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John McGrogan, MSSA, is a human resources professional who is experienced in creating value through improvement in personnel and organizational performance. His areas of expertise include leadership development, organizational strategy, employee relations, and performance improvement. McGrogan is well-versed in combining systems and behavioral theories as a basis of assessment, education, mentoring and training. His areas of industry expertise are food services, government, healthcare, manufacturing, agriculture and retail. McGrogan holds a master’s degree in psychology and organizational development, as well certification from the Harvard University-based program on emotional intelligence. He is a member of the International Society for Performance Improvement.
Sharon Collins has over 10 years of experience consulting with Fortune 500 firms and non-profits. Her clients include Eli Lilly, Kroger, ADM, HSBC, Crozer Keystone Health System and Kraft Foods. Collins earned a B.S. in journalism from Northern Illinois University.
Karen Thompson has over 20 years of experience in business leadership and teaching at the university level. She currently serves as the assistant director of Career Services at UNCW and is a nationally trained and certified expert in business etiquette and international protocol. Her certifications are with At Ease Inc. and The Protocol School of Washington ®. Her seminars incorporate theory into practical applicable seminars that are characterized as enjoyable and very useful.
Karen regularly conducts seminars for business, industry, government agencies and higher education professionals. She has written featured articles on specific etiquette topics with a New York Times affiliate newspaper and has been interviewed by both radio and television for special etiquette segments. Recently she was interviewed and quoted in Diversity, Inc. magazine.
Her clients include: AOL Time Warner, KPMG, University of South Carolina, SunTrust Bank, Progress Energy, and RSM McGladrey.
Walker Taylor III, CIC (certified insurance counselor),is a graduate of Davidson College and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. Taylor is also the recipient of an honorary doctorate from the Berkeley Divinity School at Yale. Taylor has worked as an insurance broker for 50 years specializing in ocean marine, property and casualty insurance.
Martha Dietrich, M.Ed., is a licensed professional counselor with more than 15 years experience in counseling and coaching. She has motivated thousands to take charge of their lives at work and at home. Her seminars are filled with practical information to develop greater productivity and effectiveness. Dietrich’s interactive style supports and challenges individuals to reach their full potential.
William A. Oden III is an attorney with Ward and Smith, P.A., Attorneys at Law. His practice experience encompasses various areas of civil litigation in both the federal and state courts at the trial and appellate levels. He regularly represents employers and employees before the North Carolina Industrial Commission, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Employment Security Commission, and federal and state wage and hour divisions. Oden is a frequent lecturer and advises clients on a wide range of personnel issues, including, Title VII, Family and Medical Leave Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and Fair Labor Standards Act. He also advises clients on environmental contamination issues in commercial and industrial property transactions.
His practice groups include:
• Litigation
• Construction
• Labor and Employment
• Appellate
His practice specialties include:
• Construction Litigation
• Employment Discrimination and Harassment
• Employment Litigation
• Environmental
• Occupational Safety and Health
• Workers' Compensation
Oden holds a J.D. and M.B.A. from Campbell University and a B.A. from UNC. He holds memberships in the following:
• American Bar Association - Section: Labor and Employment Law
• North Carolina Bar Association - Sections: Construction Law (assistant editor, Change Order 2005-2006); Education Law; Labor and Employment Law (contributing writer, Labor and Employment)
• Craven County Bar Association (president 2006-2007, vice president, treasurer, secretary 2005-2006)
• Lower Cape Fear Human Resource Association (board member)
• North Carolina Association of Defense Attorneys Workers' Compensation
• Young Lawyers Division (Judicial Representative for District 3B 2005-2006)
• North Carolina Society for Human Resource Management
• Society for Human Resource Management
Ron LaReau, M.B.A., has expertise in developing and implementing marketing, sales and customer service strategies. He is an experienced and seasoned business consultant enabling organizations to enhance performance and generate profitable growth. LaReau has presented seminars/workshops on management, sales and customer service to more than 500 companies and authored sales and service training programs. His articles on creative marketing, computer based training and business designs have been published internationality.
Jerry Bagnell, M.Ed., M.S.W. is an adjunct instructor in UNCW’s Department of Communication Studies. He has presented more than 200 programs throughout the United States since 1987 for bar associations in Georgia, South Carolina, New York, Kansas, Missouri, Tennessee and Virginia. He was recognized as a distinguished instructor by Virginia Continuing Legal Education in 1997. In addition, he has been a featured presenter for national and state conferences sponsored by the Academy of Family Mediators, The Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, and The Association for Conflict Resolution. Program topics have included facilitating effective group discussions, bias awareness - bias reduction, balancing a job and a relationship, prevention of sexual harassment, and a variety of subjects related to divorce, interpersonal and workplace violence, mediation and conflict management, and negotiation. Jerry has a Master of Education degree from the University of Delaware and a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Georgia.
Bruce McKinney, Ph.D. serves as assistant professor of communication studies within UNCW’s Department of Communication Studies. He teaches courses in public relations, conflict management, communication theory, organizational communication, and desktop publishing. Between semesters he also teaches for Vietnam Royal Education, Ltd. in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. He has studied Vietnamese perceptions of communication education, public relations, and conflict management. He has published articles about Vietnam in Asian Profile, Public Relations Quarterly, and the Canadian Journal of Peace Research. Currently, he is editing the book Readings and Case Studies in Mediation with Jerry Bagnell.
Bruce has also taught at James Madison University (Virginia) and Angelo State University (Texas). He taught at UNCW from 1990-1999, and returned to teach here in the fall of 2005.
Kay Robinson, SPHR serves as the lead consultant for the Human Resources Consulting Services Practice for RSM McGladrey in Wilmington, NC and has worked for McGladrey since 1994. She has served as a consultant and practitioner in the field of human resources for more than 25 years primarily in university (private and public), hospital, manufacturing and non-profit environments. Kay received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York and has lifetime certification as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR).
Prior to joining RSM McGladrey, Kay served as Assistant Vice Chancellor for Human Resources at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Prior to that position she served as Associate Director for Human Resources at the University of Rochester/Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, New York.
Kay conducts many training programs for many groups and the local SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) chapter. She also teaches the SPHR/PHR Certification Preparation course for SHRM throughout the country. Kay is a former board member of SHRM and currently serves on a Special Expertise Panel in HR Consulting/Outsourcing for SHRM.
David Weber, Ph.D. has worked in the field of organizational development since the late 1970s, focusing on designing solutions to leadership and intercultural challenges. At University of Southern California, he earned the M.S. degree in instructional design, and at University of Denver, the Ph.D. in organizational communication. Career assignments and professional projects have enabled David to live and work around the world (including expatriate positions in Iran, Japan and Indonesia), with clients in both the private and public sectors, such as Xerox, Disney, Frito-Lay, U.S. Marine Corps, General Motors, U S West, and Hoechst.
David has been an award-winning teacher at the university level since the late 1980s. He currently serves as an associate professor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington in the Department of Communication Studies. He teaches courses there in introductory and advanced organizational communication, organizational culture, leadership, business and professional speaking, and nonverbal communication. David also performs as a professional storyteller in organizational settings. He has appeared in this capacity several times on U.S. national television, and given performances and workshops throughout North America, as well as in Asia, Australia and New Zealand. David has published in business, professional, and academic media, and has won national awards for his research. His upcoming book is a collection of leadership case studies for release by Sage Publications.
Mark Hurt, M.S. Leadership development has been a hallmark of Mark Hurt’s 20 years of professional experience. His broad experience spans several fields including fund development, higher education marketing, political campaigns, and pastoral care.
Though varied in goals, each field necessitated the same skill set — to set organizational direction, to align multiple teams and to customize communications strategies. His unique pastoral experience focused primarily on leader development equipping adults with the skills necessary to form and lead productive teams in the market place.
Mark currently serves as director of marketing and issues management at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. This newly-formed centralized marketing unit provides marketing consultation and strategy development for university clients to more effectively position the university with regional and national audiences.
Mark earned his master’s degree in human resource development at Texas A&M University and an undergraduate degree in economics from The University of Texas at Austin.
Phil Bruschi, M.S. is an adjunct instructor in the Department of Communication Studies. With a master’s degree in interpersonal communications, he has served as a training manager and human resources director in the government, education and corporate sectors. In addition, Bruschi has served as a faculty member in the speech communications and continuing education departments of three New Jersey colleges. His extensive experience in the fields of training and development has provided him with the skills to design, develop and conduct programs in interpersonal communications, supervision and management, and customer service. Other experience includes coaching for improved performance, training needs assessments, and performance consulting within the organizational development field. Phil is a member of the National Speakers’ Association and the Mid-Atlantic Speakers’ Association.
Joe Dougherty, M.B.A., M.A. is an accomplished management consultant with experience in designing and delivering executive education programs, as well as specialized expertise in financial services, strategic planning and business development. He has acted as a trusted advisor to non-profit organizations, private companies and public sector agencies for 12 years and has worked in 30 countries. He was worked for Deloitte & Touche and A.T. Kearney as well as Citibank, Bank of Ireland and the US FDIC. His clients include the US Agency for International Development, the World Bank, Prudential Insurance Company, India’s Ministry of Labor, Thailand’s Ministry of Finance, and many others.
Joe teaches at the university level as well where he addresses topics including problem solving skills, report writing and presentation skills, team dynamics and leadership, business ethics and intercultural communications, and market feasibility and innovation.
After graduating summa cum laude from Loyola College in Maryland, Joe earned an MBA with a concentration in Public Policy and Management from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business as well as an MA in international economics from Johns Hopkins University. Mr. Dougherty speaks fluent Spanish.
Susan Herrmann, M.S. is a committed coach, organization specialist, and lifelong student of personal and organizational learning and change. She is a professionally trained performance coach. Susan’s coaching and consulting experience has been focused in areas of personal and professional development, performance effectiveness, organization assessment and strategic business development. Susan’s personal philosophy is about creating a safe place to examine beliefs, behaviors and how we function in the world. Through dialogue, she and her clients explore ways to maximize personal and professional performance and create a new path for the future. Susan’s strengths include the ability to interface at all levels, as well as strong interpersonal, communication, judgment and problem-solving skills.
Susan has extensive organizational experience with small and large organizations to include Honeywell Technology Solutions, Lockheed Martin, and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. She has served in various consulting, coaching, and training roles providing both tactical and strategic support to individuals and organizations. She currently teaches for UNCW’s Division for Public Service and Continuing Studies.
Susan has an M.S. in Organizational Development from Johns Hopkins University and a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Maryland. Susan is a member of the International Coach Federation (ICF), the American Society of Training & Development (ASTD), and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).
David M. Crocker, RADM, USN (Ret) retired as a Rear Admiral in the United States Navy in July 2003, following 29 years of active duty. During this tenure, he deployed overseas fourteen times, commanding one aviation squadron (HS-17) and two major combatants – the first being USS INCHON (MCS-12) and the second being USS CARL VINSON (CVN-70).
He accumulated over 5000 flight hours in 17 different type aircraft. He served as a Navy Test Pilot for three years, advancing new aircraft and accompanying transformational technology to naval aviation. During his tenure in CARL VINSON, the crew performed admirably and heroically during Operation Desert Fox – 3200 combat missions flown; the crew cited for its leadership and productivity in all key performance areas. In his initial Flag Officer job, he served as the Assistant Chief-of-Staff for Policy for the Supreme Allied Commander, Atlantic. Dave culminated his career as the Commander, U.S. Navy Operational Test Force in Norfolk, Virginia. During this tour he was charged with operational evaluation of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the VIRGINIA class submarine, the AEGIS weapon system over 300 other Navy weapon systems.
