Faculty Spotlight: Richie Liu
July 15, 2024
Mentorship can shape careers—and for Richie Liu, it helped define his path to teaching at Xavier University.
Liu began his academic journey studying economics at Santa Clara University before working in public accounting and later banking while pursuing an MBA at Gonzaga University. During that time, a professor and advisor, Jim Helgeson, became an important mentor—offering guidance as Liu balanced a growing family, a corporate career and graduate school. The relationship left a lasting impression and inspired Liu to pursue a career in academia.
Today, Liu teaches marketing strategy, marketing research and branding at Xavier, bringing a decade of corporate experience into the classroom. His courses emphasize real-world learning, often featuring guest speakers and semester-long consulting projects where students help businesses strengthen their brand positioning.
Liu values Xavier’s small class sizes, which allow him to build meaningful connections with students. Through teaching and research, he hopes to make the same kind of lasting impact that his mentor once made on him.