With the start of the school year, Clemson University opened its doors to a variety of new professors at the Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business.
The professors’ expertise spans public economics, investor relations, United Technologies and other major companies and fields.
Mengqi Zhang
postdoctoral fellow — department of marketing
Zhang joined the department as a postdoctoral fellow and is working with the Media Forensics Hub at the Watt Family Innovation Center. He obtained his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Colorado Boulder before joining the University.
Zhang’s research and work are primarily focused on microeconomic theory. His current projects include a variety of topics focusing on conspicuous consumption, Bayesian persuasion and pricing strategy, Zhang told the Tiger in an interview.
In addition to his projects, Zhang’s passion lies in marketing behaviors, strategies and phenomena to inform both managerial decisions and policy, as well as bridging information economics with other disciplines to generate interdisciplinary insights into broader societal issues. Outside of research, Zhang told The Tiger that he enjoys traveling, photography, hiking and skiing.
Rebecca Goessel
senior lecturer — school of accountancy
Goessel earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Clemson University, began her career working for Assurance at KPMG as a manager and later transitioned to Guardian Industries, where she held the role of chief financial officer. Later, she returned to public accounting as an assurance manager with Elliott Davis and was then recruited by Find Great People to serve as a director of finance for the company.
Goeseel felt a calling to teach in the midst of her career, which she responded to by meeting with Carl Hollingsworth and enrolling in Clemson’s Master of Professional Accountancy program. Right after graduating with her MPAcc, she obtained a faculty position with USC Upstate and began teaching.
While a faculty member at USC Upstate, she founded the University’s first Beta Alpha Psi chapter and later served on BAP’s international board of directors. Goessel was also involved in the Education Committee of the SC Board of Accountancy and several state board committees within the South Carolina Association of CPAs.
Goessel told the Tiger that through SCACPA, she partnered with The Children’s Museum of the Upstate to bring in the “Money Works” exhibit and helped create the family finances program, which promotes financial literacy among underserved communities in the Upstate. Goessel also developed and led a financial literacy lunch and learn series for college students.
Carrie Lee
clinical assistant professor — department of economics
Lee is a clinical associate professor in the University’s department of economics. She received her Ph.D. in economics from West Virginia University in 2008, and previously taught at both Florida State University from 2018 to 2025 and Florida Gulf Coast University from 2008 to 2018.
Lee specializes in teaching large sections of principles of microeconomics and principles of macroeconomics. At FSU, she taught classes with 500 students per section. Lee’s research interests were in the areas of public economics and economic development, with an emphasis on institutions and private property rights. She published several articles in refereed journals, including the “Journal of Law and Economics.” Lee conducted field research on land titling in rural Peru in 2007.
Casey Forrest
lecturer — department of finance
Forrest is a lecturer in finance at the University’s College of Business, teaching Finance 3050: investment analysis.
Forrest’s corporate finance background spans nearly 30 years at S&P 500 companies.
His experience covers corporate financial planning and analysis, strategy and development, investor relations, capital structure planning and mergers and acquisitions execution. In the classroom, Forrest emphasizes a student-focused, real-world approach and concise professional communication. He holds a master’s in business administration from the University of Georgia and a bachelor’s in accounting from Clemson.
He and his wife are both Clemson alumni, and their youngest son is currently in the Bridge to Clemson program. Originally from upstate South Carolina, Forrest is happy to be back in Clemson after years living and working in Atlanta and the Northeast.
David Fraser
lecturer — department of finance
David Fraser joined the University’s College of Business this August as a lecturer in finance.
His previous experience includes 33 years within the Coca-Cola system, where he held a variety of finance and accounting leadership roles. He earned a bachelor’s in business administration from the University of Texas at Austin in 1987, a master’s in business administration from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1991 and a doctorate in business administration from the University of Florida in 2024. He is also a certified public accountant and certified management accountant.
Yiwen Gao
assistant professor — department of management
Yiwen Gao is an assistant professor at the department of management in the University’s College of Business. She received her Ph.D. in management information systems from Fox School of Business at Temple University.
Her research focuses on firm security risk management, innovation and digital platforms. The research mainly uses econometrics and machine learning methods.
Other additions to the department include Yingru Han in the department of management and Bryan Evans in the department of aerospace studies.
