Seonghee Han, PhD, CFA

Seonghee Han Headshot
Associate Professor of Finance, Business
Rydal Executive Plaza, 312

Academic Employment

Pennsylvania State University at Abington, 2024-Present
(Tenured) Associate Professor of Finance

Pennsylvania State University at Abington, 2017-2024
Assistant Professor of Finance

Frostburg State University, 2015 – 2017
Assistant Professor of Finance

Teaching Interests

Corporate Finance; Financial Management; Investments; International Financial Management; Equity Valuation; Business Statistics; Financial Statement Analysis

Courses Taught

Corporate Finance (both undergraduate and graduate); Financial Management (undergraduate); International Financial Management (undergraduate); Principles of Finance (undergraduate)

Selected Awards and Honors

2024-2025 Rubin Research Grant, Pennsylvania State University, Abington 

2023 CFA Professor Scholarship, CFA Institute

2022-2023 Rubin Research Grant, Pennsylvania State University, Abington

2020-2021 Summer Faculty Fellowship, Pennsylvania State University, Abington

2019 Recognition as an Outstanding 2018 Group & Organization Management (GOM) Paper, 2019 Academy of Management conference

My article titled, "When Crisis Knocks, Call a Powerful CEO (or not): Investigating the Contingent Link Between CEO Power and Firm Performance During Industry Turmoil" has been selected for recognition as an Outstanding 2018 Group & Organization Management (GOM) Paper.

2019 Finalists for a "Best GOM Paper" Award, 2019 Academy of Management conference

My article titled, "When Crisis Knocks, Call a Powerful CEO (or not): Investigating the Contingent Link Between CEO Power and Firm Performance During Industry Turnmoil" has been nominated for a "Best GOM Paper" Award by the GOM Editorial Team.

2019-2020 Rubin Research Grant, Pennsylvania State University, Abington

2019 -2020 Steinberg Research Award, Pennsylvania State University, Abington

2018 Office of Educational Equity - Multicultural Faculty Development Support Funds, Pennsylvania State University, University Park

2018 CFA Professor Scholarship, CFA Institute
2017 CFA Professor Scholarship, CFA Institute
2016 CFA Professor Scholarship, CFA Institute

2016 Faculty Publication Award, College of Business, Frostburg State University
2016 Faculty Development Award, Frostburg State University

2013 Best paper award, FMA Asian Conference (semi-finalist)
2013 Best paper award (Corporate Finance category), FMA Annual Meeting (semi-finalist)

2013 KAFA (Korea America Finance Association) PhD Student Scholarship
2013 KAFA (Korea America Finance Association) Travel Grant
2013 Foundation Travel Grant, Binghamton Univ., Binghamton, NY
2012 Rosa Colecchio Dissertation Research Award, Binghamton Univ., Binghamton, NY

Media Coverage

"No One Stock Should Have All That Power," NPR - Marketplace. (November 2018).

I had an interview about my research on CEO power with an NPR broadcast reporter - Marketplace - national business news and economics shows broadcast.

"Why Activist Investors Target Female CEOs,"

My article, "Do Women CEOs Face Greater Shareholder Activism Compared to Male CEOs? A Role Congruity Perspective." was featured at Bloomberg.com (December 4, 2017).

"Do Women CEOs Face Greater Shareholder Activism Compared to Male CEOs? A Role Congruity Perspective" at Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation."

My article, "Do Women CEOs Face Greater Shareholder Activism Compared to Male CEOs? A Role Congruity Perspective" at Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation

http://corpgov.law.harvard.edu/2017/11/07/do-women-ceos-face-greater-shareholder-activism-compared-to-male-ceos-a-role-congruity-perspective/#more-102583.

"Are Activist Investors Sexist? - Female CEOs are far more likely to face an activist challenge, new research shows" - Wall Street Journal (August 2, 2019)

The Wall Street Journal discussed our research on 'CEO gender and shareholder activism' in a recent article: http://www.wsj.com/articles/are-activist-investors-sexist-11564761135

Other Professional Experience

CFA (Chartered Finance Analyst) charter holder, Member of CFA Society Philadelphia 
Passed all CPA exams, New Hampshire Board of Accountancy

Professional Activities

2021–Present, Editorial Advisory Board Member of Managerial Finance   

2023–Present, Executive Board Member of Korea America Finance Association (KAFA) 

 

2024 Financial Management Association (FMA) Asian Finance Conference 

2024 Financial Management Association (FMA) European Conference, Program Committee Member   

2024 Financial Management Association (FMA) Annual Meetings, Program Committee Member   

2023 Financial Management Association (FMA) Applied Finance Conference 

2023 Financial Management Association (FMA) European Conference, Program Committee Member   

2023 Eastern Finance Association (EFA) Annual Meetings, Program Committee Member   

2022 Financial Management Association (FMA) European Conference, Program Committee Member   

2022 Financial Management Association (FMA) Applied Finance Conference, Program Committee Member   

2022 Financial Management Association (FMA) Annual Meeting, Program Committee Member   

2022 Eastern Management Association (EFA) Annual Meeting, Program Committee    

2021 Financial Management Association (FMA) Annual Meeting, Program Committee Member   

2020 Financial Management Association (FMA) Annual Meeting, Program Committee Member   

2020 Financial Management Association (FMA) Applied Finance Conference, Program Committee Member   

2020 Financial Management Association (FMA) European Conference, Program Committee Member   

2019 Financial Management Association (FMA) Annual Meeting, Program Committee Member  

2019 Financial Management Association (FMA) Applied Finance Conference, Program Committee Member   

2019 Eastern Finance Association (EFA) Annual Meeting, Program Committee Member  

2018 Eastern Finance Association (EFA) Annual Meeting, Program Committee Member   

Ad-hoc Review of Global Journal of Finance   
Ad-hoc Review of Global Journal of Accounting and Finance   
Ad-hoc Review of Journal of Banking and Finance   
Ad-hoc Review of Journal of Financial Research   
Ad-hoc Review of Journal of Multinational Financial Management   
Ad-hoc Review of Managerial Finance   
Ad-hoc Review of Journal of Strategy and Management   
Ad-hoc Review of International Journal of Emerging Markets   

Han, S. (2022). Types of Insider Sales and Litigation Risk, Global Journal of Accounting and Finance, Accepted.

Han, S., Song, K., and Whang, E. (2021). Financial ratio analysis of law firm's strategy and job satisfaction, International Journal of Organization Theory & Behavior, Vol. 24 (1), 24-40. 

Gupta, V., Han, S., Nanda, V., & Silveri, S. (2018). When Crisis Knocks, Call a Powerful CEO (or Not): Investigating the Contingent Link Between CEO Power and Firm Performance During Industry Turmoil. Group & Organization Management, 43(6), 971-998. 

Gupta, V. K., Han, S., Mortal, S.C., Silveri, S., & Turban, D. B. (2018). Do Women CEOs Face Great Threat of Shareholder Activism Compared to Male CEOs? A Role Congruity Perspective. Journal of Applied Psychology, 103(2), 228-236. 

Han, S., Nanda, V., & Silveri, S. (2016) CEO Power and Firm Performance under Pressure. Financial Management, 45(2), 369-400. 

Ph D, Finance, Binghamton University - SUNY

MS, Industrial Engineering, University of Florida

MA, Statistics, Yale University

MBA, Finance, Seoul National University

BA, Mass Communication, Ewha Womans University