Faculty Biographies

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Dr. Theodore C. Alex
Dr. Alex has a Ph.D. in Business Administration from the University of Arkansas, an M.B.A. and a B.S.B.A. from Central Michigan University. Active in academia, he has taught graduate and undergraduate courses at several Midwestern universities for many years. He is the author of 11 academic journal articles and has made 28 professional presentations. Dr. Alex is currently President of the Center for Business Effectiveness, a consulting firm that provides training and research for private sector and governmental clients. He also has industry experience in manufacturing and banking.

Michael G. Brizek, Ph.D., FMP, CHE
Dr. Michael Brizek is an Associate Professor within the School of Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management and is Director of the International Institute for Foodservice Research (IIFR) at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, South Carolina. Dr. Brizek has been a faculty member of the University of Massachusetts, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, and Baltimore International College. Dr. Brizek received a Bachelor of Science Degree and a Master’s Degree in Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management from the University of South Carolina and a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Dr. Brizek’s research agenda focuses on entrepreneurship, small business management, and strategic management issues dealing with the hospitality and foodservice industry.

Raul Chavez-Negrete, D.B.A.
With over 20 years of professional experience as a university professor, consultant, and manager, Mr. Chavez-Negrete has always enjoyed combining the real-world of business with academia. In the past, he has been a project manager, bank administrator, ISO 9000 Internal Auditor and Marketing Manager for a subsidiary of a multinational company, financial advisor, and consultant in organizational development and process improvement. During the past seven years he has been teaching business at several schools, including the College of Graduate and Professional Studies at the University of Mary Washington as a full-time instructor, and as adjunct faculty at the University of Richmond, VA and Quinnipiac University, CT (online). For the M.B.A. program at UMW, he developed an M.B.A. concentration in project management including curricula for five courses. He has pioneered online and hybrid designs for teaching in all of his positions, and is a strong supporter of the benefits of distributed learning (especially online) for experienced adults.

Mr. Chavez-Negrete is active in several professional associations including the Academy of Management, Academy of International Business, Strategic Management Society, Project Management Institute, and the Organizational Teaching Society. He is also serving as a member of the Board of Governors of his regional Community Foundation, the International and Multicultural Advisory Board and the IRB (Institutional Review Board) for UMW. His current areas of research involve ethics and international business, entrepreneurship and financial decisions, and distributed learning (online) designs. He serves as a reviewer for the Journal of Global Management Research, is a former Fulbright Scholar, and is proficient in five languages.

Mr. Chavez-Negrete lives in Virginia and enjoys reading history, art and trying international cuisine when he can. He is happy to be teaching at Herzing University Online and helping students discover the many advantages of online delivery and the unique opportunities that a virtual environment offers to adult learners.

Dr. Tod Outlaw
Dr. Tod Outlaw earned his Bachelor of Business Administration Degree in Marketing from Baylor University, his Master of Business Administration Degree in Management from Tarleton State University, his Master of Science Degree in Educational Administration from East Texas State University, and his Doctor of Education Degree in Higher Education-Supervision, Curriculum, and Instruction with a minor in Management from Texas A&M University. He has eight years of experience in construction, four years of experience in oilfield equipment manufacturing, nine years of experience in publishing, five years of experience in healthcare administration, and six years of experience in higher education. The higher education experiences include teaching positions at McLennan Community College in Waco, Texas; Baylor University in Waco, Texas; Texas A & M University in Commerce, Texas; and Wayland Baptist University in Aiea, Hawaii.

When he is not teaching, he enjoys travel, reading, gardening, and writing. When possible, he spends time with his family. He loves Hawaii and considers teaching a privilege.

Penny Wilkins, Ph.D.
Penny Wilkins has been a manager in the business world for over twenty years. Her primary business focus has been in human resources, general and plant management, leadership, and accounting. In addition to her business experience, Penny has been an instructor, course developer, and mentor in higher education (online and on-ground) for eight years. While she primarily works with graduate students, she has also worked with undergraduate students just beginning their academic careers and post-graduate students pursuing their doctoral degrees. She has also had the pleasure of seeing the ‘other side’ of online learning as an online graduate student.

Penny holds an Associate of Arts in Liberal Studies, Bachelors of Arts in Management, Masters of Arts in Management, Masters of Education in Online Teaching and Learning, Doctorate of Management in Organizational Leadership, and certifications in Emotional Intelligence and Aromatherapy. Penny also has a background in organizational stress and stress management. She has studied stress in the workplace, designed stress management programs, and her dissertation revolved around stress, teaching, and turnover.

Additional instructors:

Martin Carrigan, J.D.
Dennis Mathern, Ph.D.
Linda Fried, Ph.D.