Stocknotes Fall 2023

OUTSTANDING SENIORS SPRING 2023

CARA JO GORDON thomas d. arthur graduate school of business

MAX KAHN management major GRANT SMITH marketing major GRANT SMITH entrepreneurship major

from the dean

One of the pleasures that comes with being the interim dean is the chance to meet fellow Pirates. This past year, I’ve caught up with many of you in Florida, Georgia, Virginia, and throughout the

Carolinas. I appreciate learning about your successes and passion for your alma mater.

During these visits, I heard a constant theme. We need to do a better job of telling our story.

To help with that, we’re updating Stocknotes. We’re giving it a more eyecatching look and feel with designs to draw you into the stories we’re telling, especially the features. They are strong representations of how the college is future-focused and innovation-driven.

The revamped Stocknotes is a work in progress, and I suspect there will be more tweaks in the next issue. We have plenty of stories and need to be loud and proud in sharing them.

I’m excited about the changes to Stocknotes, and can’t wait to hear your thoughts. Note, there will be a digital issue available to those who want it. When it’s available, we’ll make sure to share.

Go Pirates!

Mike Harris, Interim Dean

Delivering Leadership

The innovative new MBA pathway provides leadership experiences for students, companies

By Michael Rudd | Photos By Rhett Butler & Theodore Sielatycki

As fall classes began, 12 Thomas D. Arthur Graduate School of Business students embarked on an immersive master of business administration (IMBA) journey to take place over one academic year and culminate with an internship at an eastern North Carolina business.

East Carolina University's new immersive Master of Business Administration pathway will offer students like Isaiah Rutledge (left), Jenna Mallberg (center right) and Carmen Smith (right) an opportunity to earn their master's degree while interning with local businesses and leaders like Hyster-Yale Group's Ruth Anne Harrell.

Arthur School leadership calls it the IMBA pathway, and the goal is to provide students with meaningful work experience by matching them with companies looking to fill leadership training and management-track positions. The students will take their classes together with select faculty and will complete their MBA in one year. The curriculum is the same core courses required of all ECU MBA students, which is flexible to allow students to fit their MBA pursuit into their current work schedule or lifestyle.

“With this intensive, yearlong program, the students will not only have the MBA coursework and internship, but they will also participate in leadership training programs, professional networking and volunteer projects,” said Dr. Linda Quick, assistant dean of the Arthur School. “It’s designed for them to boost their career opportunities and make them immediately valuable to any company that hires them.”

The IMBA is open for any ECU undergraduate to participate. This year’s inaugural cohort, which was chosen by Arthur School leadership, includes:

• Matthew Blount, public health, Greenville, NC

• Carter Cunningham, management, Haymarket, VA

• Ashley Dickerson, management, Oxford, NC

• Joshua Furlough, management, Fuquay Varina, NC

• Jewel Herlong, finance, Marvin, NC

• Andrew Kerry, finance and insurance, Charlotte, NC

• Jenna Mallberg, MIS, Fort Bragg, NC

• Isaiah Rutledge, management, Greenville, NC

• Jenna Scott, fashion merchandising, Roxboro, NC

• Theodore Sielatycki, entrepreneurship, Cary, NC

• Carmen Smith, management, Tucson, AZ

• Grant Smith, marketing and entrepreneurship, Wake Forest, NC

Carmen Smith is pursuing her MBA because she wants to prepare for leadership positions in the future. Participating in the IMBA pathway, she hopes, will “build a network of connections and diverse experiences that strengthen my leadership qualities and knowledge.”

First-generation student Rutledge saw involvement with the IMBA pathway as an opportunity that would be impossible to pass up. “I am looking for a brighter light at the end of the tunnel. I want to be closer to my goals and my dreams,” Rutledge said.

“Building a strong professional network is a valuable outcome of what I want from the Immersive MBA program,” Mallberg said. “I hope to connect with fellow students, alumni, faculty members and industry professionals to establish relationships that can lead to career opportunities, partnerships, mentorship and access to a wide range of resources.”

Matthew Blount

Carter Cunningham Ashley Dickerson Jenna Mallberg

Isaiah Rutledge Jenna Scott

Joshua Furlough Jewel Herlong Andrew Kerry Theodore Sielatycki

Carmen Smith Grant Smith

To provide those career opportunities, the Arthur School is recruiting companies to participate in the pathway. Fastenal and Hyster-Yale Group have committed to be pathway partners for the inaugural IMBA students. Ruth Anne Harrell is the talent acquisition manager for Hyster-Yale Group and currently serves on the IMBA steering committee. She is familiar with the Arthur School’s MBA program, having received her Arthur MBA in 2008. Harrell is also familiar with the College of Business and East Carolina University. Her team regularly hires ECU interns and graduates to Hyster-Yale’s Greenville campus. She says Hyster-Yale is excited to expand its partnership with ECU and the Arthur School’s IMBA pathway.

“This collaboration holds immense potential to foster innovative thinking and novel approaches within the realm of business leadership,” Harrell said. “Our team eagerly anticipates hosting these bright, forward-thinking students for their internships (in the summer of 2024), offering them an enriching hands-on experience that dovetails with their academic journey.”

And that hands-on experience started early with a recent trip to Hyster-Yale, where the IMBA students received a tour of the facilities. They also had the opportunity to meet with Hyster-Yale leadership, including Charles F. Pascarelli, senior vice president

and president, Americas for Hyster-Yale Group, who told the students, “The chapters you are going to write will be beautiful chapters. Trust your journey.”

When that journey begins, the IMBA students and the pathway partners will be involved in a unique approach that delivers leadership and career opportunities. “The IMBA pathway is about providing access to future leaders who are poised to contribute to management and leadership roles immediately,” Quick said. “At the College of Business and Arthur School, we build leaders. That is what we do.”

Each IMBA student receives a full scholarship and a paid graduate assistantship position for an investment of $25,000 per student. They will receive an additional $10,000 for their internship. In total, the College of Business and the Arthur School plan to invest more than $500,000 in the inaugural IMBA pathway, a number that is destined to grow as the Arthur School plans to double the number of participants for the second and future cohorts.

“ECU’s strategic plan states we will be future focused and innovation driven,” said Dr. Mike Harris, interim dean, College of Business. “With our IMBA investment and our approach to meeting the goals of the strategic plan, we expect the ROI of both to be immeasurable.”

ECU Chancellor Philip Rogers speaks to immersive MBA pathway students during the first day of classes.

COB faculty learn how to incorporate leadership capacity into coursework

By Michael Rudd | Photos By Michael Rudd

There is no rest for the weary at the College of Business (COB). In May ’22, 12 College of Business faculty participated in the 2023 Truist Leadership Center Course Redesign Program, a weeklong workshop designed to empower participants to redesign their courses to include a focus on leadership capacity building by way of activities, assignments, discussions and materials.

“No matter the course and content, the program was developed so faculty can introduce ways to help students build capacity for leadership,” said Lee Grubb, senior associate dean for the COB.

The program was a four-day balance of workshops, group dialogues, and independent work time. Presenters included visiting expert Dr. Jenn McGinnis, program manager at Red Hat, who shared contemporary industry approaches and best practices in leadership development. COB’s Dr. Timothy Madden shared best practices related to incorporating highquality videos into course presentations. And COB’s Charlie Brown workshopped how to facilitate student collaboration in an online learning environment.

Overall, the workshop explored opportunities to seamlessly embed leadership-related growth opportunities for students into coursework without veering from content-area emphasis and to build consistency for students by focusing on leadership competencies that align with those emphasized by other faculty in the COB.

COB’s marketing and supply chain management chair Jon Kirchoff participated in the program. He said, “We had spirited discussions about how to infuse leadership into our classes. I look forward to implementing the ideas presented into my classroom.”

Participating faculty are expected to incorporate what they learned into a selected course starting Fall ’23, participate in a follow-up retreat and prepare a final report and reflection in December ’23.

The COB thanks Dr. Sarah Williams of ECU’s Office of Faculty Excellence in helping make the workshop possible and thanks Truist for providing stipends to faculty for their participation.

Twelve College of Business faculty participated in the 2023 Truist Leadership Center Course Redesign Program.

Dr. Timothy Madden, associate professor in the Department of Management, talks about how to incorporate engaging digital content into courses.

exemplifying grit at work

Student Spotlight: Kuang Liu

By Kuang Liu | Photo By Michael Rudd

I was born in Taiwan and moved here with my family in 1996. I worked in the restaurant industry for years while I was in high school and college the first time around. I graduated from Cary High School in 2001 and attended Wake Technical Community College, intending to transfer to NC State to study textile engineering. However, I soon realized the textile industry was heading toward India. With that and other reasons, I decided to stop chasing that goal. But, I did obtain an associate degree.

I continued to work in restaurants until I finally pushed myself to do something else: I enlisted in the U.S. Navy Reserve in 2012 and hopefully will retire in the reserve. Once I returned to the triangle area, I worked odd and temporary jobs until I joined UNC Health Care as an IT person in 2014. I wanted to and attempted to return to school a couple more times, but due to unforeseen circumstances, I had to quit both times.

Finally, in late 2019, I set my goal again to return to school and applied to several schools. ECU was one of them, and I got accepted. I worked and studied hard to fulfill my duties and complete my coursework.

In May of 2023, I graduated with a BSBA in management information systems; I finally completed

a journey I started more than 20 years ago. Being the first person in my immediate family to graduate from college is a great pride that I will never forget and hopefully will motivate others to follow suit.

What made you complete your degree?

When my mother passed unexpectedly in 2017, I promised myself I would finish what I started years ago, and I finally fulfilled that promise.

Why ECU and the College of Business?

I always leaned toward ECU after a couple of my best friends from high school attended it. On top of that, after looking around at other schools, ECU and College of Business suited me better than others, not to mention ECU has some of the best online programs not only in the state but in the country.

Do you have occupational goals on the horizon?

I did apply for a Navy commission in the reserve. We will see what happens. But I want to focus on my work, spend time with my dog, relax and travel since I finally got a camper. If future opportunities come up, I will be ready for them.

Pure Chemistry

Chemistry doctoral student wins sixth annual Pirate Entrepreneurship Challenge

By Michael Rudd | Photo By Rhett Butler

In 2019, East Carolina University graduate student Elizabeth LaFave was analyzing samples for the Country Doctor Museum in Bailey. The relationship soon revealed the museum was suffering the effects of COVID-19 with few patrons. That experience inspired LaFave to create Invenire, an app that presents virtual tours of small museums helping grow their audience and expand their reach beyond those within driving distance.

Allison S. Danell, dean of the Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences, receives the Challenge Cannon, awarded to the dean whose student won the Pirate Entrepreneurship Challenge. The cannon will stay at Thomas Harriot until next year’s Pirate Challenge.

This innovative thinking led her to a firstplace finish in this year’s Pirate Entrepreneurship Challenge (PEC), sponsored by the Miller School of Entrepreneurship, where she was awarded $15,000 in prizes and in-kind services.

After competing against five teams representing three ECU colleges with ideas ranging from clothing, technology, fitness and social enterprises, Invenire won the night and a chance to “elevate small museum content by bringing it to the front,” LaFave said.

To add to her challenge winnings, an anonymous donor awarded Invenire an additional $15,000, and she will have another $15,000 in optional equity investment available to her.

ECU Chancellor Philip Rogers said, “I don’t know if there’s a better example on our campus right now that brings together multiple disciplines where students can generate new and big ideas that they can then commercialize at some point in that experience. … This really exemplifies the epitome of what our innovative future-focused campus looks like.”

LaFave leaned on her role as an innovation ambassador in ECU’s Office of Licensing and Commercialization, where she helped develop business plans and presentations based on creating a unique digital experience — Invenire — for the Country Doctor Museum. Subsequently, in spring of 2022, she participated in the I-Corps@ECU program, which allowed her to grow that idea by conducting customer interviews that eventually revealed that other small museums were suffering.

This was the third time LaFave participated in the PEC and pitched Invenire to a panel of judges with the hopes of winning the cash prize of $15,000.

“This large pool of (winnings was) unexpected,” said LaFave, a Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences student majoring in chemistry. “I’m going to have a lot of excited collaborators with our museums.”

Additional awardees

Two additional awardees left the PEC with cash prizes for their business ideas. College of Business student Katie Rowland took second place and $10,000 for her company Fosterline Support, an organization that creates a universal background check process to find short-term, affordable childcare for foster families. College of Health and

Human Performance student Jennifer George won third place and $5,000 for her company Flourish Mind and Body, an integrated physical and mental wellness space for victims of sexual assault. PEC sponsors Red Shark Digital and Radiate Prints also awarded George $5,000 and $1,000, respectively.

“The needs are many here in eastern North Carolina,” said Dennis Barber III, acting director of the Miller School of Entrepreneurship. “What we saw during the finals reflects how our students can play a role in meeting those needs.”

To select the winners, PEC leaned on a panel of judges who know firsthand what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur. The judges for this year’s finals included:

• Vern Davenport ’81 — partner, QHP Capital

• John May ’93 — managing partner, CORE Industrial Partners

• Sonja P. Nichols — president and owner, Southern Lion, LLC and member of the UNC Board of Governors

• Grant Smith — current ECU student and former PEC winner

“It’s amazing what this university is doing and the amount of forward-thinking that’s going into the College of Business,” May said. In October 2022, May served as the keynote speaker at the COB’s Business Leadership Conference. “I think they (participants) did a wonderful job,” Nichols said. “I was extremely proud of them for their willingness to get up in front of all of these people to expose themselves and their idea to the critical thinking and critical eyes.”

“As the ideas continue to grow, so does the challenge’s impact on the participants,” said challenge organizer David Mayo. “Our goal next year is to increase the cash prizes and provide mentors for the second-round participants.”

Mentors for this year’s finalists were Ryan Butcher, a serial entrepreneur; Miller School; Tyler Lumely with the Small Business and Technology Development Center at ECU; Robby Carney with Duelboot Partners; Taylor Walden with Simple and Sentimental; and Grant Edwards, a fractional chief financial officer. This year’s finals marked the first time all three winners were women, and all came from different colleges.

It’s award season at the College of Business

By Michael Rudd |

Congratulations to the following College of Business (COB) faculty, staff and students for their awards.

Board of Governors Distinguished Professor for Teaching Award – recognition of full-time faculty who have taught at ECU for three or more years and who demonstrate excellent or exceptional teaching ability

• Jon Kirchoff, associate professor, marketing and supply chain management, COB

• Christine Kowalczyk, associate professor, marketing and supply chain management, COB

Stallings Faculty Award for Excellence in Service

– recognition of COB faculty for outstanding performance in service

• Brenda Killingsworth, professor, management information systems

Scholar-Teacher Award — recognizing the integration of research and creativity with their teaching roles

• Thanh Ngo, professor, finance, COB

By Michael Rudd

The New Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching, Research, and Service – recognition of tenure track COB faculty for outstanding performance in teaching, research, and service

• Davidson Gillette, assistant professor, accounting

East Carolina University's COB Stafford Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching – recognition of COB faculty for outstanding performance in teaching.

• Christine Kowalczyk, associate professor, marketing and supply chain management

MVP Award – recognition of faculty in the Marketing and Supply Chain department for excellence in teaching, research, and service

• Shirley Mai, associate professor

East Carolina University's COB Stansell Faculty Award for Excellence in Research – recognition of COB faculty for outstanding performance in research.

• Thanh Ngo, professor, finance, COB

Photo

From left to right, Thanh Ngo, Shirley Mai, Davidson Gillette, Aisha Powell and Christine Kowalczyk

Inventor of the Year Award by National Academy of Inventors

• Dr. Sharon Rogers Moore, Miller School of Entrepreneurship

• Elizabeth Haytko Marketing and Supply Chain Service-Learning Teaching Excellence Award

– recognition of the unique time and effort necessary for successful academic service-learning instruction and organized community-based learning activities

• David Mayo, senior teaching instructor, Miller School of Entrepreneurship, COB

East Carolina University's COB Award for Excellence Program – recognition of non-supervisory members of the COB Staff

• Aisha Powell, asst. director, undergrad programs Research and Creative Achievement Week Undergraduate Student Award

• Entrepreneurship Major Grant Smith for InHouse Call Business Plan (Mentored by Dr. Mike Harris)

• Entrepreneurship Major (and Copeland Fellow) Aurora Shafer for Portfolio of Informative Materials for Prospective ECU Students Seeking Aid from DSS (mentored by Dr. Amy McMillan)

Galusha named Miller School’s acting director

By

Chip Galusha has been named the acting director of the Miller School of Entrepreneurship, succeeding Dr. Dennis Barber III, who served in the same capacity since July 1, 2022.

Galusha has been with College of Business (COB) since 2016 and currently teaches Strategy First and Leadership Capstone courses as part of the College’s leadership and professional development curriculum. Prior to joining the COB, Galusha spent more than 25 years in management and leadership roles for financial and information technology markets. As the Miller School’s acting director, Galusha will work with and support Miller School faculty and staff to ensure programs and all educational experiences, including coordination of the Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurship degree,

will continue to be at the high quality that’s been associated with the Miller School since its inception.

“I want to continue to support our students and the innovative, collaborative efforts that benefit eastern North Carolina and to help set the stage for new and improved ideas,” said Galusha. “We are a school of entrepreneurs; new ideas are popping up all the time. The trick is to try and look into the future, pick the ones where we can focus our attention and resources so we can get the greatest impact.”

“At the COB, our advantage is that we have people who are not only thought leaders but who genuinely care about the COB and more importantly, student success,” said Dr. Mike Harris, interim COB dean. “Chip is one of those people and the Miller School couldn’t be in better hands as it continues to be the hub of entrepreneurial activity on campus.”

Galusha started his new role as acting director on July 1, 2023. Barber will transition back to faculty and continue supporting the Miller School’s various activities. “I want to thank Dennis for his leadership of the Miller School over the past year,” said Harris. “The Miller School’s programs continued to perform at a very high-level, and he positioned it for continued growth over the years to come.”

Michael Rudd |

Photo By Michael Rudd

Chip Galusha

Dual Degrees

Dual nursing, business degree program aims to improve health care administration

By Benjamin Abel |

In April 2023, VCU Health in Richmond announced an inaugural chief nursing officer position. The 13-hospital McLaren Health Care system in Michigan did the same June 1, as did the WVU Health System in June 2022. Closer to home, ECU Health announced in November 2022 that Trish Baise would assume the role as the system’s first chief nurse executive.

Photo By Rhett Butler

Linda Quick is the assistant dean of the ECU Thomas D. Arthur Graduate School of Business and an associate professor of accounting.

What these newly established positions seem to show is a recognition by major health care systems of the importance of having business-savvy nurses in leadership positions to help bridge the realities of hospital administration with the life and death demands at the bedside. A new dual program offered by the East Carolina University College of Nursing, in partnership with the ECU College of Business, aims to empower nurses with the tools to advance up the ranks in executive leadership and health system administration. Graduates of the program will receive a Master of Science in Nursing and a Masters of Business Administration (MSN-MBA).

Bimbola Akintade, dean of the College of Nursing and an MBA graduate, understands the benefit of having nurses empowered to lead in health care administration. “As we navigate unprecedented nursing shortages, nurse leaders with health care economics and health care finance acumen are important to advocate for the profession and to partner with health care administrators to properly assess the nursing needs of health systems, and to make fiscally responsible decisions regarding staffing and other financial investments,” Akintade said.

“Bringing their clinical backgrounds and leadership knowledge to the table, they will improve communication of financial decisions that impact nursing practice and direct patient care between administrators and bedside nurses. In addition, this knowledge will help graduates of the dual MSN-MBA program contribute meaningfully to the nursing workforce development solutions that will positively impact the health and well-being of residents of our region and beyond.”

The program

Students in the online program will graduate with a Masters of Nursing Science in health system leadership and a Masters of Business Administration, a potent combination of qualifications that will help graduates tackle long-term challenges in health care administration. Twelve semester hours will count toward both degree programs.

The first semester of the program will have students focus on business, the second semester will veer back into nursing coursework, and the remaining year and a half of students’ time will be blended.

Thompson Forbes, ECU assistant professor of nursing and one of the program’s directors, said the goal of having students complete the two degrees in tandem is to give them knowledge and skills they can use to bridge the cultural gap between frontline nurses and hospital administration, not making nurses into accountants. Communication, Forbes said, may be one of the biggest problems facing health care systems — the legion of credentialed health care professionals in scrubs and lab coats don’t often speak the same language as the administrators and analysts in suit coats and dresses.

“We need to have leaders who can understand health system organizational theory, nursing theory and nursing evidence-based practice, and then pair that with an understanding of finance, accounting and marketing. They will be better prepared to translate decisions that are made in the clinical environment to business environment and vice versa, so the systems can be more efficient,” Forbes said.

Linda Quick, assistant dean of ECU’s Thomas D. Arthur Graduate School of Business, is new to the partnership’s leadership, but her experience in business administration gives her a good sense of the balance between health care and business the program’s students will need to be effective after graduation. “As businesspeople, we don’t want to make clinical decisions,” Quick said. “But at the end of the day I only have so many dollars. So where do I want to spend that money, how can I best use my investment?”

Quick said the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic shined a spotlight on the stresses health systems already faced in managing nursing resources. Hospitals were forced to invest heavily in travel nurses, who command significantly more money than staff nurses. This imbalance stresses the hospital’s wallet and can foster mistrust between nursing staff members and the administrators of the health systems who are trying to keep the doors open.

“You have to think about your customer, and in the hospital your patient is, in essence, your customer. The nurses are the ones who have that frontline time and know the customers best. Their perspective is going to be important for leadership,” Quick said.

The dual MSN-MBA program isn’t the first in the nation, but the pool of schools that offer a similar paring is small. Quick thinks that having this program as an option for potential students is a win for the region.

“This might plant the seed for someone who down the line is either going into hospital administration or looking at having their own practice,” Quick said.

Potential students

Brian Floyd, president and chief operating officer of ECU Health Medical Center, the system that services much of eastern North Carolina, believes that anyone can succeed in health care system leadership, but nurses have a particular propensity to be effective leaders. They know how hospitals work from the ground up and experience how the parts of a hospital come together as a whole. Also, the trust that nurses inherently build with patients and coworkers is rooted in practical awareness of how leaders come to their decisions.

“Nurses tend to be empathetic, and this also helps gain trust and confidence as a leader,” Floyd said. “Nurses typically do not present a power gradient with physicians and are more likely to act in a supportive and collaborative relationship.”

Forbes hopes to entice potential students with an opportunity to learn how to fill the dual role of nurse leader and business administrator. Forbes and his team conducted an informal poll with potential students and of about 40 who were asked, 37 said they would be very interested in the coursework. One student was already motivated enough to work out the logistics of applying to both colleges — nursing and business — to carve out his own course of study that the dual degree program will resolve for future applicants.

“It’s a heavy course load — two courses a semester, every semester including both summer sessions. But you can finish it up in 2 1/2 years,” Forbes said.

While demanding, Quick said the completely online nature of the MBA portion of the partnership should offer prospective students the flexibility needed to balance work and home life. Faculty from both colleges have a framework in place to help students manage coursework, but the flexibility in the individual programs should meet students’ individual needs.

“We offer our MBA courses in the summer and in eight-week blocks during the regular semester. Students really have a lot of options from the MBA coursework side to figure out what fits in best with

their schedule,” Quick added.

Support for health care systems

Forbes said nursing will always be the largest line item on any health care system’s budget because nurses are the most patient-centric, and patientintensive, members of the workforce in hospital and most health care settings.

“Instead of just striking numbers from a budget, there needs to be someone who can interpret and say, ‘We can handle this much efficiency gain on the business side, but that savings is going to result in a reduced level of quality of care at the bedside,’” Forbes said.

When conversations between the health care workforce and administration on how to balance patient care with keeping the lights on don’t happen, Forbes said distrust naturally festers. Advanced practice nurses with business administration education can foster “an environment of understanding amongst everybody.”

Floyd agrees with Forbes’ assessment that nurses who understand business can help build consensus and confidence in an administration’s business decisions.

Having familiarity with frontline operations is critical in determining what is important in helping shape the strategy of organizations. At the same time, influence to lead others to adopt the strategy is enhanced when the workforce appreciates that the leader has experience in direct patient care and is empathetic to their work, Floyd said.

Modern health delivery systems aren’t humanitarian organizations, but rather must compete as other complex business operations do, he said. As a registered nurse, Floyd understands the importance of having nursing staff who can speak the language of business.

“The skills obtained in MBA programs include data interpretation, financial and operational management, and leadership and organizational management, and the curriculum has been refined over years of volatility. The modern health care leader can benefit from decades of learning from business industries and apply those practices in the health care environment as it continues to evolve,” Floyd said.

LED stock ticker emblematic of a strong relationship and an exciting profession

By Michael Rudd |

The College of Business welcomed Triangle East Complex (serving Greenville, Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Cary, Smithfield and Wilmington) of Raymond James & Associates to campus recently and thanked them for their gift of the LED stock ticker now on display on the third floor of Bate Building.

John Pace (complex manager/managing director, investments), Wes Singleton (financial advisor/ senior vice president, investments), Theresa Gilmore (complex business coordinator), and Bynum Satterwhite (branch manager/ vice president, wealth management) were welcomed to campus by College leadership and saw firsthand their gift at work.

Satterwhite says he hopes “the gift will promote awareness of the equity and capital markets.” Dr. Brenda Wells, chair of the College’s Finance and Insurance Department, agrees. “The stock ticker brings a slice of the real world to our students,” said Wells. “This should be of particular interest to the Finance majors. I’m really proud to see that on the third floor of Bate when I step off the elevator.”

Over the years, Raymond James and the College of Business (COB) have enjoyed a healthy relationship. Gilmore, an ’09 alumnus, has worked with the

College’s Cunanan Center for Professional Success for several years to recruit and employ interns. And, she sees the College’s relationship with Raymond James continuing to grow over the years to come.

“At Raymond James, it is all about people – our clients, our colleagues, our communities,” said Gilmore. “We look forward to continuing to offer internships and exposing students to the securities industry. In addition to employing interns, we welcome traditional and nontraditional students who graduate from ECU and desire to be a financial advisor. The Advisor Mastery Program provides talented candidates with the expertise necessary to turn their drive and experience into a rewarding career as a financial advisor.

Singleton, an ’81 graduate of the College, says the stock ticker represented a good chance to give back. “After years of working professionally and reflecting back on the education I received from ECU, it feels right and good to give something back to this institution,” said Singleton. “We hope this ticker display brings energy and excitement to students and the COB as they work collectively to send great graduates into the professional world.”

From left to right, former COB Dean Dr. Stan Eakins, John Pace (Raymond James), Wes Singleton (Raymond James), Theresa Gilmore (Raymond James), Bynum Satterwhite (Raymond James) and Interim COB Dean Dr. Mike Harris

Photo By Emily Leach

Inaugural Copeland Fellows close out cohort

By Michael Rudd | Photo By Michael Rudd

When applications opened for the first cohort of the Copeland Diversity and Inclusion Fellowship, Mark Copeland ’96 and his wife Tracy ‘95 wanted to provide a program for College of Business (COB) students that celebrated and encouraged a culture of diversity and inclusion.

Another goal was for the program to build upon the legacy started by COB’s leadership and professional development curriculum.

In 2020, Copeland said, “Diversity and inclusiveness are not ‘nice to haves.’ They are business imperatives. As (our) COB graduates embark on their next journey, they will quickly realize that diverse perspectives drive better decision-making, stimulate innovation, increase organizational agility, and strengthen resilience to disruption.”

On April 14, the first cohort of the Copeland Fellows – Jonathan Coleman, Evelyn Gonzalez, Aurora Shafer and Grant Smith – presented their last deliverable as Copeland Fellows in the Ledonia Wright Culture Center

on the campus ECU. After two years in the program, their projects demonstrated what they learned.

Gonzalez, who will graduate with an accounting degree in May, plans to continue her education by pursuing her Master of Science in accounting from the Thomas D. Arthur Graduate School of Business. Her final Copeland Fellows project examined why Hispanic students do not pursue an accounting degree, a topic based on her firsthand experiences at ECU.

“I will never forget when I entered my first accounting class and realized I was the only Hispanic in the room,” Gonzalez said. “This did not feel normal, as I was used to having Hispanic peers in my class. I am grateful that I overcame this and have seen more Hispanic students in my classes.”

Gonzalez also said being a Copeland Fellow allowed her to dig deeper into why Hispanic students are not pursuing an accounting career. “I found out that (Hispanic) students do not pursue a career in this field because they do not have

From left to right, Jonathan Coleman, Aurora Shafer, Mark Copeland, Evelyn Gonzalez and Grant Smith

mentorship to help guide them in the field of accounting,” she said. “The experience taught me the importance of connecting with my peers and mentoring younger generations.”

Coleman, who is pursuing a Master of Business Administration degree from the Arthur School, went into the Copeland Fellowship with an open mind and not knowing what to expect. “I just wanted to meet as many people I could … who could teach me how we can carry ourselves with diversity, inclusion and how we portray the university as we teach others around us,” Coleman said. Coleman, whose project, “Brother in Me,” provides mentorship to Wellcome Middle School students in Greenville, says the Copeland Fellowship has prepared him to be

No. 2 business journal in the world names

Dr. Patrick McKay as associate editor

By Michael Rudd | Photo By Cliff Hollis

Dr. Patrick McKay, a professor in the Department of Management, was invited to serve as an associate editor of the Journal of Management. “Dr. McKay’s selection as an associate editor for this prestigious and highly impactful journal indicates the academy’s respect for his scholarship,” said Dr. Joy Karriker, chair, the Department of Management. “We are grateful for Professor McKay’s willingness to take on this role, even as he continues to contribute to the classroom and as a collaborative colleague in our department.”

Notably, the Journal of Management (JOM) is committed to publishing research articles that have a high impact on the management field. JOM includes topics such as business strategy and policy, organizational behavior, entrepreneurship, human resource management, organizational theory,

ready for the next phase of his life and career.

“When you get into the workforce, you’re going to be with other people who may not look like you and may not have the same ideas as you,” Coleman said. “We all bring something different to the table.”

“My expectations have clearly been met. I was able to see how these students have grown over the past two years to make an impact in Greenville and eastern North Carolina. I couldn’t be prouder.”

As far as moving the Copeland Fellowship forward, Copeland hopes to see past fellows mentor the newer fellows. “I really want to see the next group of Copeland Fellows drive the program and shape it (the program) into what they want as they look to the future and how the program will make an impact,” Copeland said.

and organizational research methods.

It is peer-reviewed, published bi-monthly, and currently has a five-year impact factor of 18.017. This ranks second out of 83 for applied psychology journals, and second out of 154 for peerreviewed business journals, according to Journal Citation Reports. Articles in the Journal of Management are not only highly read and widely cited, but they have also become a major learning and thought-provoking resource for management scholars.

“I am deeply honored by the invitation to serve as an associate editor of the Journal of Management,” said McKay. “I feel that it is an important service to the profession to help ensure the quality of scientific information disseminated to scholars, practitioners, students, and other stakeholders. I am proud to represent the Department of Management, College of Business, and ECU in fulfilling the editorial appointment.”

Patrick McKay

Future Focused

School of Hospitality Leadership expands for the future

By Michael Rudd | Photos by Cliff Hollis

East Carolina University’s School of Hospitality Leadership (SHL) career fair had a new look this year. Traditionally, SHL students, clad in business attire and armed with resumes, pressed the flesh of potential employees during SHL’s annual career event. Relationships are established. Internships are found, and it’s not uncommon for jobs to be offered.

Over the past couple of years, however, COVID-19 affected the career fair. Fewer companies attended, and fewer students walked the booths. Companies either weren’t hiring or implemented technologies that replaced staff. “The entire industry, including higher education, was hit hard,” said Bob O’Halloran, director of the SHL. “We’re still feeling the effects.”

An Oct. 2022 report published by the North Carolina Restaurant & Lodging Association (NCRLA) projected hotel industry revenue to be down by almost 20% compared to 2019.

The same report did have a glimmer of hope. It stated that leisure travel is seeing an uptick, leading to “historic career opportunities for hotel employees (alone), with more than 115,000 hotel jobs currently open across the nation.” Career opportunities are where the SHL comes in. It offers an undergraduate hospitality management degree focusing on convention and special events, food and beverage, and lodging. SHL students are also prepared for the broader service industry, including health care, retail, grocery, human resources and hospitality vendor companies, for example hospitality technology organizations. “We have the curriculum in place to deliver hospitality employees and leaders,” O’Halloran said. “Now, we must develop programs to attract tomorrow’s leaders.”

Dr. Bob O’Halloran, director of the School of Hospitality Leadership (SHL), speaks to a group of students during SHL's 2023 career fair.

One such program saw an expansion to the SHL’s career fair, which was held Feb. 9 in Harvey Hall at ECU’s Murphy Center. Almost 100 SHL students met with representatives from 25 companies looking for hospitality managers and employees. Joining the SHL students were 100 high school students from North Lenoir, South Lenoir and Tarboro high schools.

Programming for tomorrow

Titled the Hospitality & Tourism Career Pathways Student Conference, the SHL welcomed area high school students from various grades who expressed an interest in a hospitality career. During their visit, the high school students heard from hospitality representatives, participated in a panel discussion with hospitality recruiters, and previewed the SHL Career Fair.

Yolonda Titus is a food and nutrition teacher at South Lenoir High School. She hoped the attending high school students would understand that taking her class is not just about “being in the kitchen … it’s so much broader. “That’s why we took the opportunity (to attend) because we know it involves hospitality,” Titus said. “(I wanted to) let them know that there are many different career paths they can take just by taking our course.”

Kecia Poling is the director of the NCRLA’s foundation and workforce development. She attended the pathways conference not only as an alumnus, but also as an industry representative. It was her goal to “let the students know a little bit about the hospitality industry … and that there’s a variety of opportunities in the hospitality field.”

“Reaching these kids to get them interested (is important),” Poling said. “It’s important to grow the workforce pipeline as our industry continues to grow and to recuperate from the pandemic.”

After participating in the day’s events, Lilly Shifflet of Kingston and a senior at South Lenoir High School said she learned about the different experiences the speakers had to go through to reach where they are in their career. “It was interesting to me how there were so many people in hospitality,” Shifflett said.

Andrew Schmidt closed out the education sessions. He is the president and CEO of Visit Greenville NC and serves on SHL’s advisory board. His message to both high school attendees and SHL students was the need, especially after COVID, to resupply the hospitality workforce.

“Our needs in the industry are going to do nothing but increase as we have baby boomers, retirees and more people traveling,” Schmidt said.

The high school students’ visit ended with a walk-through of Harvey Hall and a chance to speak with recruiters from event companies, resorts, hotel management companies, restaurants, sports teams and amusement parks. As O’Halloran watched the interactions between the high school students and the recruiters, he was already planning on next year’s pathways conference. “I’m very pleased with the turnout, and I’m very pleased with the message the conference participants conveyed,” O’Halloran said. “Hopefully, the exposure to ECU, SHL and the hospitality industry will get these kids excited for a career in a very fulfilling industry.”

High School career fair in Harvey Hall.

In His Own Words: Allen Thomas ’92

By Michael Rudd | Courtesy

Allen Thomas (BSBA ’92 and former ECU student body president) is the Region IV administrator for the Small Business Administration (SBA), whose mission is to start, grow and build resilient businesses. He supports Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, working out of Atlanta, Georgia. Still, he will be the first to tell you it’s hard to catch him there. He spends most of his time traveling, meeting with small-business owners and the organizations that support them, such as economic development boards, partner organizations and lending institutions. Thomas still calls Greenville home.

He focuses on ensuring he and the SBA are seen as a resource conduit that connects banks and lenders with small-business owners and entrepreneurs who need capital. And in times of crises, (e.g., hurricanes and flooding, etc.), Thomas helps deliver billions in disaster recovery grants and lending to those individuals and organizations that need to get back on their feet. From managing Federal Emergency Management Agency responses to COVID response support for 35 million businesses, he helps to oversee an organization that builds and rebuilds communities.

We recently spoke with Thomas about his career and how, early on, several interactions with the SBA made him an ideal choice to lead the administration’s largest region.

In 2011, he became Greenville’s mayor, a position he held until 2017, focusing on economic and infrastructure growth, such as the redesignation of Highway 264 as Intersate 587. “During my time as mayor, I worked with multiple state and federal agencies, including the SBA, to bring resources to Greenville and eastern North Carolina.”

After Thomas became mayor, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper turned to him to lead the North Carolina Global Transpark, an industrial park and airport that supports the manufacturing and logistics needs

of the aviation, aerospace, defense, emergency and advanced materials industries. It also served as a hub for hurricane disaster response and provided resiliency and recovery support for individuals and businesses.

Thomas soon connected with ECU alumnus Jim Segrave. Segrave is the founder and CEO of flyExclusive, a luxury chartered jet company based in Kinston, and a member of the ECU Board of Trustees. Segrave brought Thomas on board to serve as the company’s executive vice president in 2019. Today, flyExclusive is one of the nation’s five largest private jet operators, according to its website.

“Ah, the pandemic crisis. That will get your attention quickly. You got 80 jets and 480 employees across airports worldwide,” Thomas said. “I learned about the SBA’s payroll protection program and additional resources. I had the opportunity to reengage and learn firsthand what a difference the SBA makes on a fundamental level for so many. After the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, flyExclusive responded with resilience, jobs were saved, and the company has doubled in size over the past five years.”

Photo

Allen Thomas

An American Dream

Charlotte financier and business owner Erskine Bowles, former head of the SBA, recommended Thomas for consideration to run the southeast U.S. for the SBA, a position he started in 2021.

Talking with Thomas, the passion for small business success and sustainability is evident. Leaning on his previous business experience and knowledge of how governments can assist today’s business owners, Thomas is hitting the road, meeting people to get the word out about the SBA. Last year, he helped deliver more than $8 billion in traditional lending to small businesses in the southeast. He wants small-business owners to know that SBA is a resource for them, providing guidance on creating a business plan, building cash flow, conducting or finding market studies, creating banking relationships, and more.

Thomas believes strongly in strategic relationships, recently launching an alliance between SBA and the National Pan-Hellenic Council (with 2.5

million members) to spearhead diversity in access to capital and resources for minority entrepreneurs, women, veterans and rural communities.

Additionally, Thomas has always heavily utilized ECU College of Business (COB) interns throughout his career, including his time at flyExclusive. “They have amazing talent and provide value-added support and solutions to real business scenarios.”

Thomas carried these experiences to the SBA and developed internship strategies that were infused nationally at the SBA. All of which led to SBA to green light a national program.

Beyond his role at the SBA, Thomas hopes to continue working with ECU, the COB and the Miller School of Entrepreneurship.

“There’s no reason federal, state and local agencies shouldn’t be trusted partners with the university to be successful across the eastern part of the state. While I’m proud to be born and raised in eastern North Carolina, I’m even more proud to raise my family here by choice and be a part of building a future of which we can all be proud.”

SHL hosts premiere Food and Wine festival

By Michael Rudd

The School of Hospitality Leadership’s (SHL) premiere Food and Wine Festival took place on March 24, 2023. The festival was a scholarship fundraiser and an experiential learning opportunity for SHL students. Six students – Noelle Edwards, Sara Overton, Zachary Stephenson, Eliza Gemberling, Avery Thomas and Janelle Schwartz from food and beverage, event planning and lodging management concentrations – served on the development team using their skills to plan and execute the event.

Students from the principles of food preparation class and the advanced food production lab prepared 12 menu items as part of a class project. The menu items ranged from savory to sweet. Beef

Wellington, Sauteed Scallops with Beurre Blanc and Avocado Dip, Roast Pork on Tostones, Cucumber Gazpacho, Orange Cream Profiteroles and Lavender Macarons were among a few of the dishes.

Each dish was paired with a wine provided by two of the event's sponsors, Empire Distributors and Tryon Distributing. Volunteers from SHL classes helped to set up and decorate the Darden Dining Room and Golden Corral Culinary Kitchens for the festival. More than 50 student volunteers helped to make the festival a success. Performance Foods Group, Golden Corral and Equipment Plus Total Facility Solutions provided additional sponsorships to help with purchasing products for the event and marketing. More than 60 guests enjoyed 2 hours of mixing and mingling while tasting various food and wine pairings.

Positive Impact

Fraternity brothers, friends are in the business of ECU

By Patricia Earnhardt Tyndall | Photo By Cliff Hollis

As great friends often do, Paul Adkison ’91 and Scott Diggs ’89 draw energy from one another, laugh at shared memories, occasionally answer in unison, and grow more dynamic the longer they work together. The East Carolina University College of Business graduates, both successful entrepreneurs, propelled their passion for building businesses and their friendship into building one merged

family office company structure, Co-X Holdings. They describe the corporation as a conglomerate-kind of organization that is opportunistic with a blend of a multi-family and hotel development, parking management, and heavy equipment rental business. “We started out as fraternity brothers and have been friends for a very long time,” Diggs said. “We’ve both been very entrepreneurial and complement each other well. Nine years ago, we partnered in our first business venture together, which has gone very well, so we decided to combine all of our business activities together in Co-X Holdings.” Adkison added that he and Diggs work well together because of a shared core foundation. Both men seek to keep a sphere of influence of people with high integrity, trust and honesty in their work and personal lives. Meeting with the Sigma Phi Epsilon brothers and Co-X founders

Scott Diggs and Paul Adkison have established an

is part business venture, part entrepreneurial thrill ride as discussion pivots between driving stakeholder value, merged office structures, target ventures and leveraging opportunities.

Paying it forward

Most days, support and work for ECU is at the top of their mutual project lists. Adkison and Diggs are active members of the ECU Foundation Board, having begun their second terms last year. Both also serve on the College of Business Advisory Council and the Miller School of Entrepreneurship.

Adkison and Diggs said they are devoted to ECU because of the positive impact the university has had on their lives. They believe stewardship goes with that devotion, and they have a need to pay it forward through gifts and telling others about the university.

“ECU shaped me for the man I am today and us for the men we are and where we are in our communities,” Diggs said. “I can honestly say I wouldn’t be here without ECU,” Adkison said. “I’m nobody special, but with some education at the right place with the right people who can influence you, you can do anything.”

Adkison and Diggs have committed $125,000 to establish the Adkison and Diggs Access Scholarship Endowment. Their scholarship is targeted for a student majoring in entrepreneurship or any business discipline offered by the College of Business.

“Where it really hit me was — after a couple of years of supporting access scholarships — we got to know the students, we’ve had lunches with our students, our students write us letters, and they have testified to us that they would not be where they are — they would not be in college —  had it not been for the access scholarship,” Diggs said. “I get chills just thinking about the impact we are making in the lives of these students. We are changing lives and impacting people that we don’t even know.”

Members of the ECU Foundation board are encouraged to make annual gifts such as those to support access scholarships. The program provides grants to students who demonstrate academic potential and financial need. The $5,000 renewable annual award assists with tuition, fees and books. Since its beginning 16 years ago, the program has provided scholarships to 290 students and awarded approximately $5.5 million.

Deciding to take their support a step further and committing to the endowment is fueled by their passion for ECU and their efforts to find and help students who want to go to college and do not have the ability to afford it. “We are paying it forward. We participate in students’ lives, allowing them the opportunity to attend college, which is one heck of an opportunity,” Diggs said. “We feel like it’s an opportunity for us to make a statement and help others and benefit the university at the same time. This is huge for me.”

They believe investing in ECU is good business. Adkison and Diggs have made their gift as part of Pirate Nation Gives in an effort to encourage others to do the same. Just as Adkison and Diggs have, participants can support ECU student scholarships and specific programs through their donations. Last year, ECU raised more than $8.4 million for university programs and students.

Foundation and future

Both men believe in building a solid future for Pirate Nation, and they hope to see their scholars go on to do great things in life and come back and pay it forward the way Adkison and Diggs are now.

“People don’t realize this — unless you’re a Pirate — there are a lot of very successful Pirates across the United States. We need to engage and light up the Pirate Nation,” Adkison said. “So now where there is not only Scott and Paul, there’s Scott and Paul times 10,000. And that’s something we’re passionate about, engaging with the students and engaging with the alumni population to make this community what it should be.”

It all comes back to foundation — good people, a solid education and the right place, he said. Adkison and Diggs credit their parents for their values and ECU for allowing them the opportunities to find their paths.

Adkison originally came to ECU with a plan to play sports. After an injury, he had to find another path and make a new plan. He figured out what ECU could be for him, engaged fully in all the university had to offer, and began to get involved in his fraternity and student government. Diggs had found his place as well. “ECU was right where I needed to be. My parents dropped me off and rarely saw me for four years.”

The College of Business was the epicenter of their entrepreneurial pursuits. Both knew they wanted to own and run their own business. For Diggs, it was

taking Financial Analysis II his senior year. Diggs was in his element and loved the mergers and acquisitions projects thrown at him. “We had to prepare in teams each week. We were presented with different companies each week where we presented and prepared a merger and acquisition strategy on the buy side and sell side,” Diggs said. “I really enjoyed this class as it was very real-world business for me.”

Adkison’s eagerness for business was launched when he met Jim Westmoreland his freshman year. Westmoreland advised him on what courses he should take and what he needed to do to get a job. “He spent time — telling me everything I needed — and I would periodically come back and check in to tell him how I was doing,” Adkison said. “That relationship started in 1986 and continues to this day. I just got a text message from him maybe three weeks ago. It’s amazing.”

stories

“You cannot go into an interview like this without thinking of Dr. James Westmoreland,” Diggs added. “Jim, for us, is a friend and has had a huge impact on our lives and is the man that stands out in the business school for me.” The lifelong friendships and influential faculty have kept Adkison and Diggs engaged with ECU. They are excited about what the university provided them and proud of what they see in the university today. In their view, ECU is keeping up with customer expectations. The recent credentialling partnership with MrBeast is one example they share of the university pivoting to the market to ensure students have access to the skills they need and an environment to test that skill set. “We have a phenomenal community here,” Adkison said. “We will be using our influence and voice to make sure we help the university remain relevant.”

Academy of Sales Leadership competes in first competition, has strong showing

By Michael Rudd | Courtesy

Students from the COB’s Academy of Sales Leadership (AoSL) recently competed in the Hendrick Automotive Sales Competition in Wilmington, North Carolina. ECU brought five students to the competition. The three-round competition started with each student participating in a role-playing scenario where they had to secure a car deal. Thirty students moved on to the second round and 10 students competed in the final round.

How did the COB AoSL do in its first competition?

Kennedi Bethea, a supply chain management and marketing major, took third place and a prize of $3,000. Bethea is currently on the conduct board of the East Carolina Ambassadors, a member of the American Marketing Association, and the vice president of membership for the ECU chapter of the Institute of Supply Chain. Other COB students competing in the competition included Rodney Bonilla Gonzalez, Nathan Buntoum, William Dong, and Abby Gelband.

Photo

John Chapman & Kennedi Bethea

According to John Chapman, AoSL director, the COB students practiced for the competition since spring break. The Hendrick sales competition marked the first competition the AoSL participated in.

Arthur School names inaugural teaching fellows

By Michael Rudd |

The Thomas D. Arthur Graduate School of Business has announced its inaugural teaching fellowship cohort. The fellows include:

• Dr. Cynthia Deale, SHL

• Dr. Brenda Killingsworth, MIS

• Dr. Christine Kowalczyk, MSCM

• Dr. Tim Madden, management

• Dr. Dennis O’Reilly, accounting

• Dr. April Reed, MIS

Arthur Teaching Fellows are expected to research, train, adopt, implement, and deploy innovative learning techniques or other pedagogical innovation in their graduate teaching and to share applicable knowledge with others in the College of Business.

Photo by Michael Rudd

“The Thomas D. Arthur Teaching Fellowship is intended to recognize and encourage a continued commitment to excellence and innovation in graduate

teaching and instruction,” said Dr. Linda Quick, assistant dean, Arthur School. The Arthur Teaching Fellows will implement their innovations in fall 2023, present to the COB in spring 2024, and mentor the next cohort of Arthur Teaching Fellows in fall 2024.

Ellis to lead ECU’s Black Faculty Organization

Dr. Danny Ellis with the Department of Marketing and Supply Chain Management has been named president of ECU’s Black Faculty Organization (BFO), a public, non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the interests of its members at ECU.

BFO provides support and assistance through social activities, scholarship, advocacy programs, and other University and community-based activities. It supports and encourages the creation

and enforcement of University policies relating to recruitment, retention, and the professional development of African American and other minority faculty. As president, Ellis will provide leadership for the organization; maintain and adhere to the directives in the by-laws; preside at the meetings; prepare meeting agendas; serve as spokesperson; and keep members informed through minutes, publications, and/or electronic communications.

“As BFO president, it is my goal to maximize student success, faculty growth, and intellectual recognition while highlighting the great contribution of the members of BFO both on campus and in the eastern North Carolina community,” said Ellis.

Ellis will serve as president for two years.

From left to right, Drs. Quick, Killingsworth, Reed, O’Reilly, Deale, Kowalczyk and Madden

By Michael Rudd | Courtesy Photo

Danny Ellis

Dr. Jon Kirchoff: from punk rocker to ECU’s supply chain thought leader

By Michael Rudd |

Dr. Jon Kirchoff was named the marketing and supply chain management department chair for the College of Business in April of 2023. He joined the College in 2011 when he came in as an assistant professor out of the Ph.D. program at the University of Tennessee. He also is an associate professor of supply chain management and a research associate for the Bureau of Business Research.

Prior to academia, he worked for 15 years in global purchasing and logistics management at Fortune 500 companies, including Mercedes-Benz U.S. International and Dish Network. His primary areas of research include sustainable supply chain management, health care supply chain management, and functional integration. He has published articles in Journal of Operations Management, Journal of Supply Chain Management, International Journal of Physical Distribution and Logistics Management, among other academic and professional publications including Harvard Business Review. But who is Dr. Jon Kirchoff, really? Proudly borrowing from the Proust Questionnaire, we asked Dr. Kirchoff some questions so we can get to know him a little better.

What was your first concert?

Styx – Paradise Theater Tour at the Salt Palace in 1981! After that, things went downhill for them, although Mr. Roboto is a phenom. As for me, I soon discovered punk rock.

What are the qualities you might like in a person?

Humor and humility. I can get along with anyone who has a sense of humor and who doesn’t take themselves too seriously.

What is your idea of happiness?

Hiking in the desert with my wife and kids, mountain biking, skiing, playing the git fiddle with my band, being a professor, and drinking good bourbon – not always in that order.

If not a professor,

what would you be?

Rock and Roll star or 1970s German variety show host. If I could combine the two into one, wunderbar!

If you could go back in time and witness anything in history, where would you go?

I think we romanticize historical events to make them more palatable, e.g. the Battle of Gettysburg. In reality, it was hellish and smelled terrible. That said, I would go to Egypt to watch the Great Pyramid of Cheops and the Sphinx of Giza being built. Can you imagine the scale of that operation?

Who is your favorite hero in fiction?

My hero is really an anti-hero – Ignatius Riley from Confederacy of Dunces!

Who are your heroes in real life?

My dad because he was a role model for me in every way. Bode Miller because he was a phenomenal skier who threw himself down the mountain in every race and overcame incredible personal pain. North Carolina’s

Photo By Cliff Hollis

Jon Kirchoff

own John Coltrane because he literally changed how jazz was written, performed, and experienced.

Who are your favorite writers?

John Steinbeck, J.D. Salinger, Jack Kerouac

What is your favorite childhood memory?

Summertime in Brigham City, Utah. Everything was possible and every day was a new adventure plus

monster movies were only $0.50 at the Roxy Theater. What’s your favorite ECU/COB memory?

Anytime I can get my students to laugh while they learn. What’s the one thing people would find most surprising to learn about you?

I don’t like pimento cheese and I love old musicals; I may break into Oklahoma! in the halls of Bate.

Pirate Entrepreneurship Fund Propels Sportscale, Inc.

East Carolina University’s spin-out Sportscale, Inc. received a quarter of a million dollar equity investment from the Pirate Entrepreneurship Fund, LLC (PEF). Sportscale, Inc. is home to the patented Sportscale System, a product that features athlete recognition and automates repetitive weight collection routines for sports teams. The Sportscale System is currently helping colleges, universities, and high schools around the country to safeguard athletes. Current customers include some of the NCAA’s top wrestling programs. Interest in Sportscale’s products escalated dramatically in 2023 and the PEF investment is pivotal to building inventory and quickly filling orders.

Sportscale, Inc. was founded by Sharon Rogers Moore, Ph.D., associate professor and Innovator in Residence at ECU’s Miller School of Entrepreneurship. She shared, “This investment is an opportunity for us to take a great stride forward this summer and reach more athletic programs. We aim to be a tool that every coach, athletic trainer, and sports program finds essential.”

Sportscale represents PEF’s fifth investment. The multi-million dollar fund was launched in early 2022 in support of ECU-affiliated startups, research partners and alumni businesses. In a statement issued by Anthony Patterson and Matt Crisp, lifelong ECU supporters and PEF investment committee members, “Sportscale represents the

type of innovation and real-world solutions that ECU is known for, and represents another clear example of Pirates rolling up their sleeves to solve today’s most pressing issues. PEF is designed to invest in growing companies founded by ECU faculty like Dr. Rogers

Moore who are true experts in their field, and we are proud to be part of this endeavor.”

Dr. Michael Harris, interim dean, ECU College of Business adds, “It’s exciting to see Sharon continue to grow Sportscale through the support of the PEF. This is proof that the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and strong on our campus.” Co-investing in this round with PEF were current Sportscale shareholders, as well as members of East Carolina Angels, a group of investors focused on opportunities that originate or impact ECU and eastern North Carolina. This financing round, which remains open for additional interested investors, is the second equity raise for Sportscale, Inc.

By Michael Rudd | Photo By Cliff Hollis

Sharon Rogers Moore

Dr. Emily Yeager: getting to know Crisp Center’s new leader

By Michael Rudd | Photo By Cliff Hollis

Dr. Emily Yeager was named the interim director of the Crisp Small Business Resource Center in March of 2023. She joined the College of Business and the Miller School from ECU’s Department of Recreation Sciences. Her work focuses on rural community development, rural tourism and small-town entrepreneurship. Her current initiatives include the Tar-Pamlico Blue Economy Corridor, Building Rural Community Resilience, an investigation of tourism and recreation business owners in Pitt County, and a feasibility study of the Beaufort County Nature-Based Water Trail. But who is Dr. Emily Yeager, really? Proudly borrowing from the Proust Questionnaire, we asked Dr. Yeager some questions so we can get to know her a little better.

What was your first concert? Coldplay.

What are the qualities you like best in a person? Wittiness, honesty and empathy.

What is your idea of happiness?

Spending time with my family and laying in my hammock at night under party lights.

If not a professor, what would you be?

Full-Time Musician. I write my own music, sing, and play piano, guitar, and alto saxophone. The style would be akin to Amy Winehouse and Corinne Bailey Rae.

If you could go back in time and witness anything in history, when and where would you go?

March 3, 1913. Women Suffrage Parade. To be a part of this significant milestone in women’s rights in the US. It’s hard to believe that it has been 110 years since then.

Who is your favorite hero in fiction?

Matilda Wormwood because she overcame the

impossible and found herself along the way at such a young age. And of course, because she has telekinetic powers.

Who are your heroes in real life?

My Dad, whose military career and other careers in mental health show me the true meaning of public service and compassion to others. Michelle Obama because she has always been a fearless advocate for social justice and remains an international role model for women.

Who are your favorite writers?

Ayn Rand – she inspired my first deep dive into philosophy; I now, ironically, have a doctorate in. Laura Ingles Wilder – her writings reflect a universal struggle of transitioning from childhood to adolescence while also drawing the reader into a world of pioneer days, reminding readers that back then, having candy on Christmas was a true treat.

What is your favorite childhood memory?

Playing on my uncle’s cow farm in the summer, jumping on haybales, and swimming in the pond.

What’s your favorite ECU/COB memory?

Snowmageddon 2009. Pushing the shopping cart of snowballs up College Hill to prepare for THE snowball fight. I think we made more than 100 snowballs. When we arrived at College Hill, the mayhem was like a scene straight out of Snow Day.

What’s the one thing people would find most surprising to learn about you?

I wrote and produced an album once that was available on iTunes years ago called Stratosphere. It’s no longer on iTunes but I have a hard copy of the album art still saved … somewhere.

Emily Yeager

Meet Andrew Herdman, Thomas D. Arthur Distinguished Scholar in Leadership

By Michael Rudd |

Dr. Andrew Herdman is an associate professor of management and the Thomas D. Arthur Distinguished Scholar in Leadership who has more than 25 years of applied leadership, business development and human resource experience across various companies and industries. Most recently, he served as VP of the Group Human Resources for Mayne Pharma, a global pharmaceutical company where he led the global HR effort and served as a member of the executive committee. Prior to joining Mayne Pharma, he was an associate professor in the College’s Department of Management. Previously, he held numerous HR consulting roles and served as VP of human resources and strategic partnerships at Crown American Real Estate Investment Trust. Herdman has published original research in numerous leading research journals in the areas of leadership and the impact of progressive human resource practices on firm performance outcomes.

How will you leverage this gift (the professorship) with your work?

A consistent theme in my experience as a scholar, business and nonprofit leader is building and equipping leaders. My first passion is leader development in the classroom and applied settings. The Thomas D. Arthur Professorship provides a clear mandate and needed resources to drive research and leadership development opportunities among our students, our faculty, the broader university community and eastern North Carolina. In my mind, there is no single greater point of leverage toward the transformation of an organization, community or

region than growing and equipping its leaders.

How will this work impact your students?

Our brand promise of “we build leaders” requires opportunities for experimentation and application in real-world settings, with all its complexities. Engaging the university and region means providing students opportunities to serve others, engage in solving applied organizationally situated problems and support positive change and growth (aka leadership). I envision a legion of aspiring and developing leaders engaged in efforts to build and strengthen our communities, local industries, agencies and nonprofits. We want to give them a story to tell of the difference they made through their leadership.

What are your research goals for this gift?

I hope to serve as a catalyst and connector in supporting scholarship in leadership. Because leadership transcends disciplines, I believe that opportunities abound to create meaningful research agendas within the College of Business and across the university. Credibly presenting ourselves to our students and region as a “leadership university” demands that we are engaged in thought leadership and research that enables and equips others to lead more effectively.

Andrew Herdman

Photo By Cliff Hollis