Faculty Biographies

Wendy Achilles, Ph.D.
Dr. Achilles holds a doctorate in business from Virginia Commonwealth University and is a licensed CPA in the state of North Carolina. Wendy began her career in corporate taxation. She then took a position as a tax manager for a multinational corporation where she performed duties such as tax compliance, international tax research and SEC reporting.

In 1999, Dr. Achilles took a full-time position in academics. Her research interests consist of behavioral issues in taxation and accounting education, and she has published several articles in the area.

Theodore C. Alex, Ph.D.
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.

Alina R. Payne, Ph.D.
Dr. Payne began a career as a software design engineer, later moving into product management. She earned a bachelor of arts degree in Economics from the University of California San Diego, and a master of arts degree in Management from Webster University. After working in non-profit management, she began a career in higher education instruction. She has served as a faculty member at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut, and within the Connecticut Community College system. She earned a Ph.D. in Applied Management and Decision Sciences from Walden University, and eventually relocated to San Diego. She is now an adjunct faculty member at the University of California San Diego, and has tied together her diverse career experiences by way of her research of the management of online higher education.

Januarius Jingwa (J.J.) Asongu, Ph.D.
Dr. Asongu joined Herzing University in 2009 and is currently an Associate Professor of Business. He teaches management and finance courses and has also served as a course developer and faculty mentor. He has also taught at eight other colleges and universities across the United States, using either the traditional or online formats. Dr, Asongu holds a doctorate degree in Business Administration with a triple concentration in International Business, Marketing, and Accounting; a master of science degree in Management of Information Technology; and a bachelor of philosophy degree. He also holds other certificates in Journalism, Classical Languages, and Information Technology.

Dr. Asongu has published books and peer-reviewed articles on a variety of topics, but his focus is on Corporate Social Responsibility. He is a fellow of the Academy of Business & Public Policy (FABPP) and also holds membership of various academic organizations. He has served as a marketing and public relations consultant handling accounts for Microsoft, Cisco Systems, Cognos, and BMS Software, among others. Prior to transitioning into business, Dr. Asongu was a journalist and political activist, winning the prestigious Alfred Friendly Press Fellowship, Washington, DC, as well as the Nuffield Press Fellowship at Wolfson College, Cambridge University, UK. He is currently the Board Chair of a microfinance bank, Chartered Financial Assistance, which he founded in 2009 in Cameroon, and he is also working on establishing Sustainable Technologies Corporation, an organization that will provide solar energy as well as other sustainable technologies in Africa. Dr. Asongu also serves on the board of other organizations, including the Institute of Biodiversity and Non-Profit Studies (IBiNS) and the Institute for Research on Global Business (IRGB).

Edward N. Balli, Ph.D., C.P.A.
Dr. Balli holds over 25 years of experience working with small- to medium-size private and public firms in the Midwest and Florida in accounting and information systems. He assesses the organizations’ needs and makes recommendations for process improvements in areas such as auditing, application software, telecommunications, and hardware systems. Dr. Balli has also taught university-level business courses part-time for over 20 years.

Dr. Balli earned his doctorate in Business Administration from Argosy University in Accounting. His research interests include auditing, taxation, international taxation, continuous information auditing systems, accounting errors, and IFRS. Dr. Balli’s dissertation was “Neural networks, decisions trees, and support Vector machines in the detection of accounting revenue errors” in August 2007. Dr. Balli earned his master of business administration in Finance from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in Madison, Wisconsin, in 1979. His bachelor of science degree came from Northern Illinois University in Economics with minors in accounting and business administration in 1977.

Dr. Balli is a member of American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA), Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), Special Interest Group on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining (SIGKDD), Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM), American Mathematical Society (AMS), and Illinois CPA Society (ICPAS).

Craig Boswell, Ph.D.
Dr. Craig Boswell is the Graduate Academic Dean at Herzing University. Prior to joining Herzing, he was director of academics at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in the United Kingdom, lecturer at University of Cambridge United Kingdom, educational psychologist for the Department of Defense - Educational Activity in the United Kingdom, and professor at University of Central Oklahoma in Curriculum and Instruction.

Dr. Boswell has been an educator for many years and enjoys the interaction and excitement of dialog between adult learners. Throughout the past few years, he has enjoyed the university experience and its directed mission to prepare adult students for complex professions. As an educator, he has taught Psychology, Human/Organizational Factors, and Research Methods and Assessment. He holds experience in both pre- and post-graduate instruction.

“I have witnessed dedicated students, committed faculty, and supportive communities,” Dr. Boswell stated. “I am committed to serving adult learners and their families with programs that promote human growth and development, concepts, skills, attitudes, and actions that will enhance compassionate thinking, lifelong learning, and informed participation in local and world affairs.”

Michael Brizek, Ph.D.
Dr. Michael Brizek is the program chair for the MBA program at Herzing University Online. Dr. Brizek has been a faculty member of South Carolina State University, the University of South Carolina University of Massachusetts, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, and Baltimore International College. Dr. Brizek has over 12 years instructional experience in higher education and over 10 years experience in instructional experience and developing business programs within an online setting. 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 Business and 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 service sector.

Suzie Cashwell, Ph.D.
Dr. Suzie Cashwell completed her master of social work (M.S.W.) and her doctorate of philosophy in Social Welfare from Florida State University. She received her B.S.W. from Northern Michigan University. Dr. Cashwell has taught for over 10 years in social work education at the graduate and undergraduate level. She successfully led a graduate program through the inception, development, and CSWE accreditation processes.

In addition to teaching, Dr. Cashwell holds seven years of post-MSW practice experience in child welfare, healthcare, community development and social welfare policy. During the last 10 years, she has served as President of the National Rural Social Work Caucus. She currently serves on the GA NASW Ethics committee and co-chairs the Social Work Education Continuum Committee. She served from 2006 until 2010 on the editorial board of the Southern Rural Sociology journal. She has over 65 international, national and regional presentations over a wide variety of social work practice and education issues and has published 11 articles and book chapters. Dr. Cashwell has received four grant or revenue generating projects, the largest of which was $350,000.

Mark Ellis, Ph.D.
Dr. Mark Ellis comes from a rich background of leadership and management experience for over 20 years. He also has over 20 years of teaching experience both in the traditional classroom and online. He has taught in M.B.A. programs at three major universities in the United States in the area of organizational leadership, business administration, and the legal environment of business. His area of expertise extends to the doctoral level, assisting Ph.D. students in aligning their dissertation topics with their proposed methodologies.

Dr. Ellis has functioned in a variety of administrative capacities at institutions of higher education, helping to expand their business management and leadership programs. Further, he has been instrumental in curriculum development and course design at both graduate and undergraduate levels.

An intense physical fitness enthusiast, he enjoys mountain biking, water sports, and intensive weight training. He resides in Northern California with his wife and three children, two dogs, three horses, nine goldfish, and one duck named Duke.

Gary Hanney, D.B.A.
Dr. Gary Hanney retired (transitioned) from the military after 20 years of service in the U.S. Army in the healthcare administration field. Dr. Hanney has served in multiple management positions in the military, as a government employee, and as a Department Administrator. He has also worked as a Practice Administrator for a private practice healthcare organization. In these various positions, his duties have found him responsible for day-to-day operations, management, human resources, fiscal responsibilities, and strategic planning in healthcare organizations. He also serves as an Adjunct Instructor for numerous on-ground courses as well as online, having taught business and healthcare administration courses for over 15 years. He is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) and the Georgia Association of Healthcare Executives (GAHE).

Dennis Mathern, Ph.D.
Dr. Dennis Mathern has been teaching undergraduate and graduate classes in Business for over 27 years. His undergraduate teaching subjects include Marketing, Management, Business Communications and Business Strategy, and he currently teaches Herzing University MBA courses in Marketing, Business Research, Business Strategy and Operations Management.

Dr. Mathern earned a bachelor’s degree in Marketing Education, a master’s degree in Business Education, a master’s degree in Business Administration, and a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration with a cognate in Business Administration from Bowling Green State University. Dr. Mathern has made ten conference presentations, been published in conference proceedings, and is an author for McGraw Hill. Dr. Mathern has private sector experience in banking and commercial credit. He continues to consult in the areas of marketing, business strategy,and leadership.

Stacey McCroskey, Ph.D.
Dr. Stacey McCroskey, PMP is an experienced management professional with over 15 years corporate career experience. She has worked in the oil & gas, financial services, and software industries in Houston, Texas, Ann Arbor, Mich., and London, England. She has managed software development, project management, quality assurance, technical writing, data analysis, operations, and technical support teams both domestic and international. She received her Ph.D. in Organization and Management from Capella University and has the PMP (Project Management Professional) certification.

Dr. McCroskey has been active in academia for three years, teaching both online and face-to-face classes to both graduate and undergraduate students. She is also involved with various research and writing projects. In addition, she regularly publishes non-research articles for trade publications and speaks at two-to-three conferences per year in the areas of organizational behavior, business education, and project management. Her areas of interest are organizational behavior, organizational commitment, leadership, management, and project management.

Ronald Oakes, J.D.
Mr. Oakes served as corporate counsel for a major life insurance company before joining a nationwide law firm. He then formed his own law firm which he operated until his retirement. After retiring from the practice of law, Mr. Oakes found a second career in higher education.

For the past seven years, Mr. Oakes has been teaching undergraduate and graduate students, both on campus and online. His areas of teaching specialization include a range of courses in business law, financial management, international business, and critical thinking. In addition to traditional teaching, Mr. Oakes also trains new online instructors in how to build and manage online courses using the latest pedagogy and andragogy of distance learning.

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