Faculty

Joshua Aaron received his doctorate in Business Management with a focus on strategic management from the University of Alabama. He previously held academic positions at Georgia State University and East Carolina University. Prior to academia, he was an auditor at Ernst and Young in Birmingham, Alabama. He currently serves on the board of directors and as treasurer of the Small Business Institute and on the Tennessee Small Business Development Center Advisory Board. He has consulted with several for-profit businesses, nonprofits, and civic organizations and launched a real estate investment firm.

Aaron teaches Strategic Management at the undergraduate and M.B.A. levels, and his research focuses on executive compensation for large and small firms, leadership, strategic issues facing small and medium enterprises, and corporate reputation. He has published peer-reviewed articles in journals such as Journal of Business Research, Journal of Management Education, Journal of Small Business Strategy, Journal of Business and Entrepreneurship, International Journal of Organizational Analysis, Journal of Education for Business, and Corporate Reputation Review. He received the 2016–17 Bridgestone Americas Distinguished Lecturer Award.

Tammy Bahmanziari received a Ph.D. in Accounting from Southern Illinois University, an M.B.A. from Murray State University, and two B.S. degrees in Business, majoring in both Accounting and Economics. Her research interests include exploring trust in the e-commerce environment, banking compliance software, participative budgeting, group decision support systems, and implications of blockchain technology on the accounting profession. Bahmanziari’s articles have appeared in journals such as the Academy of Accounting and Financial Studies Journal, American Journal of Business Education, and Journal of Behavioral Studies in Business. She is a certified federal compliance regulator and has worked as a federal bank examiner for the U.S. Treasury Department and as a cost accountant with General Dynamics and outdoor products manufacturer Murray.

Leigh Ann Clark teaches business ethics, nonprofit management, leadership, and organizational behavior. She is the Department of Management's coordinator of the Excellence in Nonprofit Leadership and Social Innovation Initiative. With a Business Administration doctorate in Organization Studies from Southern Illinois University and Juris Doctorate from Emory University, she allows her work experience and legal background to guide her research. She has published papers on privacy and technology, the ethics of employer online background checks, and leadership. Clark received the 2017 E. W. “Wink” Midgett Distinguished Service Award.

Jeff Clark holds a Ph.D. from Northwestern University, an M.B.A. from Northern Illinois University, a D.Min. from Luther Rice Seminary, and an M.A. and a B.A. from Scaritt College. His articles have been published in the Journal of Database Marketing and Customer Strategy Management, Academy of Information and Management Sciences Journal, and Journal of Informatics Education Research. He was named Outstanding Professor in the Jones College of Business and Outstanding Professor in Computer Information Systems for 2000–2001.

Bichaka Fayissa holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in Economics and an M.S. in Agricultural Economics from the University of Tennessee and a B.S. from Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia. He teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses and serves as dissertation supervisor and committee member. He served as president of the Academy of Economics and Finance, the African Finance and Economics Association, and the Oromo Studies Association.

Fayissa’s research focuses on economic growth and development policies of African economies. He has contributed book chapters and published over 60 refereed articles in international, national, and regional journals, including The World Economy, Geographical Analysis, Journal of Development Studies, Review of World Economics, Applied Economics, American Economist, Review of Black Political Economy, Journal of Economics and Finance, Tourism Economics, and American Business Review. He received the MTSU Outstanding Faculty Research Award in 1992, MTSU Outstanding Public Service Award in 2001, and Service Fellow Award from the Academy of Economics and Finance in 2005.

David Foote earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in religion and philosophy from Roberts Wesleyan College, an M.B.A. from the University of Kentucky, and a Ph.D. in Management/Organizational Behavior from the University of Kentucky. He retired from the U.S. Navy in 1995 at the rank of lieutenant commander after serving on seven different ships and two shore commands. In 1999, he joined the Jones College of Business, where he taught numerous leadership and management courses. In 2005, he founded MTSU’s Institute of Leadership Excellence, serving as its director from 2005 to 2014. He was appointed Jones College’s assistant dean for assessment in 2010 and associate dean in 2013.

Amy Harris teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in business intelligence and analytics. Passionate about tech workforce development as well as diversity and inclusion, she is active in the Nashville tech community. She serves on the steering committee for the Nashville Analytics Summit, as a board member for Women in Technology Tennessee, and as a member of the Nashville Technology Council’s diversity committee.

Harris received her Ph.D. in Management Information Systems from the Fogelman College of Business and Economics at the University of Memphis. She earned her M.S. in Computer Information Systems from Jones College of Business at MTSU and her B.A. in Music and Communications from Mississippi University for Women. She has published research in journals including Communications of the ACM, Journal of Computer Information Systems, Communications of the Association of Information Systems, and Computers in Human Behavior.

Frank Michello earned his doctorate in Finance from the University of Alabama. During a 30-plus year career at MTSU, he has excelled at teaching, research, and service. He is director of the Master of Science in Finance program, which he founded and developed. Michello has taught across the curriculum from undergraduate to graduate courses, both in the classroom and online. His research focuses on finance, investments, and derivatives. He received the Outstanding Faculty Member Award in 2002 and the Robert W. McLean Distinguished Assistant Professorship in 2003.

Greg Nagel holds a Ph.D. in Finance from Florida State University and teaches M.B.A. and undergraduate finance classes. His research interests include CEO pay, firm performance, and corporate governance. Nagel’s work has been cited by the Federal Reserve, Harvard Business Review, and the New York Times. Prior to academia, he led global teams as a development engineer at General Motors and was recognized for fundamental contributions to engineering by global engineering societies. He received the 2018 Bridgestone Americas Distinguished Lecturer Award and the Bob Womack Distinguished Faculty Award.

Melodie Phillips received a B.A. from the University of South Florida, an M.B.A. from the University of Miami, and a Ph.D. from Louisiana State University. Her research interests are entertainment marketing, promotion, advertising, and public relations. Her research has been published in the Journal of the Internet and Higher Education, Journal of Education for Business, Ethics and Critical Thinking Journal, Trends in Marketing, Advances in Consumer Research, Developments in Marketing Science, Journal of Services Marketing, and Internet Journal of Higher Education. She is a member of the Marketing Management Association and the Society for Marketing Advances.

Deana Raffo coordinates the Leadership Studies minor and serves as director of MTSU’s Institute of Leadership Excellence. With expertise in leadership and personal development education, she is particularly interested in exploring the introspective qualities in leadership. Her research has appeared in journals including the Journal of Managerial Issues, Journal of Leadership Education, Gender in Management, and Strategy and Leadership.

Don Roy graduated from Mississippi State University with a bachelor’s in Marketing and began his career with stints in retail management and consumer packaged goods. He completed an M.B.A. at Mississippi College before earning a Ph.D. from the University of Memphis. Since joining MTSU’s faculty in 2000, Roy has been recognized for his impact in the classroom by the Marketing Management Association with the Master Teacher Award (2007) and by MTSU with the Outstanding Teacher Award (2008). His research interests include sports sponsorship, sports marketing, brand management, and personal branding. Roy has authored a blog on marketing and branding since 2007.

Sean Salter earned a B.S. in Commerce and Business Administration, an M.A. in Banking and Finance, and a Ph.D. in Finance from the University of Alabama. He is a certified Dale Carnegie trainer and a member of MTSU’s Honors College faculty. Since 2007, he has taught classes in Personal Finance, Investments, Corporate Finance, Portfolio Management, Financial Analysis, and Financial Institutions, as well as the Dale Carnegie Course to undergraduate and graduate students.

Scott Seipel holds a doctorate in Applied Statistics from the University of Texas–Arlington. He played a principal role in developing MTSU’s Business Intelligence and Analytics program and implemented use of Tableau software for analytics in undergraduate and graduate courses. He has consulted with organizations such as Bridgestone/Firestone, Bell Helicopter, Choice Homes, Burlington Northern, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, and the Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services. Seipel received the 2015 E.W. “Wink” Midgett Faculty Excellence Award and the Robert W. McLean Distinguished Assistant Professorship for 2005–06.

Sesan Kim Sokoya teaches Strategic Management and International Management in the M.B.A. program, manages executive education seminars and workshops, and leads study abroad. He has served as guest lecturer at Hangzhou Normal University in Hangzhou, China, and as visiting professor at the Institut d'Administration des Entreprises (Institute of Business Management) in Caen, France; at the European Summer University in Cherbourg, France; and at JAMK in Jyvaskyla, Finland. His research interests include locational strategies of multinational corporations in developed and emerging markets. He has been published in the Journal of African Business, International Executive, International Journal of Value Based Management, and Journal of Global Business.

Earl Thomas served previously as vice president and executive assistant to the president at MTSU. He earned his doctorate from Vanderbilt University and completed the Harvard University Institute for Educational Management. His teaching and research interests are in leadership, and he teaches the graduate leadership course. Thomas co-developed the Institute of Leadership Excellence and the Center for Executive Leadership. He has served as a consultant and presented to a variety of organizations on leadership topics.

David Urban became dean of the Jones College of Business in 2013. He previously served for 24 years in the School of Business at Virginia Commonwealth University, where he held several faculty and administrative positions. He received a B.S. in Commerce from the University of Virginia and both an A.M. in Psychology and a Ph.D. in Business Administration from the University of Michigan.

Urban served as an officer in the U.S. Navy Supply Corps and has engaged in training or research assignments with numerous corporate, government, and nonprofit organizations. He is a charter recipient of the American Marketing Association's Professional Certified Marketer (PCM) designation. Recently, he served as chair of the board of directors for the Rutherford County (Tennessee) Chamber of Commerce and was elected chair of the board of directors for the local United Way.

Urban’s main research interests are in customer satisfaction assessment, retailing, and distribution channel management. He has received 29 research grants from public and private organizations and has published extensively in academic and professional journals. His expert comments have appeared over 400 times in electronic or print media, including outlets such as CNBC, Fox Business Network, Bloomberg Business Week, the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, the Washington Post, the New York Times, and the Chicago Tribune. In addition to certification as a Dale Carnegie trainer, Urban has won eight national awards for teaching excellence and has been inducted into four national honor societies. In 2017, on behalf of Jones College, he received the Dale Carnegie Global Leadership Award in recognition of the college’s leadership in human relations and community development.

Cliff Welborn earned his Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Texas–Arlington and his M.S. and B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Auburn University and Kansas State University, respectively. He teaches Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, and Continuous Improvement and has been lead designer for several courses. Welborn partners with industry to arrange site visits, guest speakers, and networking opportunities for students. He has taught in the undergraduate Management, Flex M.B.A., Concrete Industry Management M.B.A., M.S. in Management, Engineering Technology, and executive education programs. He received the 2017 E. W. “Wink” Midgett Faculty Excellence Award and the 2016 Kathy and Bill Jones Outstanding Faculty Award.

Welborn held management positions in engineering, operations, and supply chain management with three Fortune 500 corporations. During his 18-year professional career, he established supply chain relationships with domestic and international vendors. He is a Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, Continuous Process Improvement facilitator and trainer, and MTM analyst. Welborn has been the recipient of a U.S. patent, the Westinghouse Signature Award for Excellence in Manufacturing, and the Power Generation Performance Award. He has provided consulting services to numerous business organizations.

Ralph Williams earned a D.B.A. from Kennesaw State University, an M.B.A. from Jones College, and a B.S. from MTSU. Over a 25-year period, he served as president of three commercial printing companies (holding an ownership stake in two) and worked as a consultant for several printing companies. His research interests include family business, small business, goals and mission, and performance measurement. Prior to his appointment as assistant professor, Williams served as a lecturer in Management for six years.