As a second-generation college graduate, I value college as a place to learn the skills and knowledge needed to get a well-paying and fulfilling job. College helped my parents move from poverty into the middle class. And it led me to a career in finance, first as a commercial banker and now as a finance professor. As the lead faculty for the finance minor, my classes are designed to provide marketable skills and knowledge.
Well-trained finance professionals not only earn a good income, they also help others manage their money and understand the impacts that debt can have on their lives. I strive to instill in my students this sense of service, that the role of a finance professional is to improve the lives of others.
I want our students to think about how they add value to the people around them. I've built my own academic career on the "scholarship of application," which means I apply my efforts and financial knowledge to helping the campus and our community.
A few years after joining the Economics department at SUNY Potsdam, I was among several faculty who founded the Business Administration department. I later spent a decade serving as the department's chairperson. During this time our undergraduate program grew to become one of the largest on campus, and we founded the Master of Science in Management graduate program.
In service to the community, I was a member of the St. Lawrence County legislature and chair of the legislature's financial services committee. The county was in financial crisis, with a three million dollar deficit. By the end of my four-year term, we had turned the county's deficit into a five million dollar surplus.
More recently, I've moved into financial consulting for small businesses, with the purpose of helping them thrive. In my experience, many small business owners have a dream they want to fulfill but need financial expertise to help them succeed.
I'm proud when I see our students graduate and move on to well-paying and meaningful careers, and I'm proud when I see them adding value to their families and communities.
PhD in Economics, Georgia State University
MBA, emphasis in Banking and Finance, University of South Carolina
BS in Finance, University of South Carolina
Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Faculty Service
President's Award for Excellence in Community Service and Outreach