Adjunct Directory

Jennifer Ardellini earned her Master of Arts in Organizational Management at the University of Phoenix.  She has been an educator for eleven years in the School of Business.   She teaches several business courses, such as Organizational Management, Women in Management, Introduction to Management, Business Ethics,  and Organizational Behavior.  She has served as the Adjunct Faculty Mentor at the Wisconsin Campus.  Correlating textbook information with real-world situations, providing stimulating discussions and continual support of the adult learner, is what drives her energy and enthusiasm. She receives outstanding student reviews.

Instructor Bob Armbrust, PhD is an adjunct professor of business at Ottawa University’s Kansas City and online campuses.  Dr. Armbrust earned his doctorate from St. Louis University and his MBA from the University of Louisville with an emphasis in Operations Management.  His corporate career includes senior leadership positions at Fortune 500 organizations such as H.J. Heinz, Coca-Cola and Perrigo Pharmaceuticals. In 2006, Dr. Armbrust decided to make a career change and enter academia. He has since taught numerous online and local modality courses.  His teaching interests include Strategic Planning, Project Management and the MBA Capstone course. In his free time he loves to travel and stays committed to lifelong learning.

Instructor Denise Atwood JD, RN, CPHRM  is an Adjunct Professor for Ottawa University’s online campus.  Denise earned her Juris Doctor in Law from Arizona Summit Law School in Phoenix, Arizona, and her nursing degree from Moorpark College.  She is licensed in Arizona as a lawyer and a registered nurse.  She has worked in healthcare since the 1990's and has served as adjunct professor at Ottawa for several years.  She enjoys teaching Health Care Law and Ethics!

In her free time, Denise loves to travel, practice yoga and spend time in the mountains or at the beach.

Marcia Baker has spent most of her life in Arizona and Texas. She completed her undergraduate degree at Ft. Hays State University in Hays, Kansas. She moved back to Arizona and completed her graduate degree in Education in Counseling while working in the behavioral health field as a counselor. After completing her graduate degree she continued to work as a counselor and administrator in the behavioral health field for over 30 years. During her 30 years, she began working as an adjunct college professor and still continues this today. She went back to school to complete a PhD in Health Psychology/Behavioral Medicine and is expected to complete this degree in 2017. She holds many licenses in the behavioral health field and is in private practice in Texas where she lives with her family.

In her free time she is an avid runner, yoga instructor/practitioner and loves spending time outside and with family.

Dr. Nicole Baker grew up in Kansas City, MO and completed her undergraduate degree in English at Syracuse University. She spent the first part of her career teaching K-12 in the suburbs of Kansas City.  While teaching high school, she completed her doctoral studies at UMKC with a focus in literacy.  Upon completion of her PhD, she decided to make a career change and moved from K-12 to higher education.  She has taught with Ottawa University since 2013.

Callie Ballenger has known she wanted to be a nurse since the age of five. As a child Callie was always setting up a hospital with her dolls and examining them with her toy doctor kit. She became a Certified Nursing Assistant during her senior year of high school and worked at a nursing home through nursing school.  Instructor Ballenger graduated from Baker University with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree in 2002.  Upon graduation from nursing school she worked as a staff nurse on the organ transplant, renal, and vascular unit at The University of Kansas Hospital, which is a large academic medical center in Kansas City, KS. In 2006 Callie became the Unit Educator where she did staff education on new equipment and procedures and facilitated orientation for new employees and clinical rotations for nursing students.  In 2006 Callie began her master’s education at the University of Kansas and served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant in the school of nursing skills lab where she taught assessment and foundation skills to undergraduate nursing students.  Callie loves teaching others and sharing her passion for nursing with the future generations of nurses.  Callie graduated from the University of Kansas in 2009 with a Master’s Degree as a Family Nurse Practitioner and with a post master’s certificate in Healthcare Education.  She then worked for six months as a nurse practitioner for the liver transplant surgeons in which she facilitated communication and care for patients between the surgical team and consulting services.  Instructor Callie Ballenger is currently a Clinic Manager at Take Care Health Systems which operates the clinics inside Walgreens Pharmacies.  Here she provides episodic care and preventative/wellness services to 18 months and older.  Callie manages the day to day operations of two clinics and a staff of five NPs while actively working 35 hours per week seeing patients in the clinic.

On a personal note Callie has been happily married to her husband for 11 years. She has two boys and her hobbies are attending her kid’s school and sport activities.  Callie is active in the PTA at her son’s school and in her spare time she enjoys scrapbooking and ATV riding.

Janet Barrow, EdD grew up in Lawrence, KS and completed her undergraduate degree at Spalding University in Louisville, KY.  She has devoted her career to human resources and earned an MPA from the University of Louisville and a Doctorate of Leadership Education from Spalding University while serving as Director of HR at Louisville International Airport.  She enjoys her return to Kansas and has been an adjunct instructor with Ottawa University since 2009.

Lea Bastin grew up in Phoenix, Arizona and spent her first 20 years traveling as much as possible, experiencing as many cultures as she could. After settling down with her family, she completed her undergraduate degree at Ottawa University studying Psychology and Human Services. Wanting to continue to work with multiple cultures, Lea took a job in social services working with families on child safety. While working with the Department of Child Safety, Lea pursued her graduate degree, completing a Master’s of Science in Psychology.  Upon completion of her MSP, she chose to make a career change and enter higher education.  Currently working as a counselor and trainer at a local university, Lea is also pursuing her PhD in Psychology with an Emphasis in Cognition and Instruction. 

Instructor Billy Bataille grew up in Montreal, Canada, but was accepted into the PhD program at the University of Miami where he completed his Master’s degree in Economics. He also completed a Master’s degree in Geography at the University of Paris IV-Sorbonne to complement his global academic knowledge. Billy taught at California State University-Bakersfield, NYIT at their China campus, and at Temple University.

He enjoys learning about the world in general, through cinema and other art forms and through his travels which took him to the Himalayas, the Tropical Rainforest of Borneo, Europe, across all but five U.S. states, and Jerusalem.

Instructor Bataille has enjoyed teaching and interacting with the Ottawa University student body since 2016.

Instructor Oguzhan Batmaz grew up in Turkey and completed his undergraduate degree in Economics at Gaziantep University. He moved to Lawrence, Kansas to attend graduate school at University of Kansas and finished his MA in Economics in 2012. He then started his PhD at the same place, and now he is a PhD candidate -ABD-. He taught both principles and electives in Economics at University of Kansas. His specialization areas International Economics/Finance, Macroeconomics, Growth-Development, and Institutional Economics. He is currently teaching at Ottawa University as an Adjunct Instructor and enjoys sharing his teaching experiences within the classroom. In his free time, he loves to spend time with his family.

Kate Bayne grew up in Kansas and completed her undergraduate degree at Emporia State University.  She has been teaching since twelve years of age when she taught swim lessons for the American Red Cross.  Along with swim instruction and coaching, she also worked in the book industry as a corporate trainer. After completing her MAEd, she taught for Bryman School of Arizona and Ottawa University. She has taught with Ottawa University since 2016 and enjoys integrating her background in poetry and literature into Composition courses.

Dr. Berg grew up in North Dakota.  His experiences are primarily in academic/administrative higher education, entrepreneur/business owner, corporate education/consulting in both domestic and global environments.  University academic experiences include full professor & department chairman, Northern State University; Director of Arizona State University Computer Institute; Dean of Academics at Western International University-Phoenix campus and London England campus; multiple Professor-of-the-Year awards; and, textbook author. 

Dr. Berg has entrepreneurial experiences owning and operating small businesses including a small manufacturing company, a retail western store, and an assisted living care home.  He also worked his way through college in a grocery store and in oil field trucking.  He started and continues to operate a grocery store from scratch in a small town with revenues the first year and following years reaching $1 million. 

Dr. Berg has worked as a national and global consultant and seminar leader doing seminars through Bottom Line Institute LLC with multiple years as a Strategic Planning in IT seminar leader for American Management Association.  Seminars have been held in the USA, Canada, Taiwan, England and Russia in corporate/business/government environments, on these topics: information technology, strategic planning & management, C-Level strategic planning, information management, marketing, leadership, and power & politics.

Dr. Berg has been teaching in Ottawa University’s MBA program since 2006. 

Marci Bigler grew up in Louisville, KY and Jacksonville, FL and completed her undergraduate degree in British and American Literature at Montreat College (NC).  Upon completion of her undergraduate degree, Marci began teaching Middle/High School English, where she taught in Milwaukee, WI and at her alma mater in Jacksonville, FL.  She then moved back to the Milwaukee area to attend Marquette University for her graduate work in British and American Literature.  Marci has taught at Marquette University, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and Concordia University (WI); she's taught writing and literature courses at Ottawa University since 2011. In her free time, Marci enjoys spending time with her husband and three kids playing or watching basketball, baseball, football and soccer.  She also loves cheering on her favorite team, the Green Bay Packers. 

Gregory Binder grew up in Madras, Oregon and completed his undergraduate degree at the United States Military Academy, West Point, NY.  He was commissioned as an Air Defense Artillery Officer. While in the Army, he pursued his Master of Science degree in Computer Science, at the University of Arizona.  Upon completion of his MSc degree, Mr. Binder was assigned to the faculty of the Military Academy, teaching IT courses.  Subsequently he served in the Pentagon in the U.S. Army Management Systems Support Agency. In 1980, he joined the City of Phoenix MIS department, where he was employed for 34 years.  He has taught at several institutions of higher learning, and has been with Ottawa University since 2003. He focuses on relating his IT experiences to the classroom material as a way to make IT relevant to students within the classroom.

Dr. Black earned his PhD in Education in 2010 with a primary focus on higher education administration and distance education technologies. He also has an MBA in Technology Management and an MS in Healthcare Informatics. Dr. Black began working professionally in IT operations support and management in 1990 and entered the higher education and educational technologies arena in 2000. Dr. Black has extensive IT operations and project management experience and has led IT for both Fortune 500 and Research 1 University organizations. In conjunction with teaching and administration in higher education, he currently also works as an IT Director with an IT services outsourcing company in Salt Lake City. Dr. Black enjoys sharing his IT experience as it relates to the topics presented in classes and how they apply in current industry areas.

Dr. Nicholas Bowersox is currently an operations research analyst for the Department of Defense, United States Air Force, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, OH. In this role, he provides statistical and mathematical analyses to analyze the Department of Defense Supply Chain. Additionally, Nicholas is quite active in the academic arena. He has been a college professor for ten years, both  teaching and developing courses from the doctoral to undergraduate level in a wide variety of areas such as general management, leadership, strategic management, business policy, organizational behavior, human resources, knowledge/information management, business ethics, business statistics, and algebra. He has taught both traditional and online students of all types, including both military and civilian, as well as traditional and adult learners in accelerated learning formats.  In his spare time, he enjoys traveling, trail running, disc golf, being outdoors, and spending quality time with his beautiful wife.

BA Communications

MBA Business Administration

DBA Business Administration

Nathan Braun is a talented educator with nearly a decade of experience teaching in higher education. His ability to make lasting connections with students is not only impressive, but the measure he uses to gauge his success. Prior to his time in higher education, Nathan served as the IT Director for a national healthcare company and has extensive experience in the world of computer and information security. Nathan looks forward to putting this experience to work for the students of Ottawa University.

Instructor Heather Brown is originally from Green Bay, Wisconsin.  She attended St. Norbert College and completed her undergraduate degree in Education.  In 1999, she moved to Phoenix, AZ and worked 15 years as a middle school and high school English teacher. As an English teacher, she worked with a diverse population of students – ELL, Gifted, and Special Education students.  She started the Writer’s Club and worked on this program in conjunction with the community colleges. 

In 2004, she obtained a MA in Educational Counseling from the University of Phoenix and in 2009, she obtained a MA in Curriculum and Instruction. She is a qualified Reading Specialist and is ELL certified. In 2012, Instructor Brown decided to use her MA in Educational Counseling and served as a high school guidance counselor. She continues to serve as a high school guidance counselor but her passion for teaching continues.  She coaches the freshmen girls’ basketball team at her high school and she teaches at multiple community colleges throughout the state.  She has over 10 years of experience teaching English and Counseling as adjunct faculty. She has recently pursued another MA in Professional Writing:  English.  Upon completion of this degree, she began working with Ottawa University as an English instructor. In her free time, she loves traveling and spending time with her family.

Kevin grew up in the pacific northwest and attended Eastern Washington University for both his undergraduate and graduate studies.  Upon graduation Kevin moved to Phoenix, Arizona where he has been practicing as a school psychologist since 1997.  Additionally, Kevin serves as adjunct faculty for both Ottawa University (since 2012) and Grand Canyon University (since 2009), as well as being a practicum and internship supervisor of school psychology candidates from a variety of universities.  Kevin received the Grand Canyon University excellence in teaching award in 2010 and 2012 as well as the Lamp of Learning Award (2017) from Washington Elementary School District and Educator of the Year award from the Arizona Middle Level Association (2016).  Kevin has served as the counseling coordinator for Washington Elementary School District’s 32 schools, represented professional service staff with employment dispute resolution, salary and benefits and working condition concerns, and has developed, wrote and implemented district wide programs for dealing with challenging student behaviors.  Kevin's various memberships include the Washington District Education Association, Arizona Education Association, Arizona Association of School Psychologists, National Association of School Psychologists and PsiChi, National Honor Society for Psychology. 

Judge Bryant is an Administrative Law Judge for the State of Arizona. He started his legal career as a Law Clerk at the Arizona Court of Appeals and then as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Arizona. He was an ALJ with the Arizona Office of Administrative Hearings and heard a wide variety of cases from 1997 to 2014. One of his areas of specialty is Special Education Law, as he was one of only two ALJs who heard and decided Special Education cases for the entire State over a fifteen-year period. He is currently an ALJ for the Arizona Board of Fingerprinting. He has taught Legal Assisting classes in almost every area of law for over 20 years. He started teaching Special Education Law at Ottawa in 2014. Judge Bryant also teaches Education Law and US Constitution.

Lisa Buccigrosse is an Ottawa University Faculty Member at the Residential Campus in Surprise, Arizona. She has been with Ottawa University since 2011. She instructs classes in teacher education, liberal arts, and foreign languages. She has been an educator in a variety of capacities (teacher, professor, administrator, instructional coach, and mentor) since 2001 at both the elementary (K-8) and higher education levels. She has both online and face-to-face teaching experiences as well as course development and curriculum development for both modalities of instructing and learning. Her Bachelor’s degree is in Spanish, which she received from Rutger’s University. Her Master’s degree is in Elementary Education, which she received from Saint Joseph’s University. She is a National Board Certified Teacher, recently renewed in 2018, in the area of Early and Middle Childhood with a specialization in English as a New Language. She is certified in the State of Arizona with Principal and Elementary Teaching Certificates and endorsements in Early Childhood, English as a Second Language, Bilingual Education (English/Spanish), and Gifted Education. Lisa also serves as a national presenter and course facilitator with the National Education Association.

For fun, Lisa enjoys traveling. She has traveled to 27 foreign countries to expand her cultural awareness and understanding. Additionally, she enjoys taking care of her adopted rescue animals including dogs, cats, parrots, and horses.

Professor Kimberly Byrd is a Full Time Instructor in the School of Business at Ottawa University.   She was born in the Republic of Panama and lived there until she was 18 years old.  Her family owns several businesses including a construction company, a property management company, and a landscaping company.  She is very involved in the PTA at the local schools and work with the teachers and children every week.   She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting with honors.  She then tackled the Certified Public Accountant exam and passed.  She worked for several years in the business world and decided to take on the challenge of a Master’s Degree in accounting.  She felt the best option for her to accomplish this goal was online classes due to her workload, family schedule, and many responsibilities.  She knows personally what a sacrifice it is to make the commitment to attend college while having so many other obligations. She also graduated with honors from her Master’s program. Professor Byrd has been in the accounting profession for many years.  She has worked in private, public, governmental and non-profit organizations.  She has also worked for several accounting firms.

Dr. Carlson spent her formative years in Denver Colorado where she enjoyed skiing, camping, biking and tae kwon do. She left Colorado to go out of state to California for her education. During her undergraduate years she worked as a chemist for American McGaw Pharmaceuticals. After earning a doctorate at UCLA (in the Mental Retardation Research Center) she did post-doctoral research for 6 years at University of California Irvine, California State University Fullerton and University of Colorado School of Medicine. During this time, she was inspired by conversations with Hugh Ross who went on to found “Reasons to Believe”, and Francis Collins, then head of the Human Genome Project. Dr. Carlson went on to become an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at University of Colorado at Denver where she developed an interest in the biochemistry of nutrition and did research on the iron storage protein ferritin.

She had a heart to integrate faith and learning and this lead her to a position at Colorado Christian University as an Associate Professor of Chemistry. Dr. Carlson has also enjoyed teaching AP and IB biology and chemistry in high school for many years. She lives in Surprise and enjoys golf, camping, biking scuba diving, worshiping God, spending time with family and friends and teaching chemistry!

Instructor Carroll was raised in Phoenix, Arizona. She served in the United States Air Force on active duty for over 10 years, being stationed in locations within the United States and overseas. During her time in the Air Force she completed her BS degree in Business Management at the University of Phoenix and her MS degree in Human Resources at Chapman University. Dr. Carroll continued her education after separating from the military and went on to complete her EdD in Education Leadership and Management at Capella University. She has over 20 years experience educating adult learners, and over 20 years of combined experience in leadership and management.

Instructor Mark Cederburg grew up in Kansas City and obtained degrees in psychology, sociology, and social work. These degrees prepared him for work in the fields of child welfare, family services, mental health, and disabilities. For the past 15 years, Mr. Cederburg has focused on academia, teaching ground and online classes at several universities. He enjoys sharing his knowledge and experiences with budding human service workers.

Dr. Patricia Coccoma is an adjunct instructor at Ottawa University. Originally from New York and now residing in Southwest Florida, her career has included multiple positions from Staff Social Worker to Assistant Executive Director at a mental health agency. She has been an Associate Professor in Social Work programs at two universities.  She maintains a private clinical social work practice assisting adults, families and couples. Her research interest is in trauma and has co-published a book as well as multiple journal articles

Sue Cohen earned a BS degree in Psychology and an MSW in Social Work from the University of Illinois. She worked as a therapist for the first ten years of her career and then served as a Program Administrator in a large non-profit organization in Northeast Wisconsin overseeing a variety of services in the areas of crisis intervention, sexual assault, youth prevention, and treatment programs and services for runaway and homeless youth. She has been teaching in undergraduate and graduate programs in Wisconsin for the past 25 years. Currently, she serves as a Supervisor of Initial Assessment Specialists for the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families. Sue enjoys doing federal grant reviews and spending time with her grandchildren.

David Cook is an instructor of communication. He received his BA in Organizational Management from Southern California College (Now Vanguard University), and his MA in Human Communication from Cal. State University with concentrations in persuasion/compliance gaining and organizational communication.  David has more than 25 years of management experience in the public and private sectors. In 2004 He founded his own communications company providing corporate training and consulting to clients ranging from local pastors to fortune 100 companies. He has taught at Ottawa since 2006. 

Doug Copeland grew up in North Kansas City, Missouri and completed his undergraduate degree in Economics and Political Science, as well as his Master’s in Economics at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Doug has 37 years teaching as a full-time faculty member at Kansas State University, Pittsburg State University and Johnson County Community College. He has taught a wide variety of courses beyond economics, including finance, international business, and statistics. He has also authored many editions of Study Guides, Instructor’s Manuals, and Test Banks that accompany textbooks, and has co-authored a few textbooks as well over the last 30 years. Doug has been excited to teach for Ottawa since 2015. In his spare time he enjoys horseback riding and traveling.

Dr. Bari Courts received his PhD from Capella University in Organizational Management and an MBA in Management from the University of Cincinnati. In addition, Dr. Courts has a BS in Mathematics from Kenyon College. He earned his degree from Capella entirely online and is very familiar with the time commitment and other issues associated with completing a degree online; he understands it is not easy but it is very rewarding. Dr. Courts has been teaching online for over 12 years now and has taught courses that include e-Commerce, Economics, Management, Organizational Behavior, Research Methodology, and Statistics. His professional background includes some time in the insurance industry and a position as a project manager for a major ERP software implementation. He also owns a small self-storage business just outside of Cincinnati.

Professionally Dr. Courts is a board member of two organizations, conducts presentations on various topics, and writes course curriculum. His research interests include writing about social media. His most recently published article is titled "The Influence of Social Media on 21st Century Leaders". In his free time Dr. Courts stays active by playing soccer for exercise, and singing in both a barbershop chorus and barbershop quartet. 

Dan Crawley completed an undergraduate degree in English from Arizona State University and a master's from Northern Arizona University, with emphasis in Creative Writing. He has been an instructor at Ottawa University for twelve years, teaching a number of English literature and creative writing courses. Altogether, Dan has been teaching English courses in higher education for twenty-seven years at various community colleges and universities throughout Arizona. He is a published fiction writer, with over 100+ stories appearing or forthcoming in a number of online and print journals. Also, he is the author of the following fiction collections: Straight Down the Road (Ad Hoc Fiction), The Wind, It Swirls (Cowboy Jamboree Press), and the forthcoming Blur (Cowboy Jamboree Press, 2023).

Dr. Crisp is an instructor and course content expert in Ottawa's online master's nursing leadership program. She has been a pediatric nurse for the past 40 years serving in a variety of leadership capacities in both professional and volunteer arenas. She received her doctorate in 2009 and taught at Indiana University Purdue University Columbus for 7 years before taking time off to care for her mother at the end of life. Dr. Crisp is mother of a young adult who is medically complex and ventilator dependent, works as a pediatric home care nurse, volunteers for a Boston terrier rescue, and is mom to 2 dogs, 3 cats, and foster mom to 1 Boston terrier through the rescue, In her spare time, she likes to read, knit, and practice photography.

Dr. Gina Deegan, an Ottawa graduate herself, has served as an educator in the Phoenix community for eighteen years. She has worked at the Isaac School District as a teacher and administrator since 2000, and is currently the district’s English Language Arts Strategist. She has been an adjunct instructor at Ottawa University since 2007. Prior to education, she was a journalist at The Arizona Republic. She earned her Doctorate in Education, Organization Leadership, from Grand Canyon University, a Master of Arts in English Literature and Linguistics from Arizona State University, and a Bachelor of Arts in English and a secondary teaching certificate from Ottawa. She has taught undergraduate and graduate courses for Ottawa in Proseminar (now Writing and Critical Thinking), English, Education, Reading Endorsement, Mathematics, and Graduate Review. 

Instructor Jayme A. Delano was raised in New York, completed her BA degree in Criminal Justice at Long Island University, C.W. Post Campus and holds a Master of Social Work from New York University.  In 2004, Ms. Delano moved to the Washington, DC area to work at the University of Maryland, and then in 2010, she joined the Federal Government to work as a policy analyst for the Executive Office of the President, Office of National Drug Control Policy, High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Program.  Her experience spans years working in public health and public safety, and she enjoys sharing these experience with students.  She is characterized in multiple areas to include oversight of Federal grant programs; subject matter expert; led daily operations of alternative to incarceration programs for substance use disorder population; hired and supervised management teams that worked with organizations to affect the culture and climate necessary for programmatic success; development and oversight of research activities; provided technical assistance and training to a variety of criminal justice agencies; therapist in community-based clinics; and owned a private practice treating people with varied mental health diagnoses.

In her free time, Ms. Delano loves to travel and cook.  She lives in Northern Virginia with her husband and two dogs (Tibby and Lucy).  

Julie Dilling resides in Wisconsin with her family. She completed her doctoral degree, a Doctor of Philosophy in General Psychology with an emphasis in Integrating Technology, Learning and Psychology, at Grand Canyon University. Julie's research on teaching presence and social presence in the online classroom continues to be at the forefront of her teaching methods to promote a collaborative online learning experience for students. Julie is a licensed CPA.  While working on her Master’s Degree, Julie was a senior manager for an international public accounting firm implementing accounting software and training clients on how to effectively use the software in their organization.  After completing her Masters, Julie began teaching undergraduate courses in the Accounting program for a variety of colleges. Her passion for teaching grew, and in 2003 she left the corporate world to become an educator full-time.   Julie continues to consult for former clients while teaching full-time at a local community college and enjoys the practical application as well as the opportunity to share business world examples with students.  Julie teaches on the Brookfield campus as well as online for Ottawa University in their undergraduate, graduate, and EMBA programs. She is committed to supporting student success and promoting meaningful learning.

Christine Douglass grew up in Livonia, Michigan and completed her undergraduate degree at Eastern Michigan with a major in Communication and a minor in Professional Writing.  Upon graduation, Christine worked ten years as a Human Resources Manager for a local cable and internet provider.  While working, Christine served as a graduate teaching assistant at Eastern Michigan University and graduated with an MA in Communication.  Shortly after graduation she made a career change to the academic world and has been teaching online and in the traditional classroom for the past ten years.  Christine enjoys being able to integrate her real world experience in her day to day encounters in the classroom.  Christine is currently working on a second Masters at Davenport University in Business Management.

Donald D. Dunn is a faculty member who has taught 33 different courses in leadership, management, ethics, business ethics, and practical ministry for six universities over the last eight years. He holds a BA in Religion from MidAmerica Nazarene University, a Master of Liberal Studies degree in Organizational Leadership from Fort Hays State University, and a PhD in Organization and Management (specializing in Leadership) from Capella University. His subject matter expertise (SME) is in ethical leadership concentrating in business ethics. In addition to his teaching roles, Dr. Dunn offers his research-based The Moldable Model© to help companies design ethical workplaces, committed employees, and competitive advantage. Dunn authored an executive MBA textbook in 2016, published by Business Expert Press entitled: “Designing Ethical Workplaces: The Moldable Model©.” Dr. Dunn has taught for Ottawa University for seven years both in the undergraduate and graduate business programs.

Ms. Durant holds a Juris Doctorate degree from Rutgers University School of Law.  She also holds a Master of Science degree in Global Leadership from Duquesne University.Currently, she teaches both graduate and undergraduate course at Ottawa University. Ms. Durant has been a practicing international business attorney for the past 17 years with concentrations in business development, cyber law and intellectual property. Additionally, Ms. Durant has spent many years as a technology sector international business consultant. Further, Ms. Durant serves as a non-profit board member for several national organizations and has served as corporate general counsel on several instances.  Ms. Durant has authored several business law articles and is a frequent public speaker and conference panelist on legal matters and emerging global economic issues.

Elhan Durguti is from Lawrence, Kansas. He is husband to a beautiful wife, father to a precious newborn daughter, and has a passion for teaching. In the early years of his professional career he worked for the casino and hotel industry promoting gaming and training staff to the new customer relationship management policies. He has also spent time in the pharmaceutical industry educating clients of their medical prescription benefits. Mr. Durguti’s passion for education made the transition to higher education a natural fit. He is currently a senior business faculty at Grantham University where he teaches business courses, ranging from Business Statistics, Principles of Business Management, Ethics and Business, Marketing, Business Negotiations, International Business, and Business Policy and Strategy. In addition to teaching Mr. Durguti manages and mentors faculty and staff, designs business courses, and manages assessment projects for his university. He joined the Ottawa family in 2015 as an adjunct for the School of Business. Outside of work he enjoys spending time with his wife and daughter, traveling to different countries, reading, writing, and playing golf.

Dr. Allen Farina was raised in Wisconsin, but currently resides in Florida.  While in Wisconsin, Dr. Farina earned his bachelor’s degree in Sociology at Marquette University and his master’s degree in Education at Lakeland University.  In Florida, he pursued doctoral studies in Educational Leadership at Lynn University.  Dr. Farina currently works with learners at all levels of education with several universities and colleges.  He serves on dissertation committees for students pursuing doctoral degrees in Education, teaches graduate classes in Education, facilitates undergraduate courses in Sociology, and instructs students at the Associate level in Psychology.  Curriculum writing and mentoring new online faculty are also current job functions.  Past positions include teaching and administration in K-12 and higher education settings.  Dr. Farina’s passion is being of service to students with the goal of helping them build bridges to get from “where they are” to “where they want to be."  His favorite education mantra from the late and great Mr. Mandela is, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."

Dr. Jimmie Flores has extensive background in both Management and IT courses. In fact, he has a doctorate in each of these disciplines. Over the past two decades, he has held professional employment positions in companies like Shell Oil Company, Prudential, and USAA. In 2000, he launched an IT company, which provided IT services to collegiate conferences. Because of his love for education, he decided to change career direction in 2008 and become an IT Consultant / Corporate Trainer. Today, he teaches courses that he developed to organizations, mostly related to Project Management and IT. He also directs global teams in their project management endeavors, and travel frequently to India, The Philippines, and South America. His academic and research interests include Information Technology, Global Business, Project Management, and Organizational Behavior.

Michelle Flory taught in the inner city elementary schools in Phoenix, Arizona before becoming a reading specialist with her master's degree from NAU.  She then went on to teach as an adjunct faculty member for seven colleges in Arizona before relocating to Utah with her family.  She currently is an adjunct faculty member for five colleges and is completing her PhD with Utah State University in Instructional Leadership with an emphasis in Literacy.  Her specialties are curriculum, literacy and reading coursework, and children's literature.

Dr. Forsyth (Bryan) has worked in a variety of industries including government, food, electronics, telecommunications, transportation, manufacturing, distribution and education. Bryan’s principal areas of expertise include knowledge and learning management, human resource management, organizational and employee development, organizational systems interventions and leadership development. Bryan has been a professional in the training and development/education arena for approximately 30 years.

Additionally, Bryan is currently teaching business, management and other social science courses for undergraduate, MBA as well as Doctoral studies. Bryan received a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Vocational Education from Southern Illinois University, majoring in Education, Training and Development. A Master of Arts degree from Ottawa University specializing in Human Resources and Organizational Change Management where he graduated at the top of his class. Bryan has completed his doctoral studies at Walden University for a degree in Applied Management and Decision Sciences emphasizing Knowledge and Learning Management where he also graduated at the top of his class. Lastly and most currently, Bryan has completed a Post-Doctoral Degree program in Global Leadership at Colorado Technical University.

Dr. Forsyth (Bryan) has a family of four and an extended family that involves many friends and colleagues around the globe. Travelling and taking a hike in the Rocky Mountains is always fun as is riding the mountain bike and being with family and those friends relaxing and enjoying life whenever possible.

Gary Fortney has a Master's Degree in Christian Ministries from Wheaton Graduate School and a Bachelor's degree in Christian Education from Taylor University – Fort Wayne. He has served as an education program director and specialist for over twenty years with the Arizona Department of Education.  His experience also includes administration of Christian Schools in the Phoenix area along with being a pulpit supply for several churches. Earlier experience also included serving as a youth pastor. Gary has facilitated virtual classes for seven years total. Facilitating these classes has been answer to prayer and fulfillment of a life-long vision for ministry. 

Instructor Fredstrom grew up in Phoenix with dreams of becoming an airline pilot. Mr. Fredstrom achieved this goal just before 9/11. After a long furlough, he found himself looking to fulfill his renewed life-long purpose: to help people achieve a greater potential. This new passion has led him to a career in education as a teacher, math specialist, instructional coach, and is currently serving as an assistant principal. Additionally, Mr. Fredstrom has used his Masters in Professional Counseling working with mostly children and families. Currently, he is working on his dissertation in Industrial/Organizational psychology at Grand Canyon University. Mr. Fredstrom enjoys integrating these various experiences into his teaching practice here at Ottawa University and is thrilled to help others prepare in finding their significance.

Dr. Audra Gardner was born, raised and currently lives in Silicon Valley.  She taught her first chronic disease self-management class on campus for Stanford back in 1995 and fell in love with the online format after teaching the first online version of this course in 1998. She completed her PhD coursework online, so she understands what it's like to be an online student as well as online professor. Dr. Gardner has a passion for teaching in the online environment and helping students achieve their academic and professional goals. She has taught students with a wide range of academic goals from those wishing to pursue a certificate to resident MD's. Dr. Gardner has also trained many distance educators. She currently teaches various classes at several universities and serves on about a dozen dissertation committees at any given time - and loves every minute of it!

Barbara Gast, DM, is the Vice President for United Chase Group, an executive recruiting and leadership consultancy group. She is credited with over 35 years of expertise in human resource management, performance consulting and leadership development. She held the title of vice president in the private sector of association management and marketing boards. As an agency director in the public sector, she co-authored the state code of ethics governing licensing of healthcare professionals. Dr. Gast completed her studies including the Doctor of Management in Organizational Leadership, the Master of Science in Agribusiness Marketing and Management, and the Master of Arts in Organizational Management.  She is currently a member of the Society for Human Resource Management and American Society for Training and Development.  She served three years on the Arizona Cancer Society’s scientific research task force.

Dr. Gast enjoys hiking around Piestewa Peak Mountain in central Phoenix. She has one son who is an attorney in Tucson.

James-Etta Goodloe, EdD is an Adjunct Faculty member at Ottawa University’s Indiana campus.  Dr. James-Etta earned her doctorate in Education and Adult Learning at Walden University.  She teaches liberal arts capstone courses and has served as a Subject Matter Expert for Ottawa's Online division.  As a student, Dr. James-Etta earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Management at Ottawa's Wisconsin Campus. While in Wisconsin she went on to earn her Master of Education degree from Carroll University. She has taught for Ottawa University since 2008 and enjoys guiding students through the same courses she once took as an OU student.

Judy Grady, MSW, is an adjunct professor at Ottawa University's Wisconsin campus.  She has been a practicing psychotherapist for over 30 years and currently maintains a private practice in addition to teaching.  Judy's current area of interest is in the area of neurobiology as it applies to mental wellness, and the use of mindfulness meditation and yoga as healing tools.

Judy is a Wisconsin native.  When not in the classroom or therapy office, she can be found wandering the globe, sewing in her studio, experimenting with new recipes in her kitchen, or on the yoga mat.

Originally from Vermont, Dr. Greenia moved to California to earn the MHA degree in 1991. Since that time he has spent his life in the warmer weather offered by the West Coast. Dr. Greenia has over twenty years of diverse experience in healthcare operations, quality management and strategic planning. He has worked in several settings, including government, for-profit, not-for-profit, academic medical centers as well as a children’s hospital. Dr. Greenia is board-certified in healthcare management and is a Fellow of the American Colleges of Healthcare Executives. 

Dr. Eric Habrel is an adjunct instructor at Ottawa University and teaches courses in the Master of Arts in Counseling program. Dr. Habrel taught at the graduate level in the Helen Bader School of Social Welfare at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee for over 20 years and has been an adjunct faculty member at Ottawa University - Wisconsin since 2012.  He has also served as a faculty member and approved supervisor with the Family Therapy Training Institute since 1988 and provides consultation services to Aurora Family Service and Recovery Point. Dr. Habrel has been in private practice as a Psychologist in Southeastern Wisconsin since 1986. His expertise in marital and family therapy is used in his clinical work, consulting and seminar presentations as well as in the teaching, supervising and training of other mental health professionals throughout Southeastern Wisconsin. 

After a career in corporate accounting with firms such as Standard Oil in Chicago, The John Connolly Group in Iowa, and Kindercare Learning Centers in Alabama, Professor Mary Haines has served in such positions as Operations Controller, Assistant Director of Finance, Accounting Manager, and Controller. Mary has been bringing her accounting experience and passion for learning to the classroom for 18 years as an adjunct instructor for Huntingdon College and currently Ottawa University. When not teaching, Mary works part-time coordinating fundraising events to raise support for seminary student education. Most recently, she worked for a local CPA firm during tax season, redesigning their website and assisting in their conversion to a paperless environment. Active in her community, she serves on the executive board of a local non-profit and High School PTO. She resides with her husband and two sons in Overland Park, Kansas.

Instructor Hankins grew up in Kansas City, Missouri and completed her undergraduate degree at Missouri State University.  She began her career as a high school English teacher, teaching literature and composition courses, while pursuing her MLA, with a concentration in Literature.  Upon completion of her MLA degree, Instructor Hankins decided to make a career change from secondary education to post-secondary education.  She completed her MAEd with a concentration in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Kansas in 2017.  She has taught with Ottawa University since 2010.

In her spare time, Instructor Hankins enjoys running, reading and spending time with her family.

Dr. Hembree grew up in Northern Arizona and proudly served in the United States Navy. After his honorable discharge from the Navy, he completed his undergraduate degree in business administration and worked as a director of recruitment. After serving years in the operational side of the business, he made a transition to a career in human resources and completed his graduate degree in human resources from Ottawa University. He went on to work in leadership roles in human resources, taught HR courses as an adjunct and earned a Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership with an Emphasis in Organizational Development. Dr. Hembree teaches many human resources and business courses. He has a passion for human resources and loves to provide engaging learning environments.

Dr. Justin Henry grew up in Sterling, Kansas and completed his undergraduate degrees at Sterling College. While teaching high school Chemistry and Physics at Ottawa High School, he completed his Master's of Science from Emporia State University. After completing this degree, Dr. Henry served three years as an assistant principal at Ottawa High and three years as the principal while earning his Doctorate of Education at the University of Kansas.

Dr. Henry has served as a Kansas superintendent for over a decade, first serving four years in the Southeast of Saline School district and currently in USD 265, Goddard Public Schools. In addition to serving as a superintendent, Dr. Henry is a consultant for the McPherson and Jacobson Executive Search Firm, teaches at Ottawa University and is active in multiple professional organizations including the Kansas School Superintendents Association, the American Association of School Administrators, Suburban School Superintendents, and the Mid-American Association of School Superintendents.

Instructor Diane Hobson, Ed. D, was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio and moved to Athens, OH to complete her BS degree in Secondary Education (English, Speech, Journalism, Reading) and her MA in Educational Technology. For her doctorate work, she opted for a combined online and face-to-face format and earned an Ed.D. in Instructional Technology and Distance Education. Her dissertation work focused on learning styles and learning preferences of low socioeconomic students in a technology setting. She continues to be interested in research that deals with determining factors that improve online education, instructional design that compliments the learning styles of online students, and the globalization of education due to virtual learning. She has several articles published in Distance Learning magazine regarding quality in online instruction. She has been involved in education since 1992 and has taught English and reading to middle school students, reading and math to gifted students, educational technology courses, and serves as the director of curriculum and testing for a local school district.  She has also worked as an adjunct instructor for Ottawa University since 2009 teaching courses for the Master of Arts in Education program.

Allison Hubley completed her undergraduate degree in Political Science at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. She spent the early years of her career working in various positions with the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, Michigan, and served as the Chief Operating Officer of Quality Healthcare Providers, P.C. in Dearborn, Michigan. She then transitioned into higher education on a fulltime basis in 2003.  While working as a project manager at HFHS, Ms. Hubley earned a Master of Science in Administration with a concentration in Health Services Administration from Central Michigan University and a Master of Business Administration from Wayne State University.  She also holds a post-baccalaureate certificate in forensic accounting and fraud examination and works in a volunteer capacity with law enforcement. She enjoys conducting seminars to senior citizens and small business owners on fraud awareness and fraud prevention; she is the author of a bi-monthly "Scam Alert" column for a senior services newsletter. Ms. Hubley has been with Ottawa University since 2007 and teaches online courses as well as in-class courses at the Phoenix Campus.

Micheal earned his Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from UCLA and his Master's Degree in Psychology from Pepperdine University. He teaches several different psychology courses at Ottawa University. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he currently works with adolescents at a high school in a counseling and teaching capacity. He is interested in the way gender influences behavior and his emphasis is in counseling and diagnosing mental disorders as well as human sexuality. He also has a Certificate in College Counseling from UCLA to aid his students in their future academic goals.

In Michael’s free time he enjoys cooking, bowling, spending time with his family, and of course, talking about psychology!

Professor Hutchison has worked in IT for almost 40 years, primarily in data management and architecture roles. He is a decorated US Navy veteran of submarines, specializing in nuclear power plant machinery and welding. His teaching interests include IT, project management, and data visualization courses. When not teaching or taking classes, he builds giant-class model aircraft. He has taught at Ottawa University since 2019.

Rick grew up in Ventura, California where he majored in Criminal Justice and played football at Ventura College. He spent 13 years in the Arizona Department of Corrections as a Correctional Officer and a Parole Officer. He served 3 years in the prison as a tactical operator while supervising inmate workers in construction projects. After several years as an officer, Rick began a degree in education in order to instruct college students. Three years later, he decided to concentrate solely on educating future law enforcement officers and retired early. Rick is in his first year with Ottawa University. He also instructs at local community colleges in the Phoenix area and teaches a high school law and public safety program. Rick has written a college textbook on Corrections, which is in final layout for publication. When not assisting and educating students, Rick likes watching football and riding his Harley Davidson.

W. Kesler Jackson has taught American history, international relations, Western civilization, world history, Asian history, South Asian religion-and-politics, Middle East history, 19th-century European imperialism, and historiography at multiple colleges and universities. Among other things, his research focuses on a major religio-political schism within South Asian revivalist Islam and its impact on the making of modern India and Pakistan. Before his graduate studies, he worked as a South Asia analyst in the Washington, DC area. The author of multiple books and articles, he is currently working on two monographs:  a history of the Deobandi-Barelvi rivalry in Pakistan and a history of the weeks leading up to the U.S. war in Afghanistan.

Instructor Johnson is an Arizona native. From a very young age she realized that caring for others was her calling in life. This calling brought her to pursue her first degree in nursing. She enjoyed caring for others throughout the entire healthcare setting. When the opportunity presented itself, she found herself teaching high school students, prepping them to become certified nursing assistants. This opportunity sparked her love of education. This love brought to her through her next two educational journeys. She is committed to create: safe, efficient, confident, caring, and competent future nurses. Finding herself spending time in the classroom, clinical setting, simulation learning lab, and online arena teaching nurses and future nurses. In her spare time she enjoys doing anything outdoors from paddle boarding to hiking to just sitting on the patio reading a good book.

Dr. Frances Johnson is a Faculty Instructor at Ottawa University’s School of Business. She teaches in the Online Division and at OU’s Brookfield, WI campus for the Executive MBA program. She earned her Doctor of Management in Organizational Leadership degree from the University of Phoenix’ School of Advanced Studies and the Master of Business Administration (major in Human Resource Management) degree from William Woods University. The University of Kansas is her alma mater, where she earned an undergraduate degree in Human Resource Administration. She is certified by the Human Resources Certification Institute as a Senior Professional Human Resources (SPHR).

Dr. Johnson’s career history consists of working as a Human Resources Director/Sr. HR Business Partner for 25+ years in the following industries: government, publishing, retail, manufacturing, distribution/warehouse, and healthcare. Dr. Johnson is the author of a ProQuest database dissertation: “Automobile Manufacturing Workers: A Phenomenological Study of Job Loss on Family Relationships.” She resides in the Kansas City metropolitan area, and her two adult children reside in Dallas, TX and Denver, CO. Perhaps, she has something in common with some of her students, having earned both her MBA and doctorate degrees as a married parent, working full-time. Therefore, she understands the work-life balance challenges which adult students may be facing.

Her educational focus is Human Resources Management/Organizational Development and Business Communications. For the past 11 years, Dr. Johnson has owned an HR consulting firm, and supported small businesses. She enjoys art collecting, gourmet cooking, and writing short stories.

Instructor, Heidi Kammer-Hodge is pleased to serve as adjunct faculty for the Ottawa University, online addiction program. Professionally, she maintains over twenty years as a leader, executive, consultant, and provider in behavioral health and integrated care.  Instructor Kammer-Hodge has a Masters in Social Work with emphasis in family practice and policy/ administration from Augsburg University in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Her undergraduate degree is from the University of South Dakota in social work and addictions studies.  She is a licensed mental health professional and licensed addiction professional.  Instructor Kammer-Hodge has served as a senior and executive leader for over ten years.  In addition, she maintains a consulting firm that specializes in evaluation, grant writing, and infrastructure development with non profit organizations.  She serves as adjunct faculty with the University of Minnesota, Ottawa University, and Briar Cliff University. Instructor, Heidi Kammer-Hodge grew up on a farm in Bloomfield, Nebraska. Prior to relocating to Iowa in 2016 to be closer to family where she grew up, she was in the Twin Cities- Minneapolis, Minnesota for seventeen years. She has two beautiful daughters, Emily (14) and Grace (11) with her husband, Vince. She has taught with Ottawa University since 2018 and enjoys integrating her behavioral health clinical and business experience to support students for career success.

Todd Kane’s experience in business, healthcare and healthcare administration spans 25 years during which time he has served as:   the president and CEO of a multi-million dollar private national healthcare recruitment and outsourcing firm for more than a decade; the vice president of a publically traded healthcare staffing and outsourcing firm; and in various other leadership positions including chief operating officer, regional vice president, regional director, and more. In 2009, Todd decided to share his experiences with others through teaching and mentoring undergraduate, graduate, and certificate learners at a variety of universities and other institutions of higher learning.

Instructor Keogh grew up in Virginia and completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Virginia.  He has held various management positions in Operations, Manufacturing, Supply Chain Management, and General Business Management in the U.S. Marine Corps, at Ford Motor Company, and at United Technologies Corporation.   He is a Project Management Professional (PMP) and Certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM).  He has been teaching university classes since 2003.    He has taught with Ottawa University since 2012.

April Klasko grew up in Phoenix, Arizona and completed her associates degree in nursing at Phoenix Community College. She started her nursing career as an RN in Labor and Delivery at an inner city hospital in downtown Phoenix, Arizona and became Assistant Director for a high risk Labor and Delivery unit at the same hospital. She obtained her BSN at Arizona State University and then her MSN at Grand Canyon University. She has worked for the same healthcare organization for over 20 years in various roles including Quality, Risk and Peer Review. She recently started her journey with Ottawa University in January 2018. She is looking forward to using her educational and employment experience to help students in the nursing program be successful and while enjoying their education experience.

Anna Koch, PhD is an adjunct instructor at Ottawa University teaching online Addiction Counseling courses.  She is a licensed independent counselor in Texas and New Mexico. Dr. Koch’s research focuses on addictions, counselor supervision, veterans, and rehabilitation. Dr. Koch loves to travel, go fishing, go hiking with her family and two dogs, and Cross Fit. 

Instructor Alana Kopp grew up an Air Force brat and finished her high school years on the family's historical farm in Kimball, Minnesota. She completed her Associate of Arts and Bachelor degrees in Rochester, Minnesota. In the early 1990's she moved to the west coast to begin her teaching career in San Bernardino, California and pursued her master degree in pupil personnel services. Alana has spent over 25 years in education within the public schools as classroom teacher, instructional coach (including turn-around coaching with Arizona Department of Education) and elementary school counselor. Alana began teaching with Ottawa in the Master of Arts in Education in the School Counseling program in 2017 and wishes she had begun this endeavor earlier. She is a pastor's wife and mother of two young men. Ministry and family keep her active and she loves relaxing at the beach.  

Cyndi Kaye Lambach is an Adjunct Professor at Ottawa’s Wisconsin Campus in the Executive MBA program.  Dr. Lambach earned her doctorate in Information Systems and Enterprise Resource Management.  She has been in academia and worked in the IT field for 30 years, mostly focusing on Network, Security, ITIL and SDLC. When she is not teaching, she enjoys golfing, traveling Europe and home renovation projects.

Aaron Linscheid is a trumpet performer and educator based in Kansas City. In addition to his work as an educator, Linscheid is also an accomplished performer.  Recent performances include with his own trio, the Diamond Empire Band and performances of original works with Clint Ashlock’s New Jazz Order. Before moving to Kansas City, he spent several summers in the Education Department of the New York Philharmonic.

Dr. Debra Logan has been educating nurses for over 30 years and most recently as an Ottawa University faculty adjunct. Dr. Logan’s work in higher education includes teaching in Associate, Baccalaureate, and Graduate Nursing Programs. Her specialties are in vulnerable populations and community health. Dr. Logan has been a Dean of Nursing, a Director and Chair of Nursing, and a Chair and Director of Nursing and Health Sciences. She is an experienced grant writer, coordinator, and principal investigator. Dr. Logan has served as a clinical nurse educator in small and large hospital systems, as well as in the academic setting. By empowering nurses to grow in their practice, or to help grow new nurses from scratch, her goal has always been to change the lives of patients through nursing education. Dr. Logan has worked in small, rural towns, a medium-sized city, and for the last 25 years, in the large, urban setting of Dallas-Ft. Worth. She, along with her husband, is an avid collector of Native American art. Dr. Logan once co-owned a rare book and coffeehouse in Dallas.

Instructor Low, MSN, RN, OCN, CMSRN was raised in Southern California and was inspired by the example of her mother to become a nurse. She attended UCLA and obtained her BA in English Literature, and then went on to complete her MSN in their Masters of Entry Level Clinical Nursing (MECN) program as well as participate in nursing research. Her background is in Hematology-Oncology and  and Medical-Surgical nurse education at a large hospital in Los Angeles. She recently joined Ottawa University in 2017 and looks forward to helping prepare students to obtain their BSN and become nurses who transform lives. 

Dr. Magnuson has been a lifelong resident of Wisconsin and earned his baccalaureate in Psychology at Upper Iowa University. He earned his Master's degree in Community Psychology with a focus on Medicine, Society and Culture at Springfield University. After earning his Master’s degree, Dr. Magnuson began teaching psychology and statistics for the social science courses. He has taught with Ottawa University since 2005.

Dr. Magnuson earned his Doctoral degree in Cultural Anthropology with a minor in Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Christopher enjoys working with people who have a vested interest in changing the world through education. His teaching techniques may best be summed up as “outside of the box” and he loves learning from new experiences. He believes that you should enjoy your work and that work should be interesting and challenging.

Kathy Markley grew up near Chicago, Illinois and completed her undergraduate degree (BA) at the University of Iowa.  For 5 years she taught 6th grade in Des Moines, before moving to Overland Park.  She taught in Center School District for 25 years, and during that time taught some seminars on Fred Jones’ Tools for Teaching classroom management at Baker University.  Professor Markley also received her MAT degree during this time from Webster University.  After retirement she became an adjunct supervisor for Ottawa University’s education program and is still very involved.  In her free time she travels with her husband and enjoys spending time with her daughter and grandson.

Ms. Karen McKenzie McAdoo is proud to be the third generation of her family line to graduate from Ottawa University in Ottawa, Kansas. Her grandmother Genevieve Rock Petersen, graduated in 1909; her parents, Dr. & Mrs. Emory and Harma (Petersen) McKenzie graduated in 1945; Karen in 1972, and her oldest son Kevin graduated in 2000. "I grew up on the campus, as Dad was the head of the English department for over 30 years."

After graduation from OU, McKenzie McAdoo taught art in Kansas public schools at the secondary level for 20 years, shifting over to teaching at the college level in 1992. She has taught at three community colleges, including NeoshoCCC in Ottawa, and tutored in the athletic department at KU.  Along with teaching college classes in public speaking and interpersonal communication, she spent 6 years at the local radio station as the News Director. She also taught studio arts and art history & survey classes, digital photography, sociology, English composition, and psychology classes at the three community colleges.

She spent several years serving on the OU alumni board, and a term as Alumni President. Now, she is teaching the studio art classes in the MAC on the OU campus. "Ms. Mac" enjoys traveling (heading to Europe as often as possible) and has visited 45 of the 50 states, and gardening, both of which inspires her photography.  You will rarely see her without a camera at hand.

Dr. Meehan has spent most of his career in the financial services, electric utility, consumer electronics, and high-tech industries, working in various human resources and consulting roles.  He has had leadership responsibility for talent management, HRIS, compensation, and benefits.  In academia, he was an adjunct Associate Professor of Management at Pace University’s Lubin School of Business and has taught at Ottawa University since 2009. He is a member of WorldatWork; he served on their seminar faculty for 20 years, is a former Committee Chair and Board member, and holds both Compensation and Benefits certifications.  Dr. Meehan is a Founding Board Member of the Arizona Total Rewards Association. He also served on the Society for Human Resources Management’s Compensation and Benefits Committee. Dr. Meehan has published extensively with over 20 articles, book chapters, case studies, and conference presentations to his credit.

Dr. Meek earned a BA in History and Spanish from Henderson State University, an MA in Biblical Languages from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and a PhD in Biblical Studies (Old Testament) from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has authored, co-authored and edited numerous books, journal articles and essays. His primary research interest is in Old Testament Wisdom literature, particularly the book of Ecclesiastes.