Ilitch School announces Andrea Tangari as 2021 Inspirational Teacher Award winner
The Mike Ilitch School of Business has announced Andrea Tangari, associate professor of marketing, as the 2021 recipient of its Inspirational Teacher Award.
Created by Dean Robert Forsythe in 2015, the award provides Mike Ilitch School of Business alumni with the opportunity to submit stories about professors who truly inspired them, encouraged them, broadened their horizons or made a lasting positive impact on their lives. Nominees must be living current or former members of the WSU Mike Ilitch School of Business faculty (full- or part-time). A committee of Ilitch School Alumni Council members reviews the nominations and makes its recommendation to Dean Forsythe, who then selects the winner.
Tangari joined the Ilitch School faculty in 2010. She previously worked for a Fortune 500 company doing market research and managing operations. Tangari teaches marketing, strategy and sustainable business courses at both the M.B.A. and undergraduate levels. She works closely with Ph.D. and M.B.A. student research projects, and Tangari’s own research focuses on consumer welfare and corporate social responsibility issues. She is the faculty advisor for Net Impact, a student organization for those interested in using business as a force to create a positive impact on society. Tangari earned a B.S. in marketing from Indiana University and an M.B.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Arkansas.
Tangari received multiple nominations for this year’s Inspirational Teacher Award, including one from Megan Baran, a two-time graduate of Wayne State University with a B.S. in psychology (’17) and an M.B.A. (’20). Baran was a recipient of the Ilitch School’s 2020 Outstanding Student Award.
Of her former professor and mentor, Baran said, “My goal is to become a tenured professor at an R1 research university. During my M.B.A. program, Dr. Tangari worked with me on research projects outside of the classroom, and because of the experience and knowledge I gained from her, I am able to further my academic career by starting my Ph.D. program this fall. Without Dr. Tangari, I would not have the research experience that set me apart from other Ph.D. applicants. My dream to become an academic and researcher would not have been possible without her. Dr. Tangari is someone who will always be in my life, and I hope I can someday change a student’s life the way she changed mine.”
Tangari will be honored at the Ilitch School’s 41st annual Recognition and Awards Program on Thursday, Nov. 11, at the Roostertail. The Recognition and Awards Program is also where the Ilitch School celebrates the recipients of its Michigan Executive of the Year, Distinguished Alumni, Emerging Leader and Outstanding Student awards.
For more information on this event or to view past winners, please visit our signature awards page.
