My professional experience has developed across 20 years in the private and non-profit sector and another 20 years in Academia. My degrees are in professional accounting with a specialization in Information Systems (IS). Since very young I decided to approach learning beginning from the ground floor. My accounting experience started as an auditor. Later on, I got involved in an implementation of a financial accounting system and that led to a graduate degree specialized in IS. After graduate school I again stated as a programmer analyst, moving to management of IT department, later on project management for a consulting company. I also have experience in business turnaround projects. The emphasis all throughout my professional development has been more like a liaison between technology and accounting. In academia I have taught accounting, information systems development, information systems management, principles of management and project management.

Dr. Luke M. Bailey is an executive leader with over 25 years of experience in powering organizational growth, profitability, efficiency, and performance. With a blended background in business and military leadership, he operates at the intersection of strategy, operations, and people and drives results by championing change, continuous improvement, and creativity.

Dr. Bailey has a Doctorate in Business Administration from the City University of Seattle, an MBA from Columbia College, and an MSc in Contingency Planning. Also, he is certified as a master exercise practitioner by the Emergency Management Institute.

Dr. Bailey is highly active in volunteer work, a baseball and youth sports coach, and a mentor and tutor for underprivileged youth. Additionally, he is an active member of several boards and commissions, a member of the United Nations Global Compact for SDG initiatives, and a community volunteer with several non-profit organizations.

James (Chien-Tao) Cho achieved his degree of the MBA in 2002 from University of Houston@Virtoria and the degree of DBA in 2008 from Golden Gate University. He has been serving higher education with a full of passion for over 16 years but also serving as varied industrial consultant including profited, non-profited, private and public sectors. He also a fellow member of American Marketing Association, Academy of Marketing Science, Association for Consumer Research, and Taiwan Marketing Research Association, and Taiwan Management Institute.

His lecturing courses in varied course related marketing and consuming behavior, business management/strategy at programs of under/graduate students.

Recently, his research issues in consumer’s word of mouth in diffusion and preference and also focus on comparing consumer behaviors in the varied consuming cultures as well as situational (emotional) consuming behaviors in on/off-line market environment. Also, he cooperates an international research project at Social Media research Lab with Taiwanese scholars.

He is inspired to share his knowledge to students by students’ achievements and encourage to advanced research by finding solutions of practical businesses.  In the leisure time, he likes to watch and paly sports with his family members and friends.

Jazell Diaz, as an Academic Advising Administrator at SRSU-Rio Grande College of Business, is responsible for guiding students throughout their academic journey. Jazell helps students select the right courses, understand degree requirements, and plan their schedules effectively. Additionally, Jazell provides advice on academic policies, assists with problem-solving, and connects students to other support services as needed. Working closely with faculty and staff, Jazell ensures students stay on track to meet their educational goals. Her role also involves organizing advising programs and maintaining student records to foster academic success.

Mike is a native Houstonian who has traveled to various parts of the country through work and personal vacations. He enjoys learning new things and sharing knowledge with others. He received his bachelor's degree in finance from Sam Houston State University. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity (The nation’s first black fraternity). He received an MBA from the University of Phoenix in 2007 and received his PhD (DBA – Management) from Grand Canyon University in 2024.

Mike’s professional experience has spanned financial services and business development.  His professional experience has spanned from a regulatory financial examiner position of credit unions to a VP of Business Development with a local credit union and sales leadership roles with multiple banks including Capital One, JP Morgan Chase, and Bank of America.  Equifax, Innovis, and Verisk Financial are large corporate companies that Dr. Mike has additional relevant corporate business experience working with national sales roles. Dr. Dotson has also served as a Board Member for the Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA). Positive Coaching Alliance’s message is: Better Athletes, Better People.    

Mike is married to his beautiful Brenda (aka Mi Lo ~ short for Me Love). Mike and Brenda reside in Houston, Texas.  They have a blended family of 4 children (Ages 24, 24, 18, and 18. They have 2 dogs (Chihuahua/Pug ~ Chug named Max and Lab/Shephard named Charlie). Mike enjoys watching baseball, football, basketball, and movies. He believes in learning and growing with others. A quote from Mike: “Intellectual curiosity can lead to solution discovery”.  

Thomas Matula has been with Sul Ross State University since 2016. Both his Ph.D. and MBA are from New Mexico State University. Dr. Matula’s teaches courses in management, economics and general business. A pioneer on online teaching Dr. Matula developed one of the first online MBAs at National University in 1998. In 2001 while at the University of Houston-Victoria he was part of the team that created the first online MBA accredited by the AASCB. Dr. Matula has numerous publications in the fields of space commerce, marketing, strategy and online education. While at New Mexico State University he was part of the Southwest Regional Spaceport Task Force (now Spaceport America). He serves on the Board of Directors of the Space Renaissance International and with the Space Renaissance Academy.    

Emilio holds a Doctorate in Education, a Master’s in Business Administration with a focus on Marketing and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Public Administration. His professional development includes a Finance Diploma and a Management Diploma from ITESM CCM, the Manage Mentor Program from Harvard Business School (online), and the Small Business Management Program from Texas A&M International University (TAMIU). 

In the entrepreneurial field, he has established and managed five small businesses, including two in Eagle Pass, Texas.

His academic contributions span institutions such as ANÁHUAC, UNAM, UIA, ITESM, UANE, UAC, CC Winn High School, and Southwest Texas Junior College, where he has lectured on Marketing, Public Relations, Advertising, Strategic Management, Human Resources, Customer Service, and Entrepreneurship.

His expertise extends to research and publishing, with ten articles on management, marketing, customer service, and human resources featured in Entrepreneur Magazine, HSM, and MERCA2.0. Additionally, he collaborated on research conducted by Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government for case studies on The Mexican Government’s Retail Chain: Politics, Social Welfare, and the Bottom Line.

As a speaker, he has delivered over 50 conferences on marketing, management, and leadership for small business owners, entrepreneurs, and students. His media presence includes roles as a radio and television commentator, discussing marketing, management, human resources, and customer service topics for small business audiences. Emilio is also a member of the Global Marketing Association.

I enjoyed sharing knowledge and experiences with the students. It is satisfying to see them grow in their knowledge and understanding over time.

Jawanna Sanderson, CPA attended Sam Houston State University, where she received a Bachelor’s of Business Administration in Accounting, as well as a Master’s of Science in Accounting. After graduation, Ms. Sanderson began her career in tax preparation and tax compliance at UHY, LLP and BDO, in Houston, Texas. Ms. Sanderson expanded and continued her career at a regional public accounting firm in Central Texas, where she continued serving clients from a wide variety of industries in several areas of accounting to include tax compliance, business consulting, and general accounting services. While growing her career, Jawanna was designated a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) by the State of Texas.

In 2022, Ms. Sanderson joined the faculty at Sul Ross State University in an effort to impart the knowledge gained during her public accounting experience on a new generation of potential future accountants, managers, and entrepreneurs. She serves as the Faculty Advisor for Delta Mu Delta, strives to help with recruitment and retention efforts, and is involved in initiatives to connect with students and strengthen their Lobo experience. In addition, Ms. Sanderson sits on multiple community non-profit organizations as their treasurer in an effort to give back to the community.

EDUCATION: 

Ph.D Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, December 2001 (Accounting) 

MACC Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi, TX, May 1994 (Accounting) 

MBA University of Texas at Pan American at Brownsville, TX, August 1989 (Business) 

BBA University of Texas at Pan American at Brownsville, TX, December 1981 (Accounting) 

Dr. Sengupta transitioned to higher education in 2016 after spending 24 years in the private sector where he held positions such as Vice President and Partner at Capgemini Ernst and Young LLC, Vice President at Hitachi Consulting, and as Senior Executive Advisor with Booz Allen Hamilton. He began his professional career with the Kraft Foods Group. In 2010, he co-founded an advisory and turnaround firm and conducted global restructurings and turnarounds while serving as Group President for a billion-dollar diversified agriculture production and trading company with 2,500 associates and operations in 11 countries. He has consulted for F1000 companies across the globe and has served clients in the U.S., Mexico, Middle East, North and South Africa as well as various parts of Southeast Asia.

Dr. Sengupta has authored multiple books and articles over the years. His latest book, published in 2023, is titled Resilient Value Chains: How Companies Can Win in Uncertain Times. He is a member of the Harvard Business Review advisory council, an opt-in research community of business professionals. He holds a PhD and a Master of Arts degree in Business Administration from the Max. M. Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University, and a Master of Science and Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Mathematics from Ohio University.

Dr. Candice Ward comes to Sul Ross State University with over 25 years’ experience in the management field in both legal and academic environments. Her research interests include employee satisfaction in the face of change and transition, including the implementation of new technologies. Dr. Ward has been teaching and developing business courses, programs, and curricula for the last 14 years and has served in several leadership roles across the public and private sectors. Her degrees include a PhD, an MA, and a BS in Psychology.