BS, Millsaps College; MBA, Mississippi College; PhD, University of Mississippi
“I am a 1973 graduate of Millsaps with a degree in Psychology and joined the faculty of the Else School of Management in January of 1987. I have been a member of this community for most of my adult life giving me first hand knowledge of the value of being associated with a College such as Millsaps.
“In my classroom, I like to blend theory and practice, the perspective I bring to teaching. I have observed over the years that a deep dive into theory is the best way to teach a practitioner about improving their practice of management. Many times I find that a practitioner limits their perspective on a problem or issue in business because they do not have a sufficiently broad and deep understanding of the theory that shapes their views. So, a student of mine can expect a blending of theory and practice in class.
“My industry experience is primarily in banking, having worked for banks either as an employee, consultant or board member since I was 17 years old. I continue to consult to the banking industry and serve on the Board of First Commercial Bank in Jackson and Chair the Bank’s Risk Management Committee. I also serve as a member of the Bank’s Asset Liability Management Committee as well as the Trust Committee. One of my most significant professional accomplishments was participating in the group that originated First Commercial Bank in October 2000.
“In addition to my banking background, I have consulted with a wide range of private sector, non-for-profit and governmental organizations over the past 30 years. I have many relevant stories to tell about this work in the classroom.
“I have become interested in two very different pursuits over the past 5 years. One is working with Boards to improve their governance of institutions. This work has resulted in my work with the Millsaps Board of Trustees as they seek to become an even stronger institution in pursuit of Millsaps’ mission. The other pursuit is the formation of Modern Retirement Theory with a colleague of mine, Jason Branning. We have developed this new approach to retirement planning that has been widely recognized as a comprehensive planning framework and have been recognized as thought leaders among proponents of the Safety-First school of thought.”
