Daniel A. Pienta

Daniel A. Pienta is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Accounting & Information Management and a Research Fellow at the Neel Corporate Governance Center at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. His research focuses on information security, privacy, and cybersecurity, with a particular interest in organizational trust, employee behavior, and the intersection of corporate governance with digital systems.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Business Administration, Clemson University (2019)
• MBA in Information Systems Technology, Cleveland State University (2014)
• B.S. in Financial Management, The Ohio State University (1999)

Research Interests:

• Information Security and Privacy Management
• Cybersecurity Risk Mitigation
• Employee Trust and Compliance in Security Practices
• Corporate Governance and Digital Innovation
• Human Factors in Cybersecurity

His work bridges theoretical research with practical applications, particularly in financial institutions and organizational policy design.

Awards and Recognition:

• 2023 Scholarship Excellence Summer Support Award
• Baylor University Early Career Research Award Nominee (2022)
• Alpha Chi Omega Impactful Professor Recognition (2019)
• Multiple Doctoral Consortium Fellowships (ICIS, AMCIS)

Advising and Grants: Pienta has advised on cybersecurity strategies for major financial institutions and contributed to grants focused on cybersecurity policy and organizational trust. His editorial role at the Journal of the Association for Information Systems underscores his leadership in advancing academic discourse.

Labs/Teams: Affiliated with the Neel Corporate Governance Center, focusing on interdisciplinary research in corporate ethics and digital governance.