Lipscomb College of Business Dean's Report 2021

OUR MISSION To develop business leaders who embrace the values and virtues of Jesus.

Purposeful

Bold

Creative

Credible

Servant

“And David shepherded them with integrity of the heart; with skillful hands he led them.”

PSALMS 78:72

Three Pillars of LIPSCOMB UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF BUSINESS Lipscomb University College of Business provides the “skill of the hand” necessary for business graduates to be successful with the distinction of also having “integrity of the heart.” We believe every student’s potential is God-given and their life vocation is a calling, whether it be with a global corporation or a local missional entrepreneurial start-up.

PRACTICE

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The College of Business instills the skills of PRACTICE through a collaborative learning environment that engages students and faculty in forward-thinking professional education evidenced by a strategic portfolio of faculty-directed applied research, teaching excellence, and academic and co-curricular programs that equip students for success.

PURPOSE

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The College of Business helps students find their PURPOSE and to understand the potential of business to be a positive voice in today’s world through the integration of faith and solid business practices, as well as professional immersion opportunities with a global perspective.

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PARTNERS The College of Business cultivates PARTNERS to increase engagement, provide greater opportunities and allow our students to reach new levels of excellence through faculty research and collaboration with other colleges, businesses, the community and the world around us.

LETTERS

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT A Christian business leader, Max De Pree, suggested in his book Leadership Jazz that you can’t be who you need to be if you remain where you are. I often share that statement with students but it can be applied to colleges as well. This annual report reflects a College of Business that has embraced a vision of leadership that propels it from where it has been to where it is and where it will be.

When I joined the Lipscomb community in 2005, the College of Business was a strong college, perhaps distinguished most by its decades-long success in the discipline of accounting. In fact, early in my tenure, the founder of one of Nashville’s largest corporations remarked: “Our success is built on the work of Lipscomb accountants!”

Today, it is a much more diverse college, with leading programs in health care—offering a Master of Health Care Administration and a Master of Management in Health Care; the development of a Fast Track MBA with a directed work experience; and both non-degree and pre-degree programs. A data analytics component is now part of every undergraduate business program of study, making Lipscomb one of the few universities in the nation to embed such a focus on data into the core undergraduate curriculum. In addition to a new Data Analytics Lab, undergraduates also have access to the Financial Markets Lab, with Bloomberg Terminals, to analyze financial data and metrics.

The sustained growth, in both numbers and quality, is remarkable. The College set an enrollment record this past year with 690 students, led by 27 talented faculty and 9 staff. Dean Ray Eldridge has led with strong deliberation and considerable passion. Today the college is ranked by Poets&Quants and Bloomberg Businessweek as the No. 1 Undergraduate Business Program in Tennessee (for the fifth straight year), and the No. 2 Part-Time MBA Program in the state.

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Its achievement has been the result of those who have claimed it, especially financially. In 2019, Nashville business leaders and philanthropists Pam and Phil Pfeffer made a significant investment in the College of Business to establish the Pfeffer Graduate School of Business. The Dean’s Board, composed of 34 executives, the college’s 29-member Alumni Board, its executives-in-residence, and many other donors and partners, have uniquely provided valuable support. And, colleges do reflect those who claim them!

So, the spirit of forward thinking, the courage to embrace the next future and the commitment of the college’s faculty, staff and students to the activities described in this publication are shared with the Lipscomb community and beyond. I hope you see the innovation that drives it, the excellence that defines it and the service that reflects a faith-based community.

After my 16-year tenure as Lipscomb’s president, Rhonda and I look forward to the next season of work as chancellor and welcome Lipscomb’s 18th president, Dr. Candice McQueen. While leadership transitions are expected periodically, the College of Business will continue as a developing entity of the university, because it knows it cannot be what it is called to be if it remains where it is!

L. Randolph Lowry | President, Lipscomb University (2005-2021)

LETTERS

MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN: WE HAVE CERTAINLY BEEN BLESSED We have just completed a hard year, yet a very good year. It has been inspiring to see the resilience of students, staff and faculty. Author Mary Anne Radmacher states it well, “Courage doesn’t always roar.

Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, I will try again tomorrow.”

And try we have.

A common theme of persistence and the resulting success has infused all aspects of the college. Student teams have won and placed at regional and national student competitions, and student entrepreneurs have competed for startup capital. CPA exams were passed, a data analytics lab was built and faculty have written books and meaningful research.

A new Center for Transformative Sales & Supply Chain joins our Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation and Center for Business as Mission. Alumni are making a difference in all professional sectors.

Staff have raised the bar for professional advising, career and professional development. Business curriculum has been revised to continue to be current and relevant, and did I mention, the undergraduate program was ranked No. 1 in Tennessee again, for the 5th year in a row.

We are committed to engaging our students and business leaders who create innovative educational experiences that will make an impact for society and the Kingdom. The College of Business has thrived, and just wait until you see what we have planned for this next school year. We have certainly been blessed.

“Whatever is good and perfect comes to us from God,” James 1:17.

Ray Eldridge | Dean, College of Business

MESSAGE FROM THE ALUMNI CHAIR: STAY FOCUSED ON MOVING FORWARD With the pandemic not entirely in the rear-view, we are all challenged to keep our eyes on the road ahead and stay focused on moving forward as we reemerge with renewed values and embrace a new sense of clarity for our lives as we push for positive change.

As the first female Alumni Board chair, this appointment in itself is a milestone for the College of Business, and I am thrilled to lead! While speed bumps will happen along our journeys, let me assure you, Lipscomb is paving expressways for changes that lead to our collective successes.

I have served on the Alumni Board for many years, well beyond the fineprint terms, but my desire to create something meaningful was too strong to step away, and leadership continued to welcome my drive.

From the start, joining the Alumni Board was a way for me to stay connected. Yet, I soon realized this was a unique opportunity to create change and make a real impact at Lipscomb and the Greater Nashville area.

Over the years, the Alumni Board has empowered me to be a part of actively helping shape the College of Business. Thanks to top-notch networking, I continue cultivating relationships with Lipscomb leaders, budding student body talent, and movers and shakers throughout Nashville’s diverse and vibrant business community. Through creative collaboration, the Alumni Board develops and refreshes numerous programs designed to support philanthropy and innovation across all people and organizations Lipscomb touches.

Being engaged with the alumni has offered numerous rewarding experiences and opportunities, including mentoring students, performing mock interviews for soon-to-be graduates, delivering a commencement speech to COB graduates, judging entrepreneurial pitch competitions, gaining invaluable insight from thought-leader business breakfasts and luncheons, recruiting and referring talent, as well as brainstorming ideas for advancing the university across several facets.

I think for any Bison, getting involved and staying active with your fellow alumni can offer endless opportunities for personal and professional fulfillment. Regardless of your stage in life or how much time you can offer, human engagement is key to positive change and growth.

As we charge forward in 2021, I encourage you to look around and ask yourself, “What change can I make or be part of that will improve the road ahead?” Start with yourself, and keep expanding this thought to include others—your family, friends, colleagues and alumni. Let this question be a compass on your road.

Audra Waite | Chair, College of Business Alumni Board

LIPSCOMBLEADS

LIPSCOMB’S OWN CANDICE MCQUEEN APPOINTED 18TH PRESIDENT OF LIPSCOMB UNIVERSITY On Aug. 5, 2021, Lipscomb University announced the appointment of Candice McQueen (’96) as the 18th president and first female CEO of the 130-year-old faith-based institution.

She began her duties on Sept. 7.

McQueen, who served as Tennessee commissioner of education under former Gov. Bill Haslam from 2015-2018, also previously served the institution as a teacher at Lipscomb Academy, chair of the education department, dean of the College of Education and a senior vice president.

“I am honored and humbled to be chosen to serve as the president of Lipscomb University,” said McQueen, 47, a member of Nashville’s Hillsboro Church of Christ and mother of two. “Lipscomb is a truly remarkable place where students grow in their faith and character while building toward their careers—all in partnership with exceptional faculty and staff who are leaders in their field. I know firsthand how life changing this community can be, and I want to ensure that experience for countless others for many years to come.”

McQueen was unanimously elected president at a special meeting of the Lipscomb Board of Trustees in August, after having been recommended to the board by a 14-member presidential search committee, composed of representatives from the board of trustees, deans, faculty, staff, students and alumni, working in collaboration with Carter Baldwin, a national search firm, following a six-month national search involving more than 130 applications and nominations.

“Dr. Candice McQueen was uniquely qualified by her commitment to faith-based education, her extensive experience from classroom teacher to higher education executive and her proven

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leadership skills to keep Lipscomb moving forward in a strategic and excellent way,” said Mitch Edgeworth (’95), vice chair of the Lipscomb Board of Trustees and search committee chair.

Currently McQueen is CEO of the National Institute of Excellence in Teaching (NIET), a national nonprofit founded by the Milken Education Foundation that increases educator capacity across K-12 and higher education partners in more than 21 states.

As CEO, she has increased service revenue and partnerships by almost 40% in three years, receiving more than $50 million in new multiyear federal and state grants and significantly increasing NIET’s national profile and influence.

“As a faculty member, dean and executive at Lipscomb for 14 years before becoming commissioner, Dr. McQueen showed great leadership, judgement and character,” said L. Randolph Lowry. “She is a very effective leader with great vision. It’s exciting to welcome her back to Lipscomb as our next president.”

A native of Clarksville, Tennessee, McQueen and her husband, Andy (’95), a Lipscomb graduate and former member of the men’s basketball team, have two children, Abigail, who will be a freshman at Lipscomb University this fall, and Henry, a ninth grader at Lipscomb Academy.

McQueen has a bachelor’s from Lipscomb, a Master of Education in school administration from Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, and a Ph.D. in curriculum studies from the University of Texas. Before coming to Lipscomb in August 2001, McQueen taught in both private and public elementary and middle schools in Texas and Nashville.

After joining Lipscomb’s education faculty in August 2001 and serving as chair of the undergraduate education department from 2004-2008, McQueen was appointed dean of the College of Education in July 2008.

Under her leadership as dean, the College of Education doubled its enrollment and giving, and expanded programming to include six new graduate programs, including the education college’s doctoral program. She was also the founding director of Lipscomb’s Ayers Institute for Teacher Learning and Innovation that launched in 2012.

McQueen was appointed senior vice president in November 2013. In that capacity, she also had the responsibility for oversight of Lipscomb Academy, the 1,300-student preK2-12th grade college preparatory school and was a member of the president’s executive leadership team.

Inauguration ceremonies will take place during the spring semester. Learn more about Lipscomb University’s 18th president at www.lipscomb.edu/president/18.

LIPSCOMBLEADS

2020-21: GIVING DURING THE YEAR OF COVID-19

Gifts Raised

$1.8 M

Number of Donors

143

Faculty & Staff Giving

100% Participation

5TH YEAR TO

LIPSCOMBLEADS INITIATIVE COMPLETES NEARLY A YEAR EARLY Lipscomb launched the public phase of LipscombLEADS, the largest, most extensive fundraising campaign in institution history, in January 2019 with a vision of reaching $250 million by the end of 2021.

• Faculty development funds were provided for research and for several faculty to complete their doctoral degrees;

Little could Lipscomb’s leaders have known they would be working to reach that goal in the midst of a global pandemic. In spite of those challenges, Lipscomb announced in March 2021 that the university had met its $250 million campaign goal nearly one year early through the investment of 47,000 donors, 35,000 of whom made financial gifts to the institution for the first time during LipscombLEADS. Over the course of the campaign, the university enjoyed four years where more than $30 million was raised each year.

• Money was contributed to create the Career Connection office, student services and professional advising;

The College of Business’ dean and fundraising team worked closely with hundreds of contributors who declared their faith in Lipscomb by funding dramatic improvements over the course of the LipscombLEADS campaign: • One of the two top single donations ever made in university history, $23 million in 2018, was pledged to benefit the future of the College of Business; • Technology-rich, program-specific laboratories were added to the Swang Business Center, to enhance data analytics, financial markets and the business as mission program;

• The renovation of all Swang Center offices and classrooms was funded;

• The Pfeffer School of Graduate Business was established in honor of CEO-inresidence Phil Pfeffer and his wife Pam; and • Most recently, Joe and Mary Slawek donated $1 million to the college to benefit the continued excellence of the college.

Even though the LipscombLEADS campaign goal was met, Lipscomb invites supporters to continue contributing to the story for the future in 2021 by investing in Lipscomb Opportunity Scholarships for students, the 10:55 Fund to enhance spiritual impact on campus and Faculty Excellence Awards, celebrating faculty who have combined scholarship, service and significance to shape the lives of students, among other initiatives.

If you are interested in giving to any of these continuing objectives to enhance student scholarships, spiritual impact or faculty excellence, go to give.lipscomb.edu.

BE RANKED

#1

In the state and in the top

60

in the nation

NEW MAJOR GIFTS OFFICER APPOINTED Bobby Camilleri, former regional director of development at Cedarville University, was appointed major gifts officer for the College of Business and College of Education in October. While at Cedarville, Camilleri secured gifts toward a $100 million campaign, led fundraising efforts on a civil engineering facility and secured the first endowed civil engineering scholarship in addition to managing a portfolio of key donors and other initiatives.

2020-21 DEAN’S REPORT

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CHICAGO ENTREPRENEURS GIVE OF THEIR BLESSINGS TO COLLEGE OF BUSINESS serve the least, the last and the lost), activities of their church congregation and organizations that provide Christian education.

“The biggest reason for our gift to Lipscomb has been the value of the education for the graduates and to see those educated continue to grow and thrive. There is a whole other generation coming up behind them, and to make sure that continues is very valuable,” said Mary Slawek, who has been a major factor in FONA’s emphasis on family, education and a work culture that empowers employees through her board position.

“As an entrepreneur, I totally support the concept of business as ministry,” said Joe Slawek. “People may go to church on Sunday, but usually they go to work 40 hours a week, so the workplace is a tremendous opportunity to show Christ… Christian leaders should run better businesses.”

When God’s blessings pour in, Joe and Mary Slawek believe those blessings should also pour out to others. In 2021, they chose to pour out some of the blessings they received in 2020 onto Lipscomb University’s future business students.

Joe Slawek, founder and retired chairman and CEO of FONA, and Mary Slawek, co-founder and board member of FONA, have donated $1 million to the College of Business.

In 1987, the Slaweks founded FONA International, a Chicago-based company that creates and produces flavors for many of the largest food, beverage and nutritional companies in the world. In late 2020, they sold the company to McCormick and retired to Tennessee. They decided to use that financial opportunity to bring blessings to future generations by donating to Lipscomb, among other favored organizations.

The Slaweks are no strangers to Lipscomb or to giving of their own blessings. Both their daughter-in-law and their daughter are Lipscomb University graduates. Upon meeting College of Business leaders, Joe Slawek became a frequent invited guest to discuss his company and its award-winning positive work culture.

The couple uses three criteria to make their giving decisions, he said: the Biblical verse Matthew 25 (guiding them to choose organizations that

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“The workplace is a tremendous opportunity to show Christ...

Christian leaders should run better businesses.”

FONA was founded with the vision to be “the high-tech, hightouch, high-trust, independent alternative to ‘business as usual’ in the flavor industry,” and today the company is known for its healthy work environment and generous owners. Fortune Magazine named FONA the No. 1 Workplace in Manufacturing and Production in September 2020 and as a Best Workplace in Chicago for the fifth year in a row in May 2021.

In November, the Slaweks gave each of their 220 employees a $2,500 bonus per year each had worked at the company, meaning some longtime employees got a gift of $50,000. The bonuses were a way for the Slaweks to show their appreciation after the company enjoyed one of its best years ever in 2020, with a $7.1 million surplus.

When McCormick bought FONA on Dec. 30, Slawek found himself blessed with another opportunity to spread those blessings to “some of our favorite people,” said Joe Slawek. Their $1 million gift is their first to a higher education institution.

“We just want to be good and faithful servants.”

LIPSCOMBLEADS

2021 DAY OF GIVING

All the College of Business faculty and staff joined in on a fun, engaging TikTok video to encourage alumni to contribute during the 2021 Day of Giving.

THIRD ANNUAL DAY OF GIVING PROVIDES FUNDING FOR STUDENT-FOCUSED BENEFITS Lipscomb University held its third annual Day of Giving Feb 25, and despite a year of hardship in our world, the support for Lipscomb in 2021 was overwhelming, surpassing the total donated and number of contributors for the prior two years, said Beth Mangrum, the director of the college’s alumni fund and coordinator of the Day of Giving campaign.

The 2021 Day of Giving totals were used to benefit various business programs and student engagement initiatives, with a healthy portion benefitting the Career Connection team, made up of Suzanne Sager, associate dean for professional development and engagement; Nicole Anderson, assistant director for professional development and engagement; and Davis Brown, content marketing and communications manager.

$106,964 Contribution Total

559 Total Contributors

The office was the first of its kind on Lipscomb’s campus when a need was identified to have more dedicated career resources for business students and alumni.

Four specific areas that benefitted from the 2021 Day of Giving were increased access to certifications for graduate and undergraduate students, alumni-focused coaching, the development of a mentorship program and the purchase of additional career assessment tools which can provide students’

with valuable professional and personal insights.

See more details on Career Connection services and success in 2020-21 on page 32.

PARTNER-IN-RESIDENCE INVESTS IN ACCOUNTING’S FUTURE THROUGH LIPSCOMB STUDENTS Lipscomb’s first partner-in-residence in accounting Kevin Monroe has chosen to make a long-term impact on the quality of Nashville’s accounting profession in the future by making a bequest from his estate to fund accounting scholarships and general business scholarships at Lipscomb.

Once the gift is fully endowed, Monroe’s contribution is expected to fund scholarships each year in perpetuity for students wanting to attend Lipscomb’s College of Business programs.

The gift is one way Monroe can ensure a strong future for Lipscomb’s programs, and thus ensure a strong future for the accounting profession in a rapidly changing world, he said.

“The types of men and women who attend Lipscomb are exactly what our profession needs in the future,” said Monroe, a retired audit partner with Deloitte who began working with Lipscomb as a

partner-in-residence in 2019. Monroe is also the chair of the Tennessee State Board of Accountancy.

“Lipscomb’s accounting students are incredible and well-motivated,” said Monroe, who often teaches and works with COB students. “Our profession really challenges them, so we need to prepare them not only technically, but to be potential leaders in whatever path they choose to walk.”

Monroe, with more than 35 years of auditing experience, said he has seen more changes in the industry in the past five years than he saw in the previous 20 years. To handle that kind of environment, graduates must be flexible, adaptable and lifelong learners, and the College of Business is well-prepared to create such adaptable workers for the future, both in accounting and in other business areas, he said.

“More than ever businesspeople need to be able to communicate, and Lipscomb’s COB prepares business students to be well-rounded and to communicate effectively.”

2020-21 DEAN’S REPORT

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LIPSCOMBLEADS Surviving and Thriving

TURNING ON A DIME TO TEACH ONLINE Earning a college degree during a pandemic looks a little different, and providing a degree during a pandemic looks different as well.

Depending on medical, caregiving and family medical conditions, Lipscomb faculty were able to teach their 2020-21 courses in-person, online or a combination of both.

Julio Rivas, associate professor of finance, found himself unexpectedly becoming a 100% online instructor in March 2020. It was a tough transition for all faculty and students with the bond built through face-to-face contact and nonverbal communication removed from the learning equation.

Despite being a self-described “people person” who missed in-person interaction, Rivas said he did find some advantages to teaching in the online format.

His finance classes are dense with mathematics and explanation of Excel processes, he said. So often, students studying in-person will complain that he is explaining the information too fast for them to process.

For 2020-21 classes, Rivas pre-recorded many of his lectures which allowed students the ability to watch them at their convenience over and over again. Many of them could use those videos while doing homework and fast forward to the exact spot where they needed another review, said Rivas, who holds a certificate from the Online Learning Consortium in teaching online.

With this approach, Rivas was able to use his scheduled, in-realtime sessions with students for more questions and answers, and the questions the students had were more precise and specific to the material, he said.

“You need to have some flexibility, you need to manage your expectations, and it requires a lot of planning,” Rivas said. “I tried hard to make sure students knew I was there for them, and that I am a real person behind the email.”

Dewayne Scott, member of the Dean’s Board and Deputy Commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, spoke on race issues in the workplace at a College of Business 2020 seminar for Lipscomb alumni.

COLLEGE RESPONDS TO NATIONAL UPRISINGS WITH SIGNIFICANT CONVERSATIONS Following the spring 2020 national uprisings protesting racial inequity and violence, the College of Business boosted awareness and thoughtful consideration of diversity issues both on-campus and in Nashville through significant conversations among faculty, alumni and students.

The college hosted a panel discussion featuring COB alumni of color for its faculty and a webinar series for COB alumni, both during the summer of 2020.

The panel discussion featured five African American COB alumni: Alfonzo Alexander, chief ethics and diversity officer of the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy; Nathan Burton, senior project manager at the Tennessee Secretary of State; Jasmine Carter-Glass, from the Office of the Chief of Staff, Shelby County Schools; Dr. Fredrica Singletary, corporate director of programs at Mercy Multiplied; and Lyn Williams, financial advisor at Edward Jones.

The webinar series explored current challenges affecting the business world, including women in the workplace, ethical business questions and COVID-19 as well as racism. Dean’s Board member Dewayne Scott, former CEO of SRS, Deputy Commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and author of Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone, addressed various diversity topics and how business students and alumni can become agents of change.

Julio Rivas

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In January, all faculty and staff attended “Navigating Difficult DEI Conversations: Strategies for Inclusive Workplace Communication,” carried out by JTraining Solutions.

LIPSCOMBLEADS Surviving and Thriving

STUDENT SERVICES MANAGER HONORED FOR GOING THE EXTRA MILE IN 2020-21 Tonya Jernigan, senior manager of student services for the College of Business, was awarded a 2021 Lipscomb University Staff Award, honoring outstanding full-time staff members who demonstrate excellence in their work and make a difference in our campus community while going the extra mile to serve others.

In her role, Jernigan has become an MVP among her colleagues and an advocate for students as she works diligently to serve them each day, despite a particularly challenging school year with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and a database conversion on normal business operations.

In addition to these challenges, Jernigan, Olivia Lusk, senior program coordinator for graduate business, and Nicole Anderson, assistant director for professional development and engagement, also took on new roles as academic advisors to all business students with undeclared majors.

“By the Student Services team taking on this new role, there is now more consistency in advising throughout the college and it frees up faculty to provide a higher level of focused, intentional advising for students who have already declared their specific career interest,” said Bart Liddle (’94), associate professor and associate dean for academic excellence.

LOOK WHO’S CREATING THE FUTURE Thanks to toilet paper and ketchup packet shortages, U.S. consumers understand the importance of supply chain management more than ever before. In 2020, Lipscomb professor Andy Borchers provided his students a high-tech way to experience the real-world impacts of their crucial chosen field.

SCMGlobe, an online supply chain simulation tool used by the industry itself, provides students a visual simulation of a supply chain using Google Maps. It allows students to specify various modes of transportation between factories, warehouses and retail outlets, thus allowing them to compare and analyze the best routes for the least cost and to best serve customer needs.

Lipscomb’s supply chain management students are ready to create a brighter future. You can be a part of creating that bright future as well.

Give now at give.lipscomb.edu 2020-21 DEAN’S REPORT

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Practice builds the foundation “The pillar of Practice reminds me that success in my career will mean continually learning and adapting in order to keep my professional skills at the top of my game. Practicing that throughout a lifetime through collaboration, risk-taking and continued education is not always comfortable, but in today’s market, you have to be nimble and resilient.”

CONNOR WARD Senior | Murfreesboro, TN Accounting

Han-Sheng Chen, professor of finance and one of the advisors of students in the TVA Challenge project, works with students in the Bloomberg Financial Markets Lab.

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PRACTICE

STUDENTS WIN TOP SPOT IN REAL WORLD INVESTMENT CHALLENGE To learn stock portfolio management, finance students can’t get much more high-stakes “real-world” than actually managing a real stock portfolio.

Each year, the Tennessee Valley Authority gives students at 24 universities the opportunity to do just that, managing a stock portfolio of approximately $600,000 real dollars. In spring 2021, after a year characterized by uncertainty and quick turn-arounds, Lipscomb College of Business students ranked No. 1 out of 24 teams, achieving the best returns of all participants.

Lipscomb’s team of 50 students beat out universities such as Vanderbilt, Belmont, Tennessee Tech and the University of Kentucky, outperforming the S&P 500 by 17.25 percentage points in 2020.

That performance was achieved while also having to change from inperson to online learning and temporarily losing access to The Bloomberg Terminal on campus, the same technology used by Wall Street and money centers around the world to manage investments.

“This project probably simulates ‘real world’ work for finance students as perfectly as we can in a classroom environment,” said Jeff Jewell, professor of finance, who uses the project in his equity investment and investment fund management courses. “It is developing precisely the skills that are most important in the industry.”

This TVA project nurtures analytical skills, decision-making, technical and presentation skills and confidence, he said. Lipscomb has participated in the TVA Investment Challenge since 2003.

“Our students are not simply buying a random assortment of stocks, they are managing the portfolio according to the Investment Policy Statement written by TVA. That process of managing to the IPS helps make our students more purposeful.”

#1 Top performing team in the TVA Investment Challenge

“The project also develops confidence in students. We typically find that when students enter the course they are somewhat overwhelmed by the project, intimidated by the responsibility of managing a real portfolio worth several hundred thousand dollars, and very concerned about making mistakes,” said Jewell. “By the end of the second course, none of those concerns are issues. In terms of our values and virtues, the project helps make our students bolder.”

“Our participation and success in the TVA Challenge has prepared our students to enter the ever-changing and ever-challenging business world,” said Han-Sheng Chen, professor of finance, who also oversees the students in the project. “It also stimulates students’ interests in pursuing careers in the investment industry.”

2020-21 DEAN’S REPORT

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PRACTICE Center for Analytics & Informatics

EXPERT IN ACCOUNTING ANALYTICS LEADS NEW CONCENTRATION “The bar for entry into the accounting profession at the international accounting firm or public company level is vastly different today than even five years ago,” Binkley said.

“A familiarity with multiple analytic tools is now imperative.

Students must be able to use a variety of tools to identify patterns found in financial data, compare patterns to expectations per accounting standards and past performance and make a conclusion to drive a decision.”

Now armed with a doctorate in business administration, Marcy Binkley, assistant professor of accounting, has led the way in developing, and now providing, a concentration for accounting students to obtain advanced data and analytics capabilities. The concentration will equip students to apply advanced technologies to accounting processes and to couple methodology and professional judgment with interpreting and analyzing data.

“This concentration allows students to develop not only the ability to read and interpret coded queries but also the ability to design and create an analytic tool,” said Binkley, who focused her doctorate studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte on the transformation of the accounting profession as a result of analytics and emerging technology.

For the past four years, Lipscomb has offered an accounting concentration in data science through a set of three elective computer science courses. Now, through the analytics concentration, the College of Business is able to offer analytics content within accounting courses, Binkley said.

Binkley teaches Accounting Information Systems as well as Accounting Data Analytics, a capstone analytics course with direct application to the accounting profession. Tim Creel (MBA, ’02), assistant professor of accounting, teaches the Financial Planning, Performance and Analytics course.

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The Lipscomb analytics concentration will allow accounting majors to serve as a “translator” between the IT department and the accounting or auditing function, said Binkley, making them highly valuable in the current profession.

“In a world where non-traditional data is now becoming a significant variable in estimates of all kinds, our students will be an asset to their team,” she said.

“Due to their understanding of how to read and interpret queries and code, students will be able to validate the accuracy of the data used in decision making and reporting.”

PowerBI and Tableau certification program launches This past spring, the center began offering a special topics course to allow students to gain academic credit while also completing the course work required for certifications in Microsoft PowerBI and Tableau, two analytics and visualization software programs extensively used by employers throughout the region.

Earning such certifications gives graduates the opportunity to demonstrate the specific capabilities that employers are looking for and will recognize, said Assistant Professor of Information Technology Jacob Arthur (’08, MAcc ’08).

“We felt it was important to incentivize students to obtain these certifications because these skills will give them a head start in the job market and will be a differentiator on their resumes,” he said.

This past spring, three students obtained their certification and four more are working to complete the process.

PRACTICE Accounting

MAY BROUGHT THE FIRST GRADUATES OF THE DUAL CMA/CPA CERTIFICATION TRACK Through a new program implemented this past year, accounting students now have the opportunity to prepare for and take the CMA/CPA dual credential exams while still in undergraduate and graduate school at Lipscomb.

The Certified Management Accountant/Certified Public Accountant dual certification requires a bachelor’s degree and work experience to fully earn the credentials, but Lipscomb students in the new program will have the ability to pass the CMA certification exam while still in undergraduate school and to pass the CPA certification exam while in the Master of Accountancy program.

In addition to getting the toughest part of the process behind them before entering the working world, this approach allows graduates to be better prepared to take the CPA exam in graduate school, said Tim Creel (MBA ’02), assistant professor of accounting. The CMA certification has proven to be a predictor of better salaries and more career advancement for accountants, he said.

Lipscomb is offering 10 scholarships a year for students interested in sitting for the CMA exam. The first three graduates of the dual certification program graduated this past spring with the intention of taking the first part of the CMA exam this summer.

“There is a growing need for well-equipped accounting professionals in the Nashville market as the city grows as a business hub,” Creel said. “Having certifications such as the CPA/CMA demonstrates a higher level of knowledge of accounting concepts and principles and helps them advance in their future careers.”

PROVEN SUCCESS. BOLD FUTURE. In the tradition of Swang, Frasier and Moore…

Lipscomb’s accounting graduates have been safeguarding the economic success of Tennessee’s companies for generations.

You can help ensure that same quality control for future employers by contributing to Lipscomb’s accounting programs.

Give now at give.lipscomb.edu

Up and Coming Bison in Business Never taking “no” for an answer is exactly what fueled December 2020 graduate and first-generation college student, Maria Arellano (’20). While at Lipscomb, Arellano obtained an astounding 150 credit hours, completed six internships and obtained her B.B.A. in accounting with a finance concentration an entire semester early.

As a freshman and sophomore, Arellano worked at internships with the Metro Nashville Government Office of Minority and Women Business Assistance, the Nashville Financial Empowerment Center and the Nashville Career Advancement Center. Then as a junior and senior, she worked two separate accounting internships with Kraft CPAs in audit and tax positions.

Now as a graduate, she works full-time as a staff tax accountant at Cherry Bekaert.

As a student, she was heavily involved on campus serving as an IDEAL (Inspiring the Dream of Education at Lipscomb program) mentor for students with disabilities, in the Presidential Ambassador program, on the College of Business Dean’s Student Leadership Council and as a member of the Delta Mu Delta international academic honor society in business.

Arellano credits her drive and passion to her family.

“As teenagers, my parents immigrated to America, from Mexico, for a better future. Ever since I was a young girl, they encouraged me to focus on my education, so that I could have a career and a better future,” said Arellano. “Moving forward in my life, I will continue to work hard so that I can give my family the life that they have always dreamt of.”

2020-21 DEAN’S REPORT

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PRACTICE Center for Transformative Sales & Supply Chain Leadership

FULBRIGHT SCHOLAR, VETERAN APPOINTED TO LAUNCH NEW CENTER TO TRANSFORM SUPPLY CHAIN Hannah Stolze believes that getting a product from point A to point B is critically important to the success of organizations around the world, but that it also has the power to positively impact the lives of those in the process.

That passion will come in handy for Stolze, an international supply chain expert and U.S. Army veteran, who has been appointed director of the college’s new Center for Transformative Sales & Supply Chain Leadership.

“Businesses know how to get customers to buy services and products, but are these services and products actually improving their lives?” Stolze says of her area of expertise. “This is a more holistic approach that also takes a look at impact, not only on the customer but also on employees. One of the pillars of trends in the corporate responsibility consumer space is wisdom, which I love, especially with the faith-based application of that and being at a place like Lipscomb.”

Prior to her appointment at Lipscomb this spring, Stolze was executive director of the Center for Faith and Innovation and associate professor of marketing and supply chain management at Wheaton College.

While there, she was selected as a Fulbright Scholar and carried out her fellowship at the Universitas Pelitas Harapan, Lippo Village, Indonesia from January to March 2020. She was assistant professor of marketing and supply chain management at Florida State University from 2012-2015. In addition, from 2016-2018, Stolze was a research affiliate at the University of Arkansas Supply Chain Excellence Center, housed in the Sam Walton School of Business, focusing on women and diversity in logistics research.

Along with her higher education experience, Stolze also currently serves as founder and president of Wisdom-Based Business LLC, a wisdom-based business strategy audit and consultation services firm. Since 2009, she has served as a marketing and supply chain strategy consultant for a variety of clients including the U.S. Department of Defense, BNSF Railroad and Frito-Lay among others.

Stolze’s interest in supply chain began during her time as a specialist in the U.S. Army from 1999 to 2005.

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“In the Army, soldiers always need food, clothing and ammunition, and you never want to run out of those three things,” she explains. “Supply chain management is what makes it all happen, and a well-functioning process is critical.

“You have to understand politics, economics and world culture at all levels in the supply chain process, whether you are a CEO, a buyer or an entry-level employee who interacts with manufacturers in Asia on a daily basis,” says Stolze, who is trained as a Mandarin linguist and has spent significant time working in international business settings. “This is a unique field where practitioners get global experience early in their careers.”

It is also a field that has been in the spotlight during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“You have to understand politics, economics and world culture at all levels in the supply chain process, whether you are a CEO, a buyer or an entry-level employee.”

In the future, she believes greater emphasis will be placed on how the customer is impacted, she said.

“I think on the horizon is the conversation of how can we better serve people and be more effective, rather than about how to be more efficient,” she explains. “Efficiency is about cost savings. Effectiveness is about delighting the customer. I think the next phase for supply chain is not just positioning them for cost savings or to be competitive, but to really serve people better.”

Read more about Stolz and her new book Wisdom-Based Business on page 16.

PRACTICE Faculty-in-Residence

ALLIANCEBERNSTEIN AND TRACTOR SUPPLY EXECS LEND LIFETIME OF EXPERTISE TO STUDENTS Two new C-suite, veteran executives were added to the Lipscomb College of Business faculty-in-residence roster in 2020-21, bringing the total now serving and mentoring students to eight.

Longtime Tractor Supply Company executive Greg Sandfort was appointed a CEO-in-residence in January, and longtime AllianceBernstein finance executive John Weisenseel was appointed an executivein-residence this spring. In their in-residence roles at Lipscomb, Sandfort and Weisenseel share their experiences and expertise with undergraduate and graduate students through capstone business courses, mentoring students and collaboration with faculty.

Greg Sandfort Sandfort served as president and CEO and then CEO only of Tractor Supply from 2012 to 2020. He has also served as strategic advisor of Tractor Supply Company since January 2020 and as a member of the board of directors since February 2013.

Prior to his work with Tractor Supply, Sandfort served as president, CEO and executive vice president and general merchandise manager at Michaels Stores Inc. With over 40 years of experience in the retail industry, Sandfort brings a wealth of knowledge regarding all facets of retail, including merchandising, marketing, brand management, operations, strategic planning, human resource management and logistics.

“I have always enjoyed sharing my many years of learning with students and young executives in an effort to help them avoid the mistakes that I made early in my business career,” said Sandfort. “I believe that anything I can share with them will shorten the learning curve and is a win for everyone! The students also seem to enjoy the stories I share with them. Some are amazed at what I have experienced.”

Sandfort is deeply committed to the value of a servant leadership mindset in an organization.

“Servant leadership is a concept of humility that places others before oneself.... the upside down pyramid is the classic illustration of how servant leadership should work,” said Sandfort. “True leaders never think of themselves first, but rather place emphasis on everyone else. This concept of leadership promotes transparency and builds trust within an organization … these are key to driving success in any business.”

John Weisenseel Most recently, Weisenseel served as senior vice president and chief financial officer for AllianceBernstein LP, a global asset management firm. In his role at the company, he supervised all global finance and administrative services activities for the $9 billion market cap and managed SEC financial reporting, investor relations, treasury, tax, financial planning and analysis, strategic plan and financial forecast, real estate and office services functions.

Weisenseel was a key member of the team executing AllianceBernstein’s relocation from New York to Nashville.

“A CFO deals with a lot of numbers, but my favorite aspect of this role has been on the people side, in staff development. Mentoring staff and watching them grow in their careers is always the most rewarding aspect,” said Weisenseel. “I find it very intellectually stimulating, very thought-provoking and to be able to combine that with engaging with students is the best of all worlds to me.”

Weisenseel believes strongly in the importance of having a mentor professionally and personally. Throughout his career he has encouraged employees to seek a mentor.

“I always encourage employees to have a mentor. It’s a great way to get honest feedback, to encourage you in your career development, to have someone to confide in when times get tough or to bounce something off of when you have to make a tough decision,” said Weisenseel. “I have personally found that having mentors has been incredibly helpful as I have navigated my career.”

Weisenseel serves on the boards of Nashville Downtown Partnership, Thistle Farms, Nashville Public Television and the Nashville Zoo.

2020-21 DEAN’S REPORT

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PRACTICE Faculty Scholarship

SELECTED SCHOLARLY PUBLICATIONS Bamber, J. R., Holaway, R., & Ivey, J. (2020). The Good Fill—A Unique “Zero Waste” Business Deal with Unexpected Success and Potential Expansion Opportunities. American Journal of Management (AJM), 20 (4).

Binkley, M. R. & Best, E. L. (2020). To Be a B Certified Benefit Corporation or Not to Be. The Contemporary Tax Journal.

Cohu, J. (in press, 2021). Pandemic Demonstrates the Necessity of Intuitive Decision-Making Skills. Graziadio Business Review.

Cohu, J., Bolumole, Y., McKnight, H., Tessmer, A., & Zhang, L. (2020).

Amazon Marketplace: Sustaining Strategic Innovation. Ivey Publishing.

Cohu, J., Borchers, A. S., & Eldridge, R. (2021). Snider Fleet Solutions: Transforming a Culture to High Performance and Faith Focus. Journal of Case Studies.

Crawford, J. E. & Holoway, R. (2020). To Everything There is a Season—A Time to Live and a Time to Die: A Case Study of the History, Customs, Emerging Trends and Market Responses in the Final Disposition Industry.

Atlantic Marketing Journal, 9 (2).

Creel, T. S., Chan, S., Qian, S., & Yurova, Y. (2020). Does CSR Reporting Indicate Strong Corporate Governance. International Journal of Accounting and Information Management, 19 (1).

Duke, A. B., Treadway, D. C., Yang, H. E., Yang, J. & Bentley, J. R. (2019).

Strategic Silencing: A Political Perspective on the Workplace Bully– Bystander Relationship. In Loraleigh Keashley and Stacy Tye-Williams (Eds.), Workplace Bullying. Special Topics and Particular Occupations, Professions and Sectors.

Ivey, J. M., Cornwall, J. R., & Alexander, J. F. (2021). Frothy Monkey: Getting to the Other Side. Journal of Business and Entrepreneurship.

Ivey, J. M., Cornwall, J. R., & Alexander, J. F. (2020). Case Study of the Escape Game. Journal of Business and Entrepreneurship.

Ivey, J. M. & Cornwall, J. (2020). Nisolo: The Tension between Business Performance and Social Impact. Sage Business Cases.

Liddle, G. B. (2021). Practitioner Application: Race to the Top of the Hospital Value-Based Purchasing Program. Journal of Healthcare Management.

Liddle, G. B. (in press, 2021). The Organizational and Environmental Characteristics Associated with Hospitals’ Use of Intensivists. Health Care Management Review.

Mankin, J. A., Rivas, J. A., & Jewell, J. J. (2020). The Effectiveness of College Football Recruiting Ratings in Predicting Team Success: A Longitudinal Study. Research in Business and Economics Journal, 14.

Masterson, B. S. & Ault, K. (2021). How to Protect Recipients of PPP Loans from Whistleblower Claims. Tennessee CPA Journal.

Stolze, H., Satinover-Nichols, B. & Kirchoff, J. (2020). Are You Prepared for Bad Press About One of Your Suppliers? Harvard Business Review.

Stolze, H., Brusco, M., & Smith, J. (2021). Exploring the Social Mechanisms for Variation Reduction for Direct Store Delivery and Vendor Managed Inventory Performance: An Integrated Network Governance and Coordination Theory Perspective. International Journal of Production Economics.

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR’S NEW BOOK DRAWS FROM PROVERBS 31 When Hannah Stolze reads the Bible, she doesn’t just draw inspiration, comfort and hope. She also views it as a source of lessons about good business practices.

Stolze, associate professor of supply chain management, has drawn principles from the Bible’s wisdom literature and from evidence-based research to create a framework for business that is oriented toward excellence and sustainability and has put that together in the form of her first book, WisdomBased Business, released on April 13 and published by Zondervan Academic.

“At its best, business is both purposeful and profitable, dynamic and gainful, commercial and rewarding,” says Stolze. “Far from being opposites, good business and good behavior go hand-in-hand, and biblical principles can align with best practices.”

Wisdom-Based Business addresses important issues such as the virtue of profit; servant leadership; wisdom-based values, such as long-term over shortterm, stakeholders and quality; beneficial outcomes, including reputation and comparative advantage; and the ultimate outcome of eternal impact.

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Stolze says Wisdom-Based Business is intended for business students and working professionals alike and demonstrates how to pursue profitability to the honor and glory of God. The inspiration for Wisdom-Based Business began while Stolze was pursuing a Master of Arts in biblical studies from Wheaton College when she attended a women’s Bible study that was examining Proverbs 31, considered by some scholars as a description of the “virtuous woman.”

“I was listening to a reading of that passage and what jumped out at me is that they were describing a businessperson not domestic life,” she said.

“The book uses the wisdom literature as the baseline, and looks at best practices in business, such as from Solomon’s courts from 1,000 years ago, that align with best practices in business today,” she says. “Each chapter looks at a case study of an organization that is successful, then it looks at a biblical base. Each chapter also weaves in business research.”

Wisdom-Based Business by Hannah Stolz is available at amazon.com.

PRACTICE Faculty Scholarship

FACULTY RESEARCH IN 2020-21 HELPS SHAPE HOW THE BUSINESS WORLD RESPONDS TO TUMULTUOUS YEAR While the Covid-19 health crisis brought challenges and struggles for all worldwide, for Lipscomb’s scholarly researchers it also brought new opportunities to analyze crucial areas of business as well as to reinforce business concepts needed in a time of crisis.

Measuring the resiliency of small businesses During the pandemic, Lipscomb Assistant Professor of Accounting Marcy Binkley studied how small businesses responded to the economic downturn caused by quarantine measures, in hopes of finding patterns to help businesses become more resilient to adversity in the future.

The qualitative research project, in which 40 small business owners and managers were interviewed in April 2020, concluded that businesses which entered the pandemic with well-managed operations and financial reserves were more positive about the opportunities the crisis time represented. Such business owners seemed to recognize they were well-prepared for crisis and the economic downturn provided new room for growth, with opportunities for acquisition, innovation or a pivot to a new focus.

This summer, Binkley and her collaborators conducted a second round of interviews of the same business owners to see how their operations fared compared to their early expectations, with the expectation to complete the study in the fall.

‘Revisiting the Purpose of Business’ Joseph Bamber, assistant professor of marketing, and Andy Borchers, professor and associate dean, published an article in the Journal of Biblical Integration in Business titled “Revisiting the Purpose of Business” in October 2020.

The idea for the study came from classroom conversations with students about how to view businesses as “agents for positive change to bring about a cleaner earth or to respect God’s creation,” said Borchers.

In their research, the pair presents the idea that a business’s purpose is not solely to increase profits but rather is used as a part of one’s calling to serve the Lord. The authors proposed “…the purpose of business is not simply limited to the economic gains of business owners. Rather, businesses also have deeper spiritual purposes.”

Bamber and Borchers narrowed various scriptural references into three main categories: Create Value, Care for People and Tend the Earth. Using these values, Bamber created a holistic business scorecard as a tool for businesses to gauge themselves. Using this scorecard, he compares the ideology of several well-known business authors such as John Elkington and Milton Friedman.

‘Avoiding Ethical Issues in a Remote Work Environment’ Perry Moore (’81), the Charles E. Frasier professor of accountancy, and Kevin Monroe, partner-in-residence, published an article on accounting fraud and ethics during a pandemic in the Tennessee CPA Journal, a publication of the Tennessee Society of CPAs, in fall 2020.

The article asked employers and employees what they were doing to avoid ethical issues personally and professionally in today’s new normal. Participants were asked to consider how duties were segregated in a remote work environment, how supervision was modified and how often they thought about what employees were “actually doing” while working remotely.

Moore also published “The Other Side of the Monitor: Student Perceptions and Challenges from the COVID-19 Pandemic” in a special issue of the Transnational Journal of Business, a publication of the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs. Based on observations of student comments from spring 2020, the article explored how they reacted to the COVID-19 crisis and the resulting quick shift to online learning. Moore discovered that his students were more resilient, yet perhaps more fragile, he said.

THREE FACULTY COMPLETE DOCTORATES IN 2020-21 Three College of Business faculty completed their doctorate degrees with research in various areas of value to Lipscomb students and the community: Natasha Johnson, DBA Assistant Professor

Marcy Binkley, DBA Assistant Professor of

Rebecca Burcham, Ph.D. Assistant Professor

Johnson’s dissertation was a quantitative investigation of the moderating effect of generational cohorts on high-performance work practices, perceived organizational support and citizenship behavior.

Binkley’s dissertation explored how disclosure and corporate social responsibility activity predict cybersecurity breaches.

Burcham’s dissertation researched the effects of the Sunshine Act, part of the Affordable Care Act, on the ethical behavior of pharmaceutical sales representatives interacting with physicians.

of Management | Jacksonville State University

Accounting | University of North Carolina–Charlotte

in Management | Kennesaw State University

PRACTICE

INAUGURAL MHA COHORT GRADUATES IN AUGUST The College of Business celebrated a milestone this spring with its first cohort of students earning the Master of Health Administration who graduated in August and walked in the May commencement ceremony.

The 17 students of the Class of 2021 were the first to receive Lipscomb’s Master of Health Administration degree. Graduates participated in the May 7 ceremony and completed their studies in August.

The graduation culminated 24 consecutive months of study in the program, coordinated and taught by Bart Liddle (’94), associate dean for academic excellence and associate professor of management; Rebecca Burcham, assistant professor in management; and Donita Brown, instructor and director of health care programs. Lipscomb’s MHA program accepted its first cohort of students in August 2019.

“Over the course of the last two years, our students have accomplished a lot of life milestones while working full time and going to graduate school,” said Brown. “The success of the cohort demonstrates the tenacity of its members who were able to add value to the family, the community and themselves.”

The first cohort of students represent a variety of professional disciplines including assisted living, education, customer service, pediatrics, operations, pharmacy, information technology, nursing, staffing, compliance, medical sales, implementations and construction.

When Lipscomb officials officially announced the MHA program in October 2018, it was Nashville’s first Master of Health Administration program, the degree considered by national accrediting organizations and industry professionals as the gold standard for preparing mid-careerists who want to build a successful career in health care leadership.

“It was a wonderful experience.

I treasure the relationships I made and look forward to pursuing other programs at the university in the future. I may become a lifelong student.”

HOLLEY WEST Chief of Staff at Qualifacts, a national technology provider of electronic health records for behavioral health and human services organizations 18

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2021 FACULTY AWARDS College of Business faculty were celebrated during the 2020-21 school year with various awards honoring excellence in teaching, scholarship and service.

Outstanding Teacher of the Year 2021 Donita Brown, instructor and director of health care programs, was selected as one of the university’s three outstanding teachers.

Brown teaches courses in the Master of Management in Health Care Administration and the Master of Health Administration programs as well as undergraduate courses in management and leadership. Her career began at HCA, and she spent over a decade in corporate health care. Her research focuses on health care innovations. She is expected to complete her DBA degree in 2021.

Dean’s Awards 2020* and 2021 The Dean’s Award is given to a full-time faculty member who has given exceptional service to the college. Criteria for this award may include outstanding teaching, scholarship and service.

Lindsay Dillingham (’05), awarded for work in 2020, was a strong advocate for impactful faculty research. She contributed to the overall intellectual contributions of the college and her scholarly passion was an example and an encouragement for our student scholars.

Han-Sheng Chen, awarded for work in 2021, served as an advisor for the college’s TVA investment team, providing guidance that took Lipscomb’s finance students to first place in the 2020 Tennessee Valley Authority Investment Challenge, beating out 23 schools including Vanderbilt University, and the universities of Memphis, Mississippi and Kentucky. See details on the 2021 investment team on page 11.

Faculty Excellence Award 2021 This new Faculty Excellence Award established as part of the LipscombLEADS campaign, was awarded to Jeff Cohu, director of the Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation. The award celebrates faculty in six academic disciplines who have successfully combined scholarship, service and significance to shape the lives of students.

Baker Award 2021 One of the university’s two most prestigious faculty awards, the Baker Award was presented to Joe Ivey, professor. The $5,000 award is to be used for research that will contribute to the advancement of academic excellence and is awarded to a university teacher manifesting excellence in the classroom.

*Due to Covid-19, the 2020 faculty awards were honored this past May.

PRACTICE

INAUGURAL SALES COMPETITION PARTICIPANTS In March, Samuel Hutcheson (’21), and Kylie Renwick, (’21), two advanced sales independent study students, became Lipscomb’s first competitors in the National Shore Sales Competition hosted by Salisbury University in Maryland. Hutcheson made it to the wild card round and Renwick made it to the second round as one of the top two salespeople in her grouping.

In the two-day event, students from universities across the country compete in a role-play competition where they participate in a 12-minute sales call, a speed-selling competition where they create and present a 60-second personal sales pitch and a 5-minute, cold-calling competition.

LEADING IN BUSINESS ACADEMICS The College of Business faculty stepped up their research efforts in 2016 in order to pursue quality and a higher accreditation standard from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Since that time, the college has recorded more than 300 intellectual contributions and many faculty serve as leaders and editors of academic societies, as shown below.

Andy Borchers, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies | Board Member, Christian Business Faculty Association | Editor in Chief, Journal of Cases on Information Technology | Editor, Journal of Critical Incidents.

Tim Creel (MBA ’02), Assistant Professor | Officer, Tennessee Society of Accounting Educators Ray Eldridge, Dean | Past Chair, Baccalaureate and Graduate Degree Board of Commissioners, Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) | Chair, ACBSP Accreditation Governance Board | Member, ACBSP Accreditation Board of Directors Mark Jobe, Associate Professor | Board Member, Tennessee Society of Accounting Educators 35th Annual Meeting | Board Member, Society of Business, Industry & Economics Jeff Mankin (’89), Assistant Professor | Officer, Institute for Global Business Research | Past President and Board Member, Society for Case Research Nina Morel, Executive Director of Leadership Development and Coaching | Board Member, International Society for Key Women Educators Perry Moore (’81), Charles E. Frasier Professor of Accountancy | Past President, Delta My Delta Committee Member, ACBSP International Teaching Excellence Award Julio Rivas, Associate Professor | President and Board Member, Society for Case Research

Up and Coming Bison in Business Dorie Harrison, a senior marketing major and member of the women’s Bison basketball team, has drawn on her experiences in the College of Business, and especially her Servant Leadership class, to lead Lipscomb’s Black Student Union in 2020-21 as its president.

In recognition of the need for Lipscomb to meet the academic, political, spiritual and social needs of African American students, the BSU seeks to establish and maintain an inclusive and welcoming environment for all by sponsoring diverse and culturally engaging activities and conversations throughout the year.

Taking a cue from the “three pillars” of the COB, Harrison and the BSU team developed the three pillars of BSU—educate, empower and elevate.

“We are all about community. We have a vision of helping increase the minority and African American student body percentage. We want Lipscomb to be a place where people of color want to come,” explains Harrison. “We have one of the best Colleges of Business in this region. I do not want someone to miss out on the great experience and opportunity that I have had here because of lack of representation.”

Harrison’s leadership style is strongly influenced by her experience in the Servant Leadership course taught by Instructor Donita Brown and Associate Professor Leanne Smith (’89, MBA ’09).

“The biggest lesson from that class that still sticks with me today is the difference between self- serving leaders and servant leaders, which Jesus was,” she said. “My goal is to contribute to something larger than myself —to impact a company’s culture.”

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PRACTICE Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation

$22,000 AWARDED TO STUDENTS WITH COMMUNITY-FOCUSED BUSINESS PLANS Up and Coming Bison in Business Evan Upton (’21) just graduated with his management degree this past May, but despite being a very new professional, he already has years of experience as an entrepreneur.

In January, the Nashville native established his landscaping business, 615 Lawn and Land, as a Limited Liability Corporation. With sales revenues already reaching six figures and revenue growth increasing by 138% this year, Upton’s post-graduation plans look pretty similar to his plans during his college career: to run his business full-time.

Upton is passionate about the outdoors and believes that maintaining and enhancing God’s earth is one of his “spiritual gifts.” This is what he credits his immense success, growth, and drive to.

At 10 years old, Upton already had an entrepreneurial spirit having already created a variety of small businesses—some with revenue streams as hefty as a thousand dollars a month.

“There had always been this pull to figure out how to make a business thrive,” he said.

At 15, Upton had begun working at a “good, faithbased construction company” for a Lipscomb alumnus. After a long while, he saved up enough money for his own truck and trailer and decided to become his own boss.

Jeff Cohu, executive director of the Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, worked with Upton to establish 615 Lawn and Land as an LLC to make the company legitimate and sustainable, said Upton. Becoming an LLC was “the next step in the company’s future,” he said.

Going forward, Upton says he hopes to carry on the business by following Proverbs 19:21: “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”

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This world could always use more coffee, community and safety, and the winners of Lipscomb’s 2021 Kittrell Pitch Competition aim to please.

Winners of the April competition, which gives students the opportunity to pitch their entrepreneurial business ideas before a panel of business professionals, were:

First Place: $6,000 Aidan Miller, Kwizera Coffee A social enterprise that uses a portion of its profits to fight human trafficking. In the past two years, Kwizera has grown from a coffee cart to a downtown Nashville brick-and-mortar café with a business proposal to partner with Rocketown events facilities to establish a chain across the nation. See more on Kwizera Coffee on page 27.

Second Place: $5,000 Bradley Bruce, All People Coffee This coffee shop will be a Black-owned business located in the Cleveland Park area of East Nashville, what Bruce called “a coffee desert.” Slated to open in July with a focus on building a community gathering place, All People Coffee will host educational events at its location at night and will open by 6:30 a.m. to serve parents dropping off their children at the daycare across the street.

Third Place: $4,000 William Robertson, Shield Tech Inspired by his family’s own near-tragedy on the roads, Robertson’s proposed technology would provide early alerts and safety instructions to drivers on their cell phones when first responders are driving in their direction. The bullhorn function would also be used to issue a mass safety alert to everyone in a particular area in the event of dangerous situations.

Awards for the competition are made possible by contributions from alumnus and Board of Trustees member Marty Kittrell (’77).

The other seven finalists in this year’s competition each received a $1,000 seed grant.

PRACTICE

MARKETING STUDENTS PARTNER WITH ALUMNAOWNED START UP EARTH RIDES Students in Assistant Professor Joseph Bamber’s marketing courses partnered this year with Lipscomb alumna-owned Earth Rides, a Nashville-based start-up offering ride-sharing in electric Tesla cars, to carry out various real-world marketing projects.

The students teamed up to create marketing funnels, a pitch for ambassadors to join Earth Rides and ways to boost app reviews, said Raven Hernandez (’16), founder and CEO of Earth Rides, which launched in fall 2020.

Hernendez says she was excited to get insight from the next generation of businesspeople and consumers on “what makes them tick.”

Working with the students to market Earth Rides proved so successful that the company recruited two students to serve as interns: Kylie Renwick, as content management intern, and Carson Roach, as marketing ambassador.

“Carson is focusing on the ambassador program. He is really leading that and even communicating with our ambassadors who are often our writers as well. Kylie is focusing on TikTok, content creation and even reaching out to influencers who we haven’t spoken with before. So it’s been a great opportunity for us to learn from them and for them to learn from us,” Hernandez said.

Earth Rides is a ride hailing app that works more as a chauffeur service, offering only rides in Tesla brand electric vehicles and fully employing drivers to ensure safety and quality while also reducing carbon emissions.

LOOK WHO’S CREATING THE FUTURE Many students come to college to study international business. Lipscomb students come to the College of Business to do international business.

In the 2020-21 school year, 52 students in Associate Professor of Management Jeff Cohu’s fall international business course, found themselves working with teams of students from countries around the globe, all working to help real-world companies with real-world problems such as a potential expansion into another country or supply-chain management issues.

The students formed their online, global teams through the X Culture Project, an online crowd platform designed to match international business students with their counterparts in other nations to collaborate on a business project proposed by a real-world company.

Each semester, a set of companies are selected to present their various problems related to expanding an international business. In their final recommendations, students must address the cultural, economic, legal and political implications of their plans, as well as functional business questions of marketing, human resources and supply chain, Cohu said.

The students from around the globe are split up into small groups of 4 to 6 people, given access to resources and coaching and assigned to produce a set of deliverables, such as an industry and new market analysis, an entry strategy, a promotional strategy, product design and sample advertisements as well as their final recommendation.

Lipscomb’s supply chain management students are ready to create a brighter future. You can be a part of creating that bright future as well.

Raven Hernandez

Give now at give.lipscomb.edu

Purpose is the power “The College of Business has taught me how to operate out of the crossroads of the Great Commission and vocation. I dream of leveraging business to cultivate intentional, disciple-making relationships. To me, this is Purpose.”

ADELE BROTHERS Junior | Brentwood, TN Management: Entrepreneurship Concentration Lauren Pinkston, assistant professor of business as mission, working with her former clients in Laos. She and alumna Abby Littlefield are are now drawing on experiences like these to launch a missions consulting and coaching firm.

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PURPOSE

RELATIONSHIPS FUEL NEW NONPROFIT ENDEAVOR BY PROFESSOR, ALUMNA Assistant Professor Lauren Pinkston and then-Lipscomb student Abby Littlefield (’20) found in 2019 that they were truly kindred spirits, and now the pair have established their own company, built on their shared passion for more relationship-driven mission work: Kindred Exchange, launched in October 2020.

Kindred, a nonprofit missions consulting and coaching firm and web platform, is creating a model for a modern, ethical missions movement, said Pinkston, who teaches in the college’s business as mission program.

Pinkston, the founder of Wearthy, a fair trade clothing retailer that she closed in order to focus on Kindred, already had years of experience running a social enterprise and working with small entrepreneurial ventures in Laos. Littlefield, a Nashville native who transferred to Lipscomb from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga to attend the business as mission program, was referred to Pinkston while she was looking for a mentor who matched her own professional goals.

Despite the Covid-19 pandemic shutting down much of the globe, the pair felt it also provided a perfect time for faith leaders and businesspeople to learn, reflect and re-engage with how they do missions.

The first component they launched was a mercantile shop providing a web platform for five businesses around the world. Chosen and vetted by Kindred Exchange, these ventures are using business as a social enterprise to create jobs and promote safety in the workplace. Pinkston, who earned her doctorate in international development, witnessed firsthand the positive effect these kinds of organic business models can have on a community when she lived in Southeast Asia.

“Business can be a transformative power in society and an authentic way to join into equitable relationships with people,” she says.

The second component is a coaching network that offers that same spirit of relationship to organizations, churches and teams who want to steward the Gospel of Jesus Christ across cultures. This coaching arm of the nonprofit launched on July 17 with a one-day virtual gathering exploring the future of short-term missions, held in partnership with Lipscomb’s missions program.

“The Future of Short-Term Missions” featured speakers from around the world as well as Lipscomb’s own Bible Dean Leonard Allen, Athletics Spiritual Formation Director Shannon O’Brien and two Lipscomb Bible students, Kaya Coleman and Corey Shannon. In addition to Pinkston and Littlefield, Julio Rivas, associate professor in the College of Business, is on the Kindred board, Rob Touchstone (’97, M.Div. ’12), the director of Lipscomb’s business as mission program served as a social enterprise coach at Kindred’s summer launch of its coaching arm, and two Lipscomb students interned at the company in the spring working on finance and business development.

2020-21 DEAN’S REPORT

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AN ACTIVE AND ENGAGED FACULTY Lipscomb University’s College of Business is no ivory tower. Faculty members are actively involved in advancing their respective fields and improving the Nashville community through board memberships, professional organizations, volunteer work and community involvement.

Andy Borchers, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies Board Member, APICS - Nashville Chapter | Elder/Shepherd, New Garden Church Donita Brown, Instructor and Director of Health Care Programs Committee Chair, American College of Healthcare Executives, Tennessee Regent’s Advisory Council

COB COMMUNITY STUFFED ITS HOLIDAY FOOD BANK FOR SAFE HAVEN The pandemic didn’t stop the college from joining with its community partner Thrivent Financial to engage in a service challenge during the Thanksgiving and Christmas season. In the Give Back, Give Thanks campaign, the College of Business was tasked with collecting 500 non-perishable food items for the charity of its choice. If successful, Thrivent agreed to match the donation with an additional $500 to that same charity.

The college beat its goal, delivering more than 500 pantry items to Safe Haven, a Nashville family shelter driven by the belief that parents and children must be kept together in order to ensure security, success and self-sufficiency.

“At Thrivent, we believe money is a tool, not a goal. Driven by a higher purpose at our core, we are committed to providing advice, insurance, investments, banking and generosity programs. It was an honor to partner with the College of Business in our Give Back, Give Thanks initiative over the holidays as we strive to promote generosity within our community.”

Jeff Cohu, Associate Professor Board Member, Entrepreneur Latina Leaders of America | Committee Member, LaunchTN Campus Roundtable Tim Creel (MBA ’02), Assistant Professor Board Member, Institute of Management Accountants | Board Member and Treasurer, United Way Joe Ivey, Professor President’s Advisory Council, Christianity Today | Inner Circle Member, World Vision Recovery Lending for Resilience Program | Board of Directors, Nashville Entrepreneur Center Natasha Johnson, Assistant Professor of Management Volunteer, Widows’ Ministry | Advisor, Lipscomb Society for Human Resources Management Chapter Bart Liddle (’94), Associate Dean for Academic Excellence Board Member, The Well Coffeehouse | Finance Committee, Habitat for Humanity Greater Nashville | Executive Board, Middle Tennessee Council of Boy Scouts | Advisory Board Member, Rocketown Nina Morel, Executive Director of Leadership Development and Coaching Board Member, International Coach Federation Tennessee Perry Moore (’81), Charles E. Frasier Professor of Accountancy Board Member, Global Treasurer and Finance Committee Chair, Delta Mu Delta | Lead Deacon, Brentwood Hills Church of Christ Missions Team | Committee Member, Scholarship and Professional Ethics committees, Tennessee Society of CPAs | Treasurer, ACBSP Region 3

GARRETT DICKERSON, (’08)

Julio Rivas, Associate Professor Board Member, Faith Family Medical Center | Board Member and Treasurer, Kindred Exchange | Missions Committee Member, Church of Christ at Green Hills

Regional Development Director, South Region, Thrivent Financial

Leanne Smith (’89, MBA ’09), Associate Professor Women’s Ministry, Harpeth Hills Church of Christ Rob Touchstone (’97, M.Div. ’12), Director of Business as Mission Co-founder and Board Co-Chair, The Well Coffeehouse

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PURPOSE

TRAILBLAZERS OF SERVANT LEADERSHIP IN CORPORATE CULTURE SHARE INSIGHT AT BAM323 CONFERENCE The second annual BAM323 Conference in October featured an all-star lineup of industry veterans intent on equipping and inspiring the community of Nashville and beyond to create sustainable impact and live out faith through their vocation. The conference reached 40 other schools of business and attendees in 12 nations.

“BAM is an exciting movement that is inspiring business leaders, businesses, entrepreneurs, churches and investors to engage more deeply in mission and to achieve sustainable impact,” said Rob Touchstone (’97, M.Div. ’12), director of the Center for Business as Mission.

“We are committed to being the higher education thought leader on this topic and to serve as a convener of a diverse group to increase awareness, share best practices and to further the use of business to grow the Kingdom,” said Dean Ray Eldridge.

The Center for Business as Mission serves as a hub for the academic study of business as mission and for connecting students to local and global opportunities to engage and apply what is being learned in the classroom.

Seen & Heard AT THE CONFERENCE...

“When you and I keep iterating to get that business model right, to figure out how the Gospel redemptively changes the way we do business, and we fail forward, it brings light to our community, light to our industry, light to our nations and light to the world. And it changes the world.”

“I call it purpose and your principles, and I’m not talking about a plaque that you put up on the wall. You will need a plaque on your wall at some point, but not on your first day. On the first day they need to know who you are, why you are doing this venture, why you care so much, and what principles you are going to operate on.”

MIKE SHARROW

CHERYL BACHELDER

CEO of C12 Group, the largest network of Christian CEOs and executives working together to increase company performance and integrate faith and business

Former CEO of Popeyes, who transformed the struggling restaurant chain through her intense focus on servant leadership, and author of Dare to Serve: How to Drive Superior Results

by Serving Others

“To be consequential, I don’t think we have to have notoriety, big titles, great wealth or any of the other descriptions we use for people we sometimes consider to be consequential.

Perhaps we just need to be sure we are people of influence to those whom God has entrusted to our care or service.”

DEEANN TURNER Helped create what has become the standard for company culture through her 33 years as a vice president at Chick-fil-A Mignon Francois, founder and CEO of The Cupcake Collection, served as the emcee for the second BAM323 conference, this time in front of the camera instead of a live audience.

2020-21 DEAN’S REPORT

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PURPOSE Global Perspective

STUDENT MICRO BUSINESSES MAKE MACRO IMPACT ACROSS THE GLOBE

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Profits have also been used to support the work of the LIFE program, the Lipscomb Initiative for Education, which provides for-credit higher education to the inmates of the Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center in Nashville as well as to support various other Nashville-based relief efforts.

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These businesses not only help aspiring entrepreneurs create income but also help create jobs. In some of these areas Lipscomb business as mission students have travelled on site to teach business skills.

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Funds have supported Jamaican ventures to open a shoe shop, restaurant, tool shop and a retail art business, among others. A textile business in Laos was able to purchase more merchandise from artisans. An entrepreneur in Uganda was able to continue construction on three apartments for rent. A cookie company in Brazil was founded.

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Since 2015, students in Introduction to Business and Social Entrepreneurship courses have started more than 200 micro businesses that have profited and given away more than $70,000.

These profits have been used as startup capital for aspiring entrepreneurs to equip them to start their own businesses in the nations shown here.

PURPOSE

Bold Bisons Making a Mark in Business

Healing Innovations Inc., a Nashville tech start-up co-founded by Braden Davidson (’16, MMGT ’17), (pictured right), and Luke Benda (’17), (pictured left), an encore member of the COB Alumni Board, was the recipient of this year’s Tech Startup of the Year Award, one of the most prestigious awards available to Nashville technology startups. The honor was given as part of the 12th annual awards organized by the Nashville Technology Council.

Healing Innovations focuses on the development and commercialization of technology that positively impacts the lives of people recovering from neurological injuries.

“Our journey began a couple years ago when a friend of mine got in a car accident,” says Benda, CEO. “We saw firsthand the challenges that exist for patients recovering from these kinds of injuries, and we decided to do something about it.

“Now, getting this product to market and seeing it acknowledged as a potentially transformative product, is the culmination of that journey.

The award is a tremendous honor, one that we’re so grateful for. And we’re even more excited that every day the technology we’ve developed is helping more patients take more steps,” he said.

The Nashville Technology Council serves as a catalyst for creating America’s premiere collaborative and inclusive tech community in Nashville. The annual awards connect, unite, develop and promote Middle Tennessee’s rich community of developers and technology entrepreneurs, enthusiasts and institutions.

Healing Innovations, along with other Nashville tech standouts, represent a growing group of Nashville startups that are collectively turning Music City into an innovation scene.

Ultimately, it’s about collectively helping more people, says Benda.

“Being a contributing member of Nashville’s growing tech boom is something we’re passionate about. Our mission is to transform lives, and Nashville’s community growth is the kind of tide that raises all ships,” he said.

LOOK WHO’S CREATING THE FUTURE Aidan Miller, junior, and William Robertson (’21), two

Miller. Kwizera has a contract allowing them first right

Lipscomb student entrepreneurs, have come a long way

of refusal to be the in-house coffee shop in each of

since Kwizera Coffee’s first mobile espresso bar opened

those locations.

for bookings in December of 2019.

What started out as a small side-business has pivoted

The goal is “to create real sustainable economic opportunities for people in Rwanda, as well as to provide

and grown immensely since the start of the Covid-19

high-quality working conditions and above fair trade

pandemic, having first moved into its own downtown

wages for our farmers,” said Robertson. “So that with

Nashville brick-and-mortar location, then having

every cup of Kwizera coffee that you drink, you can

purchased a 10-acre farm in Rwanda to produce coffee

directly trace the impact you are making!”

beans and now having developed a proposal to expand Kwizera in locations across the U.S. Rocketown, a multi-use facility designed for youth activities with three music venues and a skatepark, is a perfect match as a business partner, said Robertson. The organizations have missions that go hand-in-hand.

Rocketown’s long-term growth plan is to expand to 10 additional major U.S. cities over the next five years, said

Lipscomb’s entrepreneurship students are ready to create a brighter future. You can be a part of creating that bright future as well.

Give now at give.lipscomb.edu 2020-21 DEAN’S REPORT

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Partners are the multipliers “When I think of Partners, I think of opportunities. Chances to learn from scholars and experts, to hear how business practices actually work onthe-ground and, the best opportunity of all, a chance to build a relationship that could lead to a fulfilling career or an insight that leads to business success.”

MASON TRUE (’21) Lawrenceburg, TN Accounting

A meeting of the members of the Dean’s Board, some of the college’s most important and impactful partners, in ensuring that Lipscomb graduates are well-placed in today’s business marketplace.

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PARTNERS

PARTNERSHIPS PAID OFF DURING 2020 JOB MARKET COLLAPSE In May 2020, the College of Business sent its graduates out into an almost unrecognizable world to start careers or pursue new academic goals. It was daunting for both the graduates and the College of Business community that worked together to equip them.

Despite this unprecedented task at the beginning of a global multi-year pandemic, 89% of students who graduated from December 2019 to May 2020 were placed in employment or attended graduate school after 90 days and 98% of students were placed in employment or attended graduate school after six months.

The College of Business’ Career Connection team not only tracks undergraduate student outcomes and placements for the university’s accrediting bodies, but also works diligently to help students find their first role or prepare for graduate school applications.

Suzanne Sager, associate dean of professional development and engagement, said that at the beginning of the pandemic, she was unsure what effects Covid-19 would have on the job market and the types of roles available to graduates. But as the pandemic wore on, she said, the team continued to be pleasantly surprised by the number of companies who were reaching out in need of top talent and who were seeking recent Lipscomb graduates.

“While placement is down slightly from last year, we are very pleased with what that number represents given the pandemic’s impact on almost every industry,” she said.

Job bulletin messages were sent to students seeking roles, and many students scheduled multiple online mock interviews to adjust to a new job search process, said Nicole Anderson, assistant director of professional development and engagement. In addition, students were aware that the job market might not be as strong as in past years, so they were generally motivated to get started early and to do the extra work required to set themselves apart in the application and interview processes, she said.

Graduate students in the Fast Track MBA program, where each student is placed with an employer partner for an 11-month Directed Work Experience, began attending their classes online in June 2020, but the most exciting part of the program—the DWE job that comes with it—was very uncertain.

However, through hard work and adaptability, the Career Connection team successfully placed each Fast Track MBA student in a role without ever convening the students and employers together in the same physical room. The team utilized Zoom, virtual mock interviews and many phone calls to prepare brand new students for 20-minute interviews with employer partners. Employers logged into Zoom, interviewed seven to eight candidates each, and hired new MBA candidates without ever meeting them in person.

The Career Connection team is still hard at work collecting data for the 2020-2021 school year. At the time of publication, the December 2020 class was 91% placed in employment with the May 2021 class reaching 92% and the August 2021 class trending positively to meet or exceed expectations from the previous year.

2020-21 DEAN’S REPORT

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PARTNERS Dean’s Board

DEAN’S BOARD The Lipscomb College of Business Dean’s Board is a place where Nashville’s business heavy hitters can put their passions back into the community to serve future generations.

While the Dean’s Board is a group of 34 top professionals in their field, this year’s report features two board members who are among the most positively influential in Nashville’s business scene and in our society.

Tony Giarratana President, Giarratana LLC

Giarratana, who moved to Nashville in 1984, is head of the real estate development company best known for pioneering urban living in downtown Nashville together with then-Mayor Phil Bredesen. Nashville’s downtown community has grown from 10 residents when he started the city’s makeover in 1993 to nearly 18,000 today, he said.

The year 2021 has brought both plans for a 45-story tower at the Korean Veterans roundabout in SoBro and a side deal where he ventured into the restaurant business to save Nashville’s longtime iconic eatery the Elliston Place Soda Shop.

As a Dean’s Board member since 2018, what do you gain from serving on the board?

Interaction with the successful and fascinating members of the board is exhilarating. I get a lot out of hearing their stories and bouncing ideas off of them.

How do you think your professional experience brings value to the college through the board?

Underlying the obvious real estate aspect of our core business is entrepreneurship. Each development is an entrepreneurial venture in itself. The multidisciplinary aspect of our business is relevant to many other business enterprises.

The College of Business Dean’s Board met in Tony Giarratana’s 505 Tower in early 2020.

Why is it important to you to be involved with the students at Lipscomb University?

These young people are helping us execute our business models today but will be running the companies we invest in tomorrow. The graduates of Lipscomb will no doubt help shape our city, state and country going forward.

Winston Justice Investment Manager, AllianceBernstein

Justice was a heavy hitter even before making his name in business, with an NFL career with the Philadelphia Eagles, Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos.

Even while playing football, Justice co-founded MJC Capital, an early-stage investment vehicle, and Elixr, now a small chain of gourmet coffee shops that focuses on quality coffee, bringing together communities of people and creating impact through business.

After the NFL, he entered the financial industry through Wells Fargo Securities, where he served as the portfolio manager for PIA’s Alternative Investments Group. Today he primarily works with midsize nonprofits and foundations across the nation with AllianceBernstein, the 53-year-old asset manager that moved its headquarters from Manhattan to Nashville, along with 1,050 jobs, from 2018 to this year.

How does your experience in the NFL affect your business practice today and your work with the Dean’s Board?

Being in sports for a large part of my life highlighted the importance of being part of a team and learning from your teammates and coaches. With the Dean’s Board, I feel like I’m part of the team, and I’m learning from my peers and leaders of Nashville. I get to learn and build community with these leaders. We get to exchange ideas and work towards a common goal.

How do you think your professional business experience brings value to the college and its students?

I am a firm believer that the job or business you’re in, is a mission field. I was not blessed with the gift of speaking (I have a terrible stutter) or music, and I can’t spell, but I enjoy finance and leading people to a common goal. Serving on the Dean’s Board is one of the catalysts of combining finance and mission. So much so that I am also an adjunct professor at Lipscomb.

Why is it important to you to be involved with the next generation of business professionals?

I’m a supporter of faith-based education. I believe business and faith go hand-in-hand, and I want to align, partner and build upon institutions and people who have likeminded missions.

The transfer of knowledge and values has more of a substantial impact in the overall legacy of a generation than the transfer of wealth. I want to be a part of the transfer of Christian-Judeo knowledge and values coupled with business.

PARTNERS Alumni Board

ALUMNI ADVISORY BOARD 2020-21 was a milestone year for the Alumni Board with the appointment of its fourth, and first female, chair. New Board Chair Audra Wait is committed to providing “a richer, more active and more connected environment” for the board.

Outgoing Chair Zach Evans will stay involved with the College of Business through the Encore Board, still working to help “alumni and current students realize the full value of the educational, professional and spiritual opportunities that Lipscomb delivers.”

Audra Wait (MBA ’09)

Incoming Alumni Board Chair | Owner, Wait & Co. | Master of Business Administration graduate As an 11-year member of the COB Alumni Board, what do you gain from serving on the Alumni Board?

I have seen incredible changes, and I keep staying involved because the changes are in the right direction. While some changes are slower than others, the change is positive and impactful.

One of the best things an individual can do after finishing any program, whether it is higher education or anything that has improved one’s self, is to give back to that organization. There are always monetary contributions, but investing one’s time and resources is a better way to contribute, as it delivers more significant dividends for all parties.

I love being involved and helping others grow while I grow myself.

What are some of your experiences at Lipscomb in college that you believe help you in your career today?

Some highlights of my Lipscomb college experience were the mentoring opportunities and access to the faculty and other leaders. There were critical turning points in my career, and I was able to reach out to my professors and others at Lipscomb for guidance, which was instrumental in helping me make gamechanging moves, and provided a much-needed sounding board and encouragement.

Looking ahead, I am focused on shifting the board’s direction to provide a richer, more active and more connected environment that offers high-value opportunities for engagement, networking and professional development.

What is your position in professional life?

In August 2014, I founded Wait & Co., a Nashville-based boutique marketing agency, to create business solutions that are sustainable and successful. Wait & Co. is a full-service agency that focuses on branding, creative design, digital solutions and communications, with verticals in health care, technology and wealth management.

How do you think your professional experience brings value to the Alumni Board and passes on to value for the Lipscomb students?

I’m constantly collaborating with various businesses and professionals at every level and tasked with creating solutions that fit and deliver results. I believe this gives me a unique edge to relate to the many board members and be able to take feedback and turn it into action. I want to strengthen the board and provide a nurturing environment where alumni and students quickly recognize the value and tap into career-building opportunities.

Zach Evans (’99)

Outgoing Alumni Board Chair | Chief Technology Officer, XSOL | Business administration graduate

Are you able to bring a semblance of those experiences to Lipscomb students today through the Alumni Board?

As a four-year member of the COB Alumni Board, as well as the outgoing chair, what did you gain from serving on the Alumni Board?

I feel my tenure with the board has provided me numerous opportunities to share experiences and ideas. I want to continue to replicate this, but at a much higher level and a greater scale.

The ability to work alongside fellow alumni who love Lipscomb as much as I do is a fantastic opportunity and a blessing to me both personally and professionally.

I love Lipscomb and want to see alumni and current students realize the full value of the educational, professional and spiritual opportunities that Lipscomb delivers.

What are some of your experiences at Lipscomb in college that you believe help you in your career today?

I became close to several professors who became my friends as well as my teachers. They inspired me to continue to give back to the university and to pay forward the blessings I received as a student—and continue to receive as an alumnus. Being available as an alumnus to pour into the lives of current students is a wonderful opportunity.

What is your position in professional life?

I am currently the Chief Technology Officer of XSOLIS, which provides data-driven, analyticsfueled solutions to break down the silos that exist between providers and payers to create a better health care system for all.

Immediately prior to this role, I was AVP, Technology for Case Management and Performance Improvement for HCA. Prior to joining HCA, I was CIO of CareHere based in Brentwood, Tennessee.

I am also an adjunct faculty member at the College of Business, and I have spoken at the Nashville Technology Council’s Healthcare Innovation Summit. I am a published author as well on topics ranging from channel conflict to sexual discrimination in the workplace.

How do you think your professional experience brings value to the Alumni Board and passes on to value for the Lipscomb students?

My experience in building, leading and challenging teams to rise to the occasion and execute on a challenging vision.

2020-21 DEAN’S REPORT

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PARTNERS Career Connection

VIRTUAL CAREER FAIRS PROVE VALUABLE AT BOTH ENDS OF THE DIGITAL CONNECTION If the spring 2020 semester was about adapting to the changes in the world around us, the fall 2020 semester was all about finding a sustainable rhythm to our new way of life. The Career Connection team transitioned all of its major career fairs and events typically attended by hundreds of students and employer partners to a virtual format, ensuring the continuity of the hiring cycles that students and employers have come to expect.

More than 250 students participated in the virtual fairs, hosted on Lipscomb’s job posting platform Handshake, launched in July 2019. Handshake proved to be invaluable in the virtual landscape. Students were able to virtually meet with employers for either 10 minutes in a one-on-one setting or 30 minutes in a group format.

There were several pros to the virtual format that students enjoyed, including the convenience of setting their own schedule and not having to wait in line to speak with recruiters. Then-junior entrepreneurship major Lily Mullins stated that, “This (Virtual Career Fair) is the best idea ever, I love it and thank you so much.”

Employers also quickly adapted to the new technology. Lipscomb hosted one of the first virtual fairs in the state in August 2020 and was there to provide support to employer partners. Resources were provided and many phone calls were exchanged with the 80+ employers who participated in the five virtual fairs during the 2020-21 school year, but in the end, what remained the same for employers was the connection with students.

An employer partner at Fifth Third Bank reached out to the Career Connection team to praise students’ professionalism in the digital world, saying: “I was very impressed with the students. All were prepared, on time, dressed professionally and asked great questions. My team will be scheduling one candidate for an interview with the regional manager team.”

1700

95%

Students placed in an internship

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Individual Career Discussions

98%

Career placement rate for graduates (within six months of graduation)

In the spring 2021 semester, following the college’s adaption to virtual interviews for student jobs and internships, the College of Business launched the Big Interview web platform. Big Interview is the top virtual mock interview software on the market and couples artificial intelligence feedback with interactive mock interview questions.

Students and alumni have access to this software to practice interviews in order to boost their confidence and preparation for job and internship interviews, either virtual or in-person.

Current MBA student Lucas Young used Big Interview to prepare for multiple interviews including several at Amazon.

“Big Interview has been an enormous help preparing me for a large, well-known company that conducts 5- to 6-hour interviews,” said Young.

“The Fast Track learning section is a perfect overview for those with a limited amount of time or as an introduction.

“The Mastery Track has helped me dive deeper into behavioral questions which I’ll have to answer during my upcoming interview,” he said.

“Most importantly, the practice section with artificial intelligence has given me valuable insights into my weaknesses, like using filler words, and provides guidance on how to avoid them. The icing on the cake is that I can practice via teleconference, which is how my interview will be conducted. So, getting acquainted with the setting is helping me gain more confidence.”

540

Participants, including students, faculty, alumni, employers and guests, at Career Connection events

NEW MOCK INTERVIEW SOFTWARE BUILDS STUDENTS’ CONFIDENCE BEFORE JOB INTERVIEWS

671

Lipscomb Business Connect members

5,600+

Internships opportunities posted in Handshake

98

Opportunities for professional development for students

PARTNERS Career Connection

Mara Naylor (MBA 20’19), brand communications specialist at HCA Healthcare, was one of many speakers in the Alumni Access Series.

ALUMNI ACCESS SERIES OPENS STUDENTS’ EYES TO NEW CAREER PATHS In fall 2020, as a response to student demand for networking with young alumni to learn about career opportunities within their chosen major, Career Connection created the Alumni Access series. At each of the six events, a recent BBA or MBA alumnus speaks with students about their job, industry and career path. Some industries have included sports, outdoor recreation, health care, manufacturing, analytics and insurance.

Students have enjoyed learning about career and education paths that may not have been immediately apparent to them.

Senior marketing major Katherine Perry (’21) said, “The event encouraged me to work at a job initially to gain as much experience as I can, and made me interested to go back to school and pursue a master’s at some point.”

The events have allowed alumni the opportunity to re-engage with their alma mater and connect with students on a subject they are passionate about—their own career journeys. Josue Chavez (’16, MBA ’17) shared his career path in sales and encouraged students to look at sales as an excellent long-term career. Senior management major Justin Jones (’21) attended the sales event led by Josue and said: “Josue did a very good job of painting the picture of what it’s like to work in a sales function of the medical device industry and inspired the other participants and I.” As the world is ever-changing, events like this demonstrate to students the exciting possibilities available to them at the end of their business degrees.

Up and Coming Bison in Business Anna Pollard graduated from Lipscomb in May

of 2020, and thanks to the Lipscomb Career Connection Center she is steps ahead in achieving her professional goals.

After obtaining her Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in management, Pollard now works as a personal banker and financial advisor for Fifth Third Bank in Nashville. Currently, she is on a fast-track program that will help her advance through the bank’s management ladder.

The Career Connection team played a huge role in her becoming well-positioned to quickly move into management, she said. Pollard was able to develop skills valuable in searching for jobs and internships, networking and interview preparation by working with the Career Connection team.

“I could name many values that Lipscomb instilled in me that I carry throughout my workday and professional journey, but the top three that stick out to me are purpose, integrity and kindness. I’m able to use these in my career, which has allowed me to grow professionally and personally since I graduated,” she said.

Pollard’s personal and professional goals she hopes to achieve through her time at Fifth Third Bank include being a dedicated financial advisor to her clients, helping them reach their goals and working with the bank’s business partners.

2019-2020 2020-21 DEAN’S DEAN’S REPORT REPORT

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PARTNERS

STUDENTS ESTABLISHED FIRST LIPSCOMB CHAPTER OF NATIONAL LATINO PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATION

LOOK WHO’S CREATING THE FUTURE A year after bringing a new focus on performance coaching into the College of Business, the college has infused various aspects of its educational programs for students and the community with coaching skills and philosophies.

Nina Morel (’84), executive director of coaching and leadership development, joined the college in fall 2019 and has been focused on incorporating executive

In fall 2020, the College of Business launched its first chapter of the student-led Association of Latino Professionals For America (ALPFA).

ALPFA is the largest provider of professional resources for Latinos in the United States, and is sponsored by corporations and firms of the same renown. ALPFA is open to all students, no matter their ethnicity, major or classification.

Eight undergraduate and graduate business students met virtually throughout the summer to plan events for the 2020-21 school year including guest speakers, resume workshops and networking opportunities, intended to promote professionalism.

Throughout the year, professionals from AllianceBernstein and Deloitte spoke with students, as well as COB Executive-in-Residence Ernesto Silva, retired CEO of Coca-Cola FEMSA in Mexico, said Julio Rivas, associate professor and faculty advisor for the chapter. Guests spoke on everything from their personal life testimony to fieldspecific career opportunities and diversity issues in the workplace, Rivas said.

“ALPFA is a great organization and our Lipscomb chapter worked very hard throughout the year to give students an opportunity to be involved with the Latin community, especially opportunities that can lead to future options of involvement and growth,” he said.

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and performance coaching into the college programs.

Performance coaching is an emerging tool within companies to allow individuals to reach their full potential in the workplace and in all aspects of life.

In Lipscomb’s academic programs, both the Fast Track MBA students and the Aspire undergraduate students received regular coaching sessions in the 2020-21 school year. In addition, Morel and Donita Brown, director of health care programs, developed a curriculum to bring coaching to 10 students in the Master of Health Administration program.

In February, the college held its inaugural coaching skills training session, a four-day, by-invitation session for CEOs and MBA graduates.

“We taught executives how to use coaching skills to have more effective communications with the people they lead,” Morel said. “Our hope is to help people build better corporate cultures that are in line with the values and virtues of the organization.”

Lipscomb’s Fast Track MBA students are ready to create a brighter future. You can be a part of creating that bright future as well.

Give now at give.lipscomb.edu

PARTNERS

That’s how the Lipscomb University alum ended up with HCA Healthcare. Based in Nashville, HCA is one of the country’s leading health care providers.

Dalton was selected for HCA’s executive training program, a four-year intensive leadership program where individuals are groomed to become hospital CFOs. Currently, she’s the vice president of finance at Parkridge Health System, an HCA health care center.

Bold Bison Making a Mark in Business

“There’s no one right way to that position, but I felt this was a way that would really set me up for success,” Dalton said. “And so far, the program itself has been amazing.

I’ve been here a year, and just the amount of learning, it’s like having a job and going to grad school some weeks.”

When Courtney Dalton (’14) set out on her goal to become a hospital chief financial officer, she asked herself one question: “Anytime you set out a goal, the best thing to do is figure out, well, how did other people get there?”

In the program, participants start out as a VP of finance before moving up to assistant CFO and then, eventually, CFO while gaining all the experience needed prior to stepping into a key leadership role.

Up and Coming Bison in Business Completing an undergraduate degree while maintaining strong grades is a delicate balancing act for most college students. Now, imagine juggling all of those responsibilities while running a burgeoning business.

That’s precisely how Hunter Franklin (’21) spent his time as an undergraduate, earning a Bachelor of Business Administration with a focus on entrepreneurship while also running Franklin Creative Company, a freelance photography and videography company that led to his current media endeavor: Brotherdale Creative.

Brotherdale, a company that combines Franklin’s entrepreneurial spirit with his photography and videography skills to serve clients across a number of mediums, is his latest venture but certainly not his first. Franklin has always had an entrepreneurial spirit and has already started multiple businesses: selling Paracord bracelets, a T-shirt company and Franklin Creative Company.

“HCA has a big learning culture overall,” Dalton said. “In this position, you work with the CFO of your hospital directly. At Parkridge, which is a system of four hospitals, there’s three CFOs with the four facilities, which is great in terms of getting experience and working with multiple CFOs to really round out your skill set.”

During her time at Lipscomb, Dalton earned a BBA in accounting, B.A. in Spanish, and a Master of Accountancy degree. She believes the university’s integration into the Nashville health care system prepared her for the goal of becoming a CFO. “In terms of internship opportunities, guest speakers, different types of events where you got to interact with the finance professionals at the health care companies in Nashville, I think that really helped because it gave you some industry knowledge that you wouldn’t have from a textbook,” she said. “They gave you a competitive edge to get your foot in the door right out of the university.”

Franklin’s business brought in six figures worth of revenue last year. All because he started playing around with his dad’s old VHS camera as a kid.

“When I was younger, I used to make some videos at home, with the pets and a sibling and neighbors, just kind of our adventures,” he said.

Even though his business was already thriving when he transferred to Lipscomb from John A. Logan College, Franklin says he learned some invaluable lessons at Lipscomb. He cites Jeff Cohu, Jerry Stubblefield and Lauren Pinkston as some of the professors who helped him the most.

“If I were to have any advice for potential university students at Lipscomb, whether it be the business program or not, it is to make sure that you work hard and to be passionate, because you’re going to get out of it what you put in,” Franklin said. “The more you’re involved, and the more you care about it, the more (others are) going to be willing to help. And if you’re looking to start a business while in school, there are a lot of resources (at Lipscomb) that are great as well.”

2020-21 DEAN’S REPORT

35

PARTNERS

THANK YOU TO ALL COLLEGE OF BUSINESS BOARD MEMBERS! DEAN’S BOARD ALFONZO ALEXANDER | Chief Ethics & Diversity Officer/President, NASBA Center for the Public Trust

JENNIFER BALDOCK | EVP & Chief Administrative Officer, Surgery Partners Inc.

Healing Hands International | Retired CFO, AIM Healthcare

PHILIP PFEFFER | CEO, Treemont Capital Inc. GLEASON ROGERS | Director of Diversity & Inclusion, Tractor Supply Co.

JOHN RUTLEDGE | President & CEO,

BLAIR BRYAN | Co-Founder, Heritage 21

American Physician Partners

KEITH BULLUCK | Managing Partner,

DEWAYNE SCOTT | Deputy Commissioner,

Transition Sports & Entertainment | Former Tennessee Titans football player

Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development

JACKIE CAVNAR | COO, Mental Health

FLOYD SHECHTER | President, SmartSpace LLC

America of the MidSouth

ERNESTO SILVA | Retired, Coca-Cola FEMSA

PATRICK CHAFFIN | EVP & COO, Asset Management, Ryman Hospitality Properties

JOE SLAWEK | Chairman & CEO, FONA International Inc.

KENT CLEAVER PAST CHAIR | EVP & Manager of Client Advisory Group, Pinnacle Bank

ERNIE CLEVENGER | Co-founder, President &

DAVID SOLOMON | Founder and Managing Director, Meritage Funds

JODY VENKATESAN | President and CEO, Platinum Business Services LLC

CTO, CareHere

MARK WHITACRE | Executive Director, t-factor, Coca-Cola Consolidated Inc.

BARRY DEAN | Partner, Cherry Bekaert LLP

RANDY WOLCOTT | President, NorthStar

DALE DENNY | Chief Financial Officer, John

Real Estate Advisors LLC

Bouchard & Sons

ALUMNI BOARD

DAVID DINGLER | Health Care Connector,

MEG AUSTIN | Advanced Staff Accountant,

Health Care Strategies

FMC CPAs

MARK EZELL | Commissioner, Tennessee

SYDNEY BALL | Vice President, Business

Department of Tourist Development, State of Tennessee

Development, NFP

DAVID FISHER | Managing Director,

Innovations

Investments, Benjamin F. Edwards

MIGNON FRANCOIS | Director of Joy & Founder, The Cupcake Collection

TONY GIARRATANA | President, Giarratana LLC

LUKE BENDA | CEO and Co-Founder, Healing BECCI BOOKNER | President, Family Staffing Solutions Inc.

JOEL CAMPBELL | Product Manager, axialHealthcare

WILL LOGUE | Associate Vice President, Envision Healthcare MATTHEW MCCALL | Chief Financial Officer, American Constructors Inc. MATTHEW MCCONNELL | Tax Supervisor, FMC CPAs

JOSIE NEAL | People Operations Manager, Boomerang

FRANK OSTEEN | Director of Graduate Enrollment, Lipscomb University

HILLARY READER | Sales Enablement Manager, Philips

MEGAN SARGENT | Senior Product Manager, Pride Sports

HEATHER SCONCE-STROOP | Distribution Manager, Communication Components BOB SIRCY | Executive Vice President, Southwestern Investment Group MARSHA SWADER | Former Director, Payor Contracting, Sound Physicians JOHN TOUGHER | Assurance Staff, EY REBEKAH TRAN | Assessment Manager & Data Analyst, Lipscomb University AUDRA WAIT CHAIR | President, Wait & Co. DREW WATSON | Executive Sales Representative, Paycom MARK WOMACK | Controller, Community Healthcare

HEALTH CARE ADVISORY BOARD JIM BLUE | Vice President, American Physician Partners RON CHARPENTIER | National Partner, The Advisory Board Company

MARTY HERNDON | President & COO, Snider

Representative, Sage Products Division

PAULETTE FEWELL | Senior Vice President of Operations, Raiven Healthcare

Fleet Solutions

TAYLOR CONSTANTINE | Channel Lead,

WES FOUNTAIN | CFO, HCA, TriStar Division

WINSTON JUSTICE | Financial Advisor, AllianceBernstein Private Wealth Management | Former Philadelphia Eagles football player

Rain Inc.

KATIE GASS | Lab Instructor, Lipscomb

MIGUEL CORTEZ | Assurance Senior, EY

University

ALEX DAMPF | President, Oakmont Benefits

PETER GIAMMALVO | Retired Vice President of Organizational Development, Ohio Health

GLENN MCGEHEE CHAIR | Principal &

JOSUE CHAVEZ | Nashville Sales

President, SouthStar

JORDAN DOBBERSTEIN | Manager Competitive Insights, Jackson

LINDA MEADOR | President, Success Optics

ZACH EVANS PAST CHAIR | Chief Technology

KEVIN MONROE | Former Audit Partner, Deloitte | Chair, Tennessee State Board of Accountancy

36

BURT NOWERS | Retired President,

Officer, XSOLIS

ANDY FAUGHT | Managing Partner,

MACK HOWELL | Chief Business Officer and Associate Operating Officer, Otolaryngology/ Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Emergency Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Continuum Planning Partners

TODD KAESTNER | Executive Vice

DON HULSEY JR. | Sr. Talent Consultant,

JENNIFER LITTLE | Community Volunteer

Vanderbilt University Medical Center

President, Corporate Development, Brookdale Senior Living

SUSAN NOKES | Advisory Board Vice Chairman, Asurion

BEN KILLION | Strategic Analytics Manager, Vanderbilt University Medical Center

and Consultant

BUSINESS.LIPSCOMB.EDU

PAUL KECKLEY | Health Care Futurist

PARTNERS JIM LORDEMAN | Retired Senior Financial Executive, SpecialtyCare

TIM MANGRUM | Medical Director, Saint Thomas Medical Group

JOHN MASON | Senior Vice President & CIO, Quorum Health

LAUREN PINKSTON | Founder, Wearthy

Mallory Pedigo (’23), Accounting

LEELLEN SMITH | Founder, OUTsideIN

Katherine Perry (’21), Marketing

BARRETT WARD | Founder & CEO, ABLE

Amber Pupel (’23), International Business

CAPITAL MARKETS ADVISORY COUNCIL

LINDA MEADOR | President, Success Optics

ANDREW FARMER CHAIR | Managing Partner,

DAPHNE PALAKIE | Director, Clinical Professional

Pratt & Company

Services, CereCore

LOGAN POWELL | Chief Financial Officer/

BRYCE SILLYMAN | COO, Pottstown Hospital ERIC STEPHENS | Chief Analytics Officer, Nashville General Hospital

BOBBY STOKES | Retired AVP of Software Development, HCA

MAT WAITES | Retired CIO, The Little Clinic JEFF WHITEHORN | Retired CEO, Summit Medical Center

CINDY WINKER | Vice President, Operations, AmSurg

BILL WRIGHT | Senior Director, IT, HCA PAUL REIN | Retired CFO, Sarah Cannon Research Institute

BAM ADVISORY BOARD

Carmen Schmittou (’24), Accounting Josie Spivey (’21), Accounting Matthew Stuart (’22), Accounting Emily Tidwell (’23), Corporate Management Kara Williams (’24), Accounting

President, Puttshack Services, Puttshack

Jocelyn Witte (’22) Marketing

MATTHEW WRIGHT | Founder & President,

ENCORE DEAN’S BOARD

Disciplina Group

ANDREW YATES | U.S. Deputy Head of

VIC ALEXANDER | Owner, KraftCPAs PLLC

Surveillance, BNP Paribas

MIKE DUNCAN | CFO, HSD Holdings LLC

DEAN’S STUDENT LEADERSHIP COUNCIL

TOM GRAY | Founder, Employee Pooling

Viktoriya Akhmedova (’21), International Business Madison Allie (’22), Accounting

KELL HOLLAND | Executive Vice President, Zander Insurance

DAN JORDAN | President, Jordan Properties Inc.

Annabelle Bridges (’23), International Business

LEADERSHIP TEAM

America Burnette (’21), Marketing

RAY ELDRIDGE | Dean of the College of Business

Mary Clark (’21), Management

ALLISON DUKE | Senior Associate Dean for

Grace Dotson (’21), Accounting

Strategic Initiatives and Innovation

Edoardo Ferrari (’21), International Business

ANDY BORCHERS | Associate Dean for

Selena Fritz (’23), Finance

Research and Faculty Excellence

BART LIDDLE | Associate Dean for

PETER DEMOS | President, Demos Brands

Jessica Heffington (’21), Accounting

JOSIAH HOLLAND | Consultant, TiER1

Logan Jacobs (’23), Accounting

Performance Solutions

Lainy Kendall (’22), Marketing

MATT HOGAN | Director of Partnerships, Q Ideas

Katey Ann Klingel (’24), Business

ADELLE CASEY | Vice President, Associate

Sadie Kohler (’21), Marketing

DEAN’S REPORT TEAM

General Counsel, The Freeman Company

David Manthey (’21), Accounting

NICOLE ANDERSON | Assistant Director,

BURT NOWERS CHAIR | Retired President, Healing

Catherine Marshall (’24) Marketing

Hands International | Retired CFO, AIM Healthcare

Noah Meier (’21), Marketing

LIBBY PHILLIPS PETERSON VICE CHAIR |

Chelsea Millon (’21), Management

JANEL SHOUN-SMITH | Senior Communication

Managing Partner, Phillips Family Office

Nicolette Newby (’22) Management and Marketing

Manager, Lipscomb University

TO FURTHER CONNECT WITH US WE INVITE YOU TO:

Academic Excellence

SUZANNE SAGER | Associate Dean for Professional Development and Engagement

Professional Development & Engagement

TAMMY ROBERTSON | Communications Specialist and Assistant to the Dean

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Thank You

for being a continued supporter of the College of Business and the Pfeffer Graduate School of Business. We could not build future business leaders who embrace the values and virtues of Jesus without the contributions of our entire community.

Support students financially Beth Mangrum beth.mangrum@lipscomb.edu Bobby Camilleri bobby.camilleri@lipscomb.edu Consider a graduate degree Karen Risley karen.risley@lipscomb.edu Hire an intern or alumni Suzanne Sager suzanne.sager@lipscomb.edu

College of Business One University Park Drive Nashville, TN 37204-3951 T 615.966.5950 business.lipscomb.edu