship position she held through this program, she assisted with quality-assurance satisfaction metrics and helped develop new Human Resource Information System tracking measures. While serving as the Finance Intern at Vanguard, she analyzed and recorded expense accruals and assisted in various stages of quarterly report forecasting for IT subdivisions.  Ms. Ziminski is currently part of Vanguard’s Acceleration Into Management program, and is in rotation in the Brokerage Services division.

Fred Blume
Chairman Emeritus, Blank Rome LLP

Fred Blume is Chairman Emeritus of Blank Rome LLP, a full-service law firm of approximately 500 attorneys with nine offices. Since the beginning of his career as an associate in 1967, Mr. Blume has been directly involved in the strategic growth of Blank Rome. Mr. Blume is a member of the Philadelphia, New York, Pennsylvania, Florida, and American Bar Associations. He serves on the boards of the University of Pennsylvania Law School's Institute of Law and Economics, City Year, the National Museum of American Jewish History, the Greater Philadelphia Film Office, and the Corporate Executive Board of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. He is also a member of the Board of Visitors at the Fox School and is a contributor to the Campaign for Alter Hall. Mr. Blume received his LLB from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and his BBA from Temple's University's Fox School of Business.