Heather Annulis, Ph.D., CPLP - 2004

Dissertation:
Factors that Impact a Change Initiative:  A Workforce Readiness Scorecard for Implementation of the Geospatial Technology Competency Model

Heather Annulis serves as a tenured, associate professor in the College of Science and Technology at The University of Southern Mississippi.  Heather earned an MS in Communication (1999) and a BA in General Studies (1993) from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.  Under the direction of Dr. Cyndi Gaudet, Heather completed a Ph.D. in International Development in 2004.  Her dissertation, titled, “Factors that Impact a Change Initiative:  A Workforce Readiness Scorecard for Implementation of the Geospatial Technology Competency Model” continues to be an area of research in her work at USM. Instrumental in generating over $4 million in external funding for Southern Miss, Heather’s research was funded through NASA and other agencies to develop a well-trained geospatial workforce.  In 2006, Heather was named one of Mississippi’s Top 40 Under 40 by the Mississippi Business Journal.  She has presented at regional, national and international conferences on developing and implementing competency models, determining return on investment of performance improvement programs, and creating change readiness in organizations.  She resides in Pass Christian with her husband, Keith, daughter, C.C., and dog, Zip.

Deena Burris, Ph.D. - 2007

Dissertation: Public Equity Capitalization of Microfinance Institutions: Testing the Validity of Grassroots Development Theory in Economic Development using Investor Decision Theory

Deena Burris graduated from the IDV program in May 2007. Currently, she lives in Winston-Salem, NC and is Assistant Professor of Business Management and Department Chair at Guilford College in Greensboro, NC where she teaches in both the Business Department and International Studies Department.  Her research focus is in the field of microfinance, particularly on connecting capital markets and microfinance institutions.  Her dissertation, chaired by Dr. Ken Malone, was on public equity capitalization of microfinance institutions.  Deena received her master’s degree from the Graduate School of International Studies at the University of Denver with specializations in International Economics and East Asia.  Her BA was a double major in Business Administration and English from the University of NC at Charlotte.  Prior to academia and doctoral school, Deena worked in international banking.

Greg Banach, Ph.D. - 2008

Dissertation: Inequality in the New European Union: Are Monetary Policies in the European Union Unfair for Certain Countries?

Eli Biron, Ph.D. - 2007

Dissertation: University Research Parks: A Tool for National Competiveness or Just a Real Estate Transaction?

Shannon Campbell, Ph.D. - 2007

Dissertation: Impact of National Emergency Grant on Rural Mississippi

Shannon Campbell

Mary Catherine Colley, Ph.D. - 2006

Dissertation: Export Development Needs: The Importance of Networking to Small and Medium Sized Manufacturing Exporters in Alabama

Judson C. Edwards, Ph.D. - 2002

Dissertation:

Dr. Judson C. Edwards is the Director of the Center for International Business and Economic Development and Associate Professor of Economics at Troy University—Troy, Alabama. Dr. Edwards received his B.S. in Economics and Geography from Troy University-Troy Campus. He received his M.S. in Economic Development from The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss). Judson graduated from the International Development Program in December of 2002. His dissertation chair was Dr. Mark Miller, Professor of Economic Development and Geography at Southern Miss. Before returning to his alma mater, Judson served as tenure-track faculty at The University of North Dakota and Southern Miss. Dr. Edwards is a member of the Agricultural Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, a Board Member of The Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) and serves on the editorial boards of the academic journals Applied Research in Economic Development and Community Development: Journal of the Community Development Society.

Jennifer Foil, Ph.D. - 2005

Dissertation: Relationship between Identity Orientation and Perspectives on Diversity: Testing a Model

Jennifer Foilgraduated from the IDV program in May 2005.  She holds a BA in Business and a MA in Teaching Languages.  Jennifer joined Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding in February 2006.  At Northrop Grumman, she is a Systems Engineer for the Test and Trials department in the Systems and Software Integration group.  During her stint at Northrop Grumman, Jennifer has chaired the Northrop Grumman Corporation Human Systems Integration Community of Practice, chaired the working group for the Northrop Grumman Corporation Systems Engineering Advisory Group’s annual symposium for 2009, received recognition from Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding for her contribution to the National Fleet Strategy, and has participated on numerous research and strategy teams.  Jennifer will earn a Master of Science degree in Systems Engineering Management from the Naval Postgraduate School, September 2009.

Kola Garber, Ph.D. - 2004

Dissertation: Natural Disasters in International Affairs: Formulating Reconstruction Planning in NOAA

Troy Guider, Ph.D. - 2007

Dissertation: The Effects of Size and Structure of Government on Economic Growth: A Comparison of European Models with the Anglo-American Model

Garrett Harper, Ph.D. - 2004

Dissertation: Construyendo Puentes por La Economia Digital/Building Bridges Across the Digital Divide: Integrating Latino Immigrants into the 21st Century Workforce

Bill Hettinger, Ph.D. - 2003

Dissertation: Living and Working in Paradise: Housing Strategies for Tourism Communities

Chuck Jobs, Ph.D. - 2006

Dissertation: A Test of Foreign Direct Investment Influence on Task Environment Dimensions of US Manufacturers

Sara Kimmel, Ph.D. - 2002

Dissertation: Sources of Interpersonal Power and Barriers to Female Candidacy for Political Office

Jamye Long, Ph.D. - 2006

Dissertation: Recruiting Like Your Life Depends upon It: Recruiting, Retaining and Growing Healthcare Providers for Small and Low-Income Communities

Dr. Jamye Long, Assistant Professor of Management at Delta State University, holds her Ph.D. in international development from the University of Southern Mississippi. She received her Bachelor’s of Business Administration in Management and Master’s of Business Administration from Delta State University. Dr. Long primarily teaches courses in management and general business. In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Dr. Long is an avid scholar where her interest lies in a variety of fields, including human resource management, economic development, entrepreneurship, small business management, and gaming management. Furthermore, Dr. Long consults with local organizations to provide their workforces with training and skills useful in improving efficiency and effectiveness of organizational processes. Dr. Long’s work in the community extends to her membership on two advisory boards: the Mississippi Firefighter Memorial Burn Association and the Career-Technical Advisory Committee for the Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management program at Shelby Broadstreet High School.

Sue Lowe, Ph.D. - 2004

Dissertation: A Systematic Analysis of the Impact, Causes, and Potential Solutions for Employee Turnover in a Manufacturing Organization

Brian Mitchell, Ph.D. - 2005

Dissertation: Forestry and Water Quality Policies, Technologies and Solutions

Upon completing his Ph.D. in International Development, Brian Mitchell worked his way into a full-time position with Jones County Junior College (JCJC) as a Forestry and Geospatial Technologies Instructor and has made Hattiesburg, MS his home.  He began working with JCJC as part of his practicum project requirement for the IDV program.  Brian earned his Master of Science degree in Forest Biology from Mississippi State University and his Bachelor of Science in Forest Management with a minor in Wildlife and Fisheries Science from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, which is his birthplace.  His dissertation title was “Forestry and Water Quality:  Policies, Technologies and Solutions” chaired by Dr. Jon Carr.  Brian completed the IDV program in 2005.

Billy Morehead, Ph.D. - 2007

Dissertation: International Control and Governance in Non-Governmental Organizations Designed to Provide Accountability and Deter, Prevent and Detect Fraud and Corruption

Billy Morehead

Patti Phillips, Ph.D. - 2003

Dissertation: Training Evaluation in the Public Sector

Ed Pinero, Ph.D. - 2004

Dissertation: eManufacturing and Economic Development: Adapt or Die

Brian Richard, Ph.D. - 2007

Dissertation: Diffusion of an Economic Development Policy Innovation: Explaining the International Spread of Casino Gambling

Brian Richard graduated from the IDV program in December 2007.  His dissertation, entitled “Diffusion of an Economic Development Policy Innovation: Explaining the International Spread of Casino Gambling” was completed under the direction of Dr. Denise von Herrmann.  He is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Economic and Workforce Development at Southern Miss.  He has taught courses in research methods, business retention & expansion, and economic development policy.  His research concentrates on the casino tourism industry, the impacts of economic development projects, local retail and industrial analysis, and research into the state of the southern Mississippi economy.

Previously, Brian was the Director of research for the Mississippi Gaming Association where he conducted various policy and impact studies of tourism activities in Mississippi and around the U.S.  Prior to that he was employed in the Mississippi State Economist’s office where he was responsible for Mississippi’s IMPLAN economic and fiscal impact model and performed impact studies for a wide variety of industries.  He was also responsible for modeling the state’s economic performance through Mississippi’s leading and coincident economic indicators.

Dr. Richard has taught introductory Economics at Millsaps College.  He has a finance degree from the University of Washington and a Masters degree in economics from Clemson University. 

Tim Saur, Ph.D. - 2008

Dissertation: The Pursuit of Competitive Advantage and the Strategic Behavior of Firms in Adopting Self-service Technology

Lyn Stabler, Ph.D. - 2002

Dissertation: R&D Policy and Economic Growth: Factor, Externality and Silver Bullet

Jeff Stephens, Ph.D. - 2009

Dissertation: China and the United States: A Balance of Power

Angie Wood, Ph.D. - 2006

Dissertation: Capitalizing on Cuban Tourism Through Spatial Clustering

Fitzgerald Yaw, Ph.D. - 2004

Dissertation:
Cleaner Technologies as an Aspect of Sustainable Tourism: Caribbean Case Studies

Fitzgerald Yaw currently lives in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. I was born and raised in Guyana, South America. Currently I am consulting on sustainable development issues as well as working on political change in my country of birth, Guyana. I did my Bachelors degree at the University of Guyana and my Masters at the University of the West Indies. Mona, Jamaica. I graduated from the IDV program in May 2004 and my dissertation was titled “Cleaner Technologies as an Aspect of Sustainable Tourism: Caribbean Case Studies”. My Dissertation Chair was Tim Hudson, at the time Provost of USM, currently President of the University of Houston – Victoria.