Faculty
Dr. Brian W. Hagen
Dr. Brian W. Hagen is a cofounder and Managing Director of the Decision Empowerment Institute (DEI), an organization focused on improving decision making in commercial and governmental organizations through education, consulting services, and software applications. He is the winner of the “Risk Innovator of the Year Award” by Risk & Insurance Magazine for the PRO Enterprise Management Methodology. Dr. Hagen has been a practicing decision and risk consultant for over 30 years providing consulting, coaching, and training to more than 30 corporations in the Fortune 200 and numerous start-ups and mid-size corporations for the automotive, biotech, defense, energy, enterprise applications, high-tech, information and media, oil, pulp and paper, and pharmaceuticals industries. He is the author of Problems, Risks, and Opportunities Enterprise Management (2018), the coauthor of Solving the Corporate Value Enigma (2003), and the coauthor of Decision Empowerment: A Parent’s Guide to Raising Good Decision Makers (2007). As an Adjunct Professor within the Finance Department of California State University, Fullerton he teaches the graduate course on enterprise risk management (ERM).
Dr. Hagen holds a Ph.D. in Management Science from Stanford University with specialization in decision and risk analysis. He also holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in mathematics from California State University, Fullerton.
Dr. Andrew Nguyen
Andrew Nguyen joined the Math Department at CSU Fullerton in the fall of 2002. He received both his BA and his MA in Mathematics from Cal State Fullerton, and his Ph.D. in Mathematics, specializing in Probability, from UC Irvine. Dr. Nguyen’s favorite teaching subjects are probability, statistics and stochastic processes. Every spring he also conducts the Actuary Workshop to help students preparing for the P-exam.
Dr. Nguyen comments that this has been a very productive and pleasant experience. In addition, he is a statistical consultant for the Southern California College of Optometry. Andrew is the co-author of many publications and poster presentations.
Jeffrey Jolley
A graduate of the University of California, San Diego, with a Master’s degree in mathematics, Jeff began his actuarial career with E. F. Hutton Life Insurance Company in 1982. During his tenure with Hutton Life, which became First Capital Life, and which later became Pacific Corinthian Life, Jeff held a variety of positions within the Actuarial Department culminating as 2nd Vice President and Chief Actuary.
In 1994, Jeff joined Pacific Life Insurance Company as an Assistant Vice President within the Life Division where he worked on many special projects, including oversight of the Pacific Corinthian Life rehabilitation and the acquisition of a block of business from the Confederation Life. In 1998, Jeff transferred to the Annuities and Mutual Funds Division where he now serves as Vice President and Chief Actuary. Jeff is a member of Pacific Life’s Finance Committee. He is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries.
Dr. Weili Lu
Weili Lu joined the CSU Fullerton faculty in 1996 and became the Director of the School of Risk Management and Insurance, formerly, the Center for Insurance Studies, in 1998. She received her B.A. in Economics and M.A. in International Business from Nankai University in China. She received her M.S. and Ph.D. in Finance and Insurance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she was the first woman from Mainland China to receive a Ph.D. in Insurance.
Dr. Lu teaches major insurance courses in the CBE Finance program. Her research interests include insurance, pension, and employee benefits. Her industry experience includes serving as a financial planning consultant and as manager of large insurance and pension consulting projects.
Dr. Lu has extensive contacts with members of the insurance/financial services industry and government officials both in China and the United States. She has raised significant funds for the School of Risk Management and Insurance and developed Actuary program, Insurance and Financial Services program and Insurance Marketing Entrepreneur Program.
Kevin Gotts
Kevin Gotts joined CSU Fullerton in 1995. Graduating from Biola University with a B.S. in Computer Science, and furthering his education by earning an M.B.A. in Finance from California State University, Fullerton. Kevin first position was as a software developer for a small programming firm. He entered the financial services field in 1990 and worked to earn the Certified Financial Planner mark. Kevin has also held such positions as: Financial Consultant for AIG Financial Advisors, Branch Manager for Independent Capital Management, and currently, Adjunct Faculty Member at CSU Fullerton.
Kevin has had extensive experience in the Financial Services Industry in the areas of education, client development, and broker development; awards received includes a listing in the Guide to America's Top Financial Planners,2008 Edition, Outstanding Insurance and Financial Services Faculty award at CSUF, Oppenheimer Funds Executive Council and Leaders Club awards, Putnam Investments Golden Scale Council member, Prudential Annuities Masters Council Member, Pacific Life Pacific Advisory Council award, SunAmerica Securities Field Development Leader and Archon awards, and Independent Capital Management President Club award.
Al Gorski
Al Gorski has been employed by the Orange County Transportation Authority as the Manager of the Risk Management Department since 1997. Mr. Gorski manages a staff of six and is currently responsible and accountable for the organization's workers' compensation, loss control, casualty, property and litigation management needs. This includes establishing risk financing objectives through the analysis of appropriate levels risk retention, risk transfer, alternative risk financing options, and budgetary concerns.
As an active member of the American Public Transportation Association's Risk Management Committee, Mr. Gorski hosted the APTA Risk Management Committee on behalf of OCTA in June 2003. In addition, he is a regularly featured speaker, providing the committee with presentations on subjects ranging from litigation strategy, complex insurance solutions, and loss data analysis technology.
Mr. Gorski is currently a director on the board of the Orange County Risk and Insurance Management Society (OCRIMS) and the chairman of the OCRIMS Community Outreach Committee. He is active in promoting risk management and insurance educational programs and was quoted in the September 1, 2004, Risk & Insurance magazine profiling an educator in the field. In 2005, Mr. Gorski was nominated for Risk Manager of the Year and was featured in Business Insurance Magazine in April 2005 as the magazine's Public Agency Risk Management Honor Roll recipient.
Currently, Mr. Gorski is an Adjunct Professor at California State University, Fullerton and teaches a finance course entitled Principles of Insurance. His professional career includes key management positions as Regional Claims Manager for Kmart Corporation and Risk Manager for Underground Technology Incorporated. He has over 22 years of combined experience directly related to his current position and responsibilities. Mr. Gorski earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from California State University, Northridge and a Masters of Public Administration from California State University, Long Beach.
Dr. Xiaoying Xie
Xiaoying Xie joined the CSUF faculty as an assistant professor in 2005. Dr. Xie received her B.A. in Economics and M.A. in Finance and Insurance from Beijing University in China . She holds an M.A. and a PhD degree in Risk Management and Insurance from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. Her current research interests focus on the areas of mergers and acquisitions in insurance industry, financial integration between insurance and other financial services industries, economies of scale, productivity and efficiency analysis of insurance firms, product distribution system in insurance industry, and insurance economics.
Dr. Xie has attended and made presentations in major conferences in insurance studies, such as American Risk and Insurance Association ( ARIA) and the World Risk and Insurance Economic Congress meeting (WRIEC). She is also affiliated with academic societies such as American Economic Association (AEA) and Financial Management Association (FMA).
John Cross
John Cross joined the CSUF faculty in 2003. John has over 20 years of experience in the insurance industry as an attorney and manager. John received his B.A. in Communication Studies from the University of Massachusetts, a J.D. from the University of Kansas School of Law, and an MSFS. (Master of Science in Financial Services) from the American College. John is a member of the California and Virginia State Bars. He has several insurance industry designations including the CPCU (Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter), CLU (Chartered Life Underwriter), and ChFC (Chartered Financial Consultant). John is also an instructor in several insurance industry educational programs and teaches professional-level courses in the ARM (Associate in Risk Management) and CPCU programs.
Dr. Stephen P. D'Arcy
Stephen D'Arcy joined the CSUF faculty in 2011. Stephen earned his doctorate in finance from the University of Illinois and holds a bachelor's degree in applied mathematics from Harvard. Prior to joining the CSUF faculty in 2011, he was a professor of finance at the University of Illinois for 37 years teaching courses on corporate finance, property-liability insurance, managing financial risk for insurers and enterprise risk management. His research interests include enterprise risk management, financial modeling, dynamic financial analysis, financial pricing models for property-liability insurers, catastrophe insurance futures, public pension funding and insurance regulation. Stephen developed online programs in enterprise and financial risk management, established its China Executive Leadership Program and led Casualty Actuarial Society seminars. He has been a fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society since 1975 and a member of the American Academy of Actuaries since 1978.
As a consulting actuary, D'Arcy has worked with the Automobile Insurers Bureau of Massachusetts and the North Carolina Department of Insurance. He is founder and the principal of D'Arcy Risk Consulting Inc., a firm specializing in education, measurement and management of risk for organizations and individuals.