The Nicholas Center is fortunate to have a strong instructional team with extensive experience in academia, corporate, banking and consulting.
Academic Director
Professor James K. Seward (Jim) is the Faculty Director of the Nicholas Center. He collaborates with companies around the world to source Nicholas Center student consulting projects. In addition to supervising the consulting projects, Jim also teaches the MBA courses, “Valuation & Corporate Investment Decisions” and "Corporate Restructuring & Reorganization.” He also teaches executive MBA courses in Europe and Asia.
Jim’s research interests include corporate restructurings, initial public offerings, use of equity-linked securities, and the medium of exchange in corporate takeovers. His articles have appeared in leading academic journals.
He has consulted with institutions such as the Wisconsin Public Service Commission, New York State Public Service Commission, Arthur Andersen and Co., Boston Consulting Group, Citicorp, and others. He worked previously in corporate finance with Washington Gas Light Company and Marsh & McLennan.
He holds a Ph.D. in finance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Nicholas Center Director
Cynthia S. Adams (Cindie) is the Director of the Nicholas Center for Corporate Finance and Investment Banking and Director of the Risk Management and Insurance program at the Wisconsin School of Business.
She is responsible for recruiting top candidates to both specializations, is a career coach, and strengthens employer relationships with companies, investment banks, and consulting firms. She also teaches a Current Topics course, bringing business leaders on campus in a variety of industries and areas of expertise.
Cindie has an MBA in International Business and a Master’s in Counseling Psychology, both from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Prior to joining the Wisconsin School of Business, Cindie worked for several years in International Marketing and Sales in the consumer products industry and in educational program development.
Nicholas Center Program Coordinator
Barb Peterson serves as Program Coordinator / Web and Social Media Rep of the Nicholas Center. Prior to joining the Nicholas Center, she worked as MBA Advisor for the Wisconsin MBA Program Office. In her role in the Nicholas Center, Peterson focuses on student services, marketing, and administrative support.
Other Nicholas Center-specific Instructors
Terry Maxwell is an instructor of two MBA courses; “Mergers & Acquisitions” and “Raising Capital & Financing the Firm.” He is also a member of the board of director’s for the university’s Center for Advanced Studies in Business.
Terry is also an active private investor and provides management consulting services to privately held companies. Terry is a member of the board of directors of Flatirons Solutions Corporation based in Boulder, Colorado and Washington, D.C. Flatirons is a provider of information technology services to commercial and government clients and is a portfolio company of Baird Capital Partners.
Previously, Terry was Head of Investment Banking for Robert W. Baird & Co., where he spent 20 years advising companies on M&A and equity financings. Terry was a member of the Baird Board of Directors as well as a member of the investment committee for several of Baird’s private equity funds.
Terry graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1982 and received his MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management.
Nicholas Center Board Members and Alumni
Our 34-member Board of Advisors and alumni are very active in teaching and advising Nicholas Center students. They lead weekly Current Topics discussions, mentor students, and provide expertise for our financial consulting engagements.
Core and Finance Faculty
Nicholas Center students benefit from the expertise of our top-notched core and finance faculty that are leaders in research and devoted to creating great classroom experiences. Due to small class sizes, faculty gets to know students well and encourages active participation. The core faculty takes an integrated approach to teaching the functional areas of business. Our finance faculty brings their research and industry experience to prepare students for leadership positions in finance.