Gaynor Cheokas

Dr. Cheokas holds a B.S. in Political Science from Columbus State University, an MSA from Georgia Southwestern State University, and a Doctorate in Business Administration from Georgia State University.

Dr. Cheokas joined Georgia Southwestern in the Fall of 2004. She is currently serving as Dean for the College of Business and Computing. As a faculty member, she has taught undergraduate and graduate courses primarily in small business management, entrepreneurship, and organizational leadership. Cheokas is also the Director for the Center for Business and Economic Development (CBED) housed in the College of Business and Computing. She consults one-on-one with entrepreneurs and provides support services to economic development agencies and local governments. Her consulting experiences include assisting family-owned businesses transition leadership from one generation to the next and working with various entities in understanding, defining, and refining their organizational culture. Cheokas is a graduate of the Georgia Academy for Economic Development and is a member of the Board of Examiners for the Georgia Oglethorpe Award.

Before joining GSW, Dr. Cheokas served as Area Director in Americus for the Small Business Development Center (SBDC-SBA) network of Georgia. She also worked 21 years in private industry as a division director of a national catalog company and brings an extensive background in multi-unit retail stores with extensive hands-on experience in marketing, customer service, and personnel management.

In addition, Cheokas remains active in her community. She is a past president of the Americus Rotary Club and has held various leadership positions with the Americus-Sumter Chamber of Commerce. She is married to Mike Cheokas and they have three grown children, Brittany, Athan, and Lexie. Gaynor enjoys traveling abroad, baking cheesecakes, and watching all types of sports (Atlanta Braves being the top pick). 

Jim Aller

Dr. Aller received his Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Tyler in 2017. He holds the SHRM-SCP Certification from the Society of Human Resources and the Senior Professional in Human Resources Certification from the HR Certification Institute. Prior to academia, he worked in the Corporate HR field for 25 years from such companies as Walmart, The Home Depot, and Pep Boys Auto. He was instrumental in establishing the School of Retail at the University of Houston Downtown in 2012 and was the Chair of the Employer Advisory Committee from 2011-2015. Some of his publications include Reshaping Education for the Third World Countries (2020); Maintaining Relationships through Social Media and the Way Forward (2020); Employee International Green Behavior in Public Sector Organization (2020) and Longitudinal Case Study comparing Video Utilization in Qualitative and Quantitative Courses. He has also presented HR Strategy Topics to the Pentecost University in Ghana (2019 & 2020) and Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, NC (2020). He also was a co-author of Exploring the Role of Technology on Organization Ethical Values: A review of literature, unemployment, and underutilization of labor. He has also presented at the Academy of Human Resource Develop. Dr. Aller is a practitioner of and advocate for effective HR management: a broad interdisciplinary field of talent acquisition, talent development, performance management, labor relations, compensation, scheduling management, and affective associate engagement. He has recently completed a pro-bono HR consulting project with LA Conservation while developing and implementing policies related to social media, sexual harassment, leave of absence, workplace violence, and attendance management. Dr. Aller is also chair of the Assurance of Learning Committee for the school of business and the Business and Finance Committee for the University. He also serves as the Committee Chair for the Performance Evaluation process for Business Faculty.

Robert Bennett

Dr. Robert H. Bennett, III is a Professor of Management at GSW. He has authored or co-authored over 50 scholarly research publications or presentations. Robert was named a Sam Walton Fellow in the Enactus organization and serves on the National Faculty Advisory Board. He was named the 2016 Faculty Member of the Year at GSW. For many years, Robert has taught MBA students at the prestigious Kedge Business School located in Marseille and Bordeaux, France. Bennett served for nearly 12 years as Chairman, President, and CEO of Farmers Exchange Bank headquartered in Alabama. American Banker Magazine recognized FEB in 2005 as one of the top community banks in the country. Bennett served as President and Chairman of the Alabama Bankers Association in 2007-2009 and was a member of the Community Bankers Council of the American Bankers Association from 2008-2013. From 2005-2008 Bennett was Academic Director of the Alabama Banking School and was a faculty member there for 18 years. Robert also served on the faculty of the L.S.U. Graduate School of Banking four years. Robert has served on the boards of three community banks and has consulted with numerous organizations nationwide including all four branches of the military. He was recognized in 2002 as the Outstanding Young Banker in Alabama.

Bennett’s doctoral dissertation from Florida State University on the decision processes of bank boards was presented by invitation in 1998 at New York University’s Stern School of Business. Robert was recognized as most outstanding male graduate in his undergraduate class at University of South Alabama and as most outstanding graduate of his M.B.A. class at the University of Georgia. He completed his Ph.D. from the Florida State University in 1996. He is a former president of the University of South Alabama National Alumni Association (1997-1998) and was a founder of the Mitchell College of Business Alumni Association. Robert is a past-chairman of the Eufaula-Barbour County Chamber of Commerce and served on the Foundation Board of Wallace Community College from 2002-2009. He was head of the Economic Development Council in Eufaula and member of the Board of Trustees at the Lakeside School. He was a member of Leadership Alabama Class XVII. He serves on the Board of Trustees of Eufaula First United Methodist Church and has been a long-time youth sports coach. Currently he is the varsity golf coach at the Lakeside School.

Carol Bishop

Dr. Carol Bishop transitioned into academia after careers in public, private, and governmental accounting. Her goal is to help students find their niche in accounting and in business. Her classes always involve real-world examples, assignments, and discussions. Her office hours include help with resume crafting, interview advice, and job strategy sessions. As the director of the MBA program, Dr. Bishop encourages students to pursue their dreams and prepare academically so they will be ready to seize the opportunities that come their way. She also advises students in the GSW Accounting Club. Dr. Bishop’s research interests stem from her previous career in accounting. In one research stream she investigates financial statement manipulation and fraud, including various types of pressures that influence accountants to misreport financial information. In another research area she has investigated pathways for accountants seeking to transition into academia. Her research has appeared in top accounting journals, including: Auditing: A Journal of Practice & Theory, Current Issues in Auditing, and International Journal of Auditing, as well as the Journal of Accountancy, a journal for practicing CPAs.

Allen Brown

Dr. Allen Brown’s interest in management began during his teenaged years at his Father’s business. Given the opportunity to manage at such a young age combined with an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology, Dr. Brown pursued a career in technical management spanning 30 years. With many management opportunities during his professional career, Dr Brown was most interested in the behavioral aspects of management. Most intriguing was the individual’s knowledge with the observation that some share their knowledge while others hide their knowledge. These professional management experiences sparked Dr. Brown’s doctoral human behavior research. Dr. Brown’s research interests include the individual’s decision to hide knowledge. Also, Dr. Brown’s research interests include individual differences such as personality and the individual’s mental/psychological states. At GSW, Dr. Brown combines professional experience with research to create a unique classroom experience while teaching management courses such as Principles of Management, Quantitative Management and Operations Management.

Suzanne Conner

Dr. Conner received her PhD from New Mexico State University in 2012. She attributes her love of Marketing to work in many industries, including family businesses, from a young age. As an avid people watcher, she has always been fascinated by why people do what they do. This interest has sparked some of her research in Consumer Behavior. She also does research in the areas of sustainability and ethics. She is the Co-Secretary/Treasurer for the Marketing Educators’ Association and serves as an Editorial Review Board Member for the Journal of Global Marketing and Journal of Digital & Social Media Marketing. In her spare time, she loves to explore other countries and cultures.

Karen Cook

Mrs. Karen S. Cook began teaching at GSW in 2001. She earned both her B.S. degree and her M.S. degree at GSW. Before coming to GSW, she held positions as the Systems Administrator for Lockheed Martin and for Card Services at Middle Georgia State College. She also taught at South Georgia Technical College before returning to her alma mater. She teaches courses in computer programming, computer ethics, systems analysis, and interface and configuration. She is also the founding advisor for the computer honor society, Upsilon Pi Epsilon, and for the Computer Club. She enjoys working with the independent living residents at Magnolia Manor and leads a group of students who assist the residents with their computer needs. She also enjoys traveling to third-world countries with local medical and evangelical teams and usually serves at least a week each year doing so.

Mohammad Dehzooei

Dehzooei joined GSW in 2019. He teaches economics courses at GSW and his area of interest is Applied Microeconomics broadly defined with a particular emphasis on Development Economics, Environmental Economics, Poverty, Inequality, and Climate Change. Dr. Dehzooei actively contributes to the research community and provides consulting services to help improve economic policymaking. In recent years, he has studied how government policies have affected vulnerable groups in the European Union, the Middle East, and the US. He has also worked on the impacts of weather events on the wellbeing of people, and the relationship between weather, groundwater extraction, and agriculture. . In recent years, his research was supported by grants from the World Bank. Dr. Dehzooei received his Ph.D. in Economics from Virginia Tech in 2016, and before joining GSW he worked at Harvard Kennedy School, The World Bank, and Bloomsburg University.

For more information, please visit his personal webpage.

For a list of publications please visit his Google Scholar page.

Mark Grimes

Dr. Mark Grimes received his Bachelor of Arts in Religion from Samford University (Birmingham, AL), his Master of Business Administration from Kennesaw State University (Kennesaw, GA), and his Doctor of Business Administration from Argosy University (Sarasota, FL). He primarily teaches Human Resources courses such as HR Staffing and Current Issues, and MBA courses such as Business Ethics, History and Philosophy of Management, Human Resource Management, and Organizational Leadership, and other Management or Human Resources courses as needed. His research and publishing interests revolve around volunteerism and the intersection of faith and management. In addition to teaching at GSW, he supports the university by sending his kids there; one of his daughters attended without graduating, another graduated with a degree in Marketing, and a third will graduate soon with a degree in Management.

Joni Hammond

Mrs. Joni Hammond has a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Columbus State University and a Master of Accountancy from Auburn University. She has experience in public accounting in the areas of auditing, individual, corporate, and partnership tax, and employee benefit plans. She is a licensed CPA in the states of Georgia and Alabama. At GSW, she teaching many accounting courses to include: Accounting Principles, Intermediate Accounting I, Accounting Systems, Internal Controls & Auditing, Income Tax Accounting, Advanced Income Tax Accounting, and Contemporary Issues in Accounting.

Michael Fathi

Professor Michael M. Fathi is a professor of management at GSW, where he has taught graduate-level as well as undergraduate courses in Strategic Management, International Business, Operations Management, International Management, Business Strategy, and Business Ethics since 1999. In 2005, his teaching abilities earned him the honor of being named a teacher of the year at GSW and received, “Excellence & Commitment to Teaching Award”. Dr. Fathi has numerous (over 30) publications and presentations including articles in The Journal of International Management Studies, Academy of Business Review, Business Academic World International, International Academy of Business and Public Administration Discipline, Academic Business World International Conference (ABWIC), American Society for Competitiveness (ASC) Conference, The America Society for Competitiveness, and participated in editing and review of 4 current textbooks. Active in the international management education arena, some of the areas in which he has served include as a visiting professor in the Doctor of Management in Organization Development Program at Assumption University of Thailand (December, 2006); as a visiting Fulbright Scholar in the Executive MBA Program at Uzbekistan University, UZ (Fall , 1998); as a visiting professor for Central Michigan University in Vancouver, Canada to teach graduate course in Strategic Management for MSA program (8/89 to 1/06). As a visiting professor in the MBA program at Mashad University in IR (1994), and as the visiting professor in Organization and Management at the Kazakhstan (1997). Professor Dr. Fathi earned his Bachelor of Engineering degree from Jundi University in IR. 1973. He obtained the MBA from University of Baltimore in 1979, Doctor of Business Administration from Nova Southeastern University in 1985. From 1987 to 1999, served as a Professor of management at Brewton Parker College and in 1993-94 recognized as a “Teacher of the Year”.

Dawn Hart

Dawn Hart began teaching accounting in March 1993. Ms. Hart carried her love of teaching with her to Oklahoma where she taught at both Northeastern State and Rogers State Universities. While in Oklahoma, Ms. Hart completed her CPA Certification. Returning to Ga in 2002, Ms. Hart resumed teaching at Darton State College. Ms. Hart also served as a Department of Veterans Affairs Fiduciary for Disabled Veterans. Currently, Dawn Hart is a Dougherty County Probate Fiduciary of Conservatorships and Estates. Working in the public sector (in addition to being rewarding) helps Ms. Hart bring relevance to in-class topics.

Cecilia Maldonado

Dr. Maldonado worked in the private industry in Monterrey, Mexico for almost 15 years as Systems Analyst, in places like local universities, maquiladora industry, brewery and steel company. After teaching some classes, she got passion for teaching and got a PhD. in International Business in the University of Texas. After graduating, she started working in GSW in the School of Business and Computing. Her main interest is in behavioral research, but she adores teaching statistics classes. Her goal is to teach students and support their professional aspirations by getting a college degree. Dr. Maldonado is very concerned in the real word examples and study cases where students can appreciate the application of their learning in the environment they will face in their future.

Sai Mukkavilli

Dr Sai Mukkavilli - My specialization is in the area of “Cloud Security”. Also, my other interests lie in the area of Programming, Network Security, and Network Forensics. I am planning on shifting my focus to the security issues in Cryptocurrency. I plan to continue my current interests on a broader scale in academia. I graduated from Tennessee State University in Electrical and Computer Engineering with a Ph.D. in 2016. After that, I worked at the same place for a year as an Instructor in the Computer science department till 2017 summer. Later, I moved to Wake Forest University in Winston Salem, North Carolina as a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Computer Science Department till 2018 summer. In fall 2018, I was hired as an Assistant Professor (Tenure Track) in the Computer Science Department at GSW.

Satyaki Nan

Dr. Satyaki Nan is an assistant professor (Tenure-Track) in the department of Computer Science at Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW). Earlier, I was a visiting research scholar at the University of Cincinnati (UC). I received my MS and Ph.D. from Tennessee State University (TSU), in 2020, and 2022 respectively.  My research interests are in Behavioral cybersecurity, Game theory, Mechanism Design for cybersecurity, hardware Trojans, and cyber supply-chain security. I have published papers in top conferences/Journals like IEEE Globecom, Percom, PIRMC, etc. 

Bill NeSmith

Mr. Bill NeSmith live in Americus and works in Atlanta serving as Depurty General Counsel for the State Bar of Georgia since 2014. He is formerly a court attorney in two counties (Sumter County and Dooly County; a city attorney in three cities (Pinehurst, Richland, and Lumpkin), served as a Special Assistant Attorney General for the Georgia Department of Transportation and represented various other governmental entities and authorities. He graduate of Mercer University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice, with a minor in Sociology and a Juris Doctor degree from the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University. He served on the Investigative Panel for the State Disciplinary Board for the State Bar of Georgia as a member and Chair for seven years. The panel investigates unethical behavior by lawyers in Georgia. He weaches continuing education courses through the Institute of Continuing Legal Education and through the Institute of Continuing Judicial Education. Mr. NeSmith has published several articles and scholarly papers about legal and judicial ethics.

Yangil Park

Dr. Park’s work in the field of Management Information Systems focuses on the development of Internet technologies and the investigation of cognitive aspects of technology users. He teaches Information Systems for Management, Micro-computer Applications, E-commerce, and Internet Technologies. Dr. Park has published and presented nationally and internationally. His areas of research interest include cognitive investigation of end-users in the healthcare sector, Internet Technology innovation, Knowledge sharing in the organization, and IT sustainability. As a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, he has consulted the healthcare sector to reduce costs and to increase efficiency. These efforts include the optimization of registering patients, filing claims, surgeries, and transplants. Dr. Park is committed to providing quality teaching and thus, he has funded and served several pedagogical events. Lately, he has participated in Small Teaching Online/Brain-Based Learning community and Growth Mindset Online Faculty Learning Community supported by the Chancellor’s Learning Scholar program.

Shannon Perry

Dr. Perry holds a bachelor’s degree in both Information Systems and Finance from Georgia Southern University, a master’s degree with a concentration in Information Systems from Georgia Southern University, and a doctoral degree in Instructional Technology and Distance Education from Nova Southeastern University. Perry was awarded the Charles L Faire’s Dissertation of Distinction Award for her dissertation on “The Impact of Online Student Support Services on Retention in the eMajor Bachelor of Business Administration Online Program.”

Dr. Perry was the owner of The Glass Slipper, a women’s shoe store, for several years before stepping full-time into academia. Since then Perry has taught at the Heart of Georgia Technical College and Brewton Parker College, serving as the Microcomputer Specialist Program Chair and Assistant Professor Computer Programming, respectively. After joining GSW, Dr. Perry has taught a variety of courses within the management major while also serving to develop and grow the eMajor BBA online program.

Sondra Smith

Dr. Smith received her doctorate in accounting from Kennesaw State University. She has been teaching accounting at various universities for over 25 years and teaching online classes since 2002. Before she began her teaching career, she worked in both public accounting as an accountant and in private accounting as a controller. She has been active in the Georgia Society of CPA’s for the past 20 years having served as chapter president of the West Georgia Chapter, chaired and co-chaired various committees, completed the leadership academy, served on the state council and served as a director of the educational foundation. In addition to the GSCPA, Dr. Smith has also been active and made many presentations with the American Accounting Association and the Institute of Management Accountants. Her primary areas of research include the usage of data analytics in the field of auditing, fraud, time-driven activity-based costing, and online teaching.

Amber Stovall

Mrs. Amber Stovall has more than 20 years of work experience in management, finance, and accounting in both the private and public sectors. She earned her BA in Marketing from Edinboro University and her MBA from Penn State University. Stovall teaches courses in management, leadership, and business communications and serves as an advisor for Enactus. She recently co-authored a paper on a cross-curriculum simulation project, which has been accepted for publication in the International Journal of Human Resources Development and Management. Amber is also an active member of the Sumter County Chamber of Commerce Business Development Division and serves as a board member for the Americus Historic Preservation Commission. She promotes entrepreneurship and small business development in Sumter County and provides consultation services for local small businesses.

John Stovall

John Stovall, Ph.D., attended the University of Illinois at Chicago and completed his Marketing Doctoral degree in conjunction with the UIC Entrepreneurial Center. His research interests include new product development and entrepreneurship, and he has consulted with many small businesses. John sat on the boards of the Americus-Sumter Chamber of Commerce in charge of Business Development and the Sumter Historic Trust where he worked to “balance the budget” and helped manage the properties owned by the Trust. More recently, John has worked with city officials, the Sumter Historic Trust, and Habitat for Humanity to redevelop neighborhoods in the historic district through his mission-based business, Americus Living, which was established in 2014.

Danielle Taylor

Danielle graduated with her Master of Accounting and BBA in Accounting (summa cum laude) from Georgia Southern University in 2010.  She has experience in an accounting firm and as a financial controller in the nursing home industry.

Danielle has previously taught accounting part-time and looks forward to beginning her full-time academic career at GSW. She is a member of the Georgia Society of CPAs, and she has served on the legislative and reimbursement committee of the Georgia Healthcare Association. Danielle also provides accounting services for independent artists and loves encouraging students who are nervous about their first accounting class. 

Irina Toteva

Dr. Irina T. Toteva joined the GSW College of Business and Computing in August 2018. She completed her Ph.D. specializing in marketing at Florida Atlantic University and her B.S. in business administration and marketing at the University of Florida. Dr. Toteva teaches courses on principles of marketing, marketing research, social media, sports marketing. Her research interests are in consumer behavior, emotions, and decision making. Dr. Toteva has presented original research at a number of national marketing conferences, organized by the American Marketing Association, the Society for Marketing Advances, and INFORMS Marketing Science to name a few.

Qian Wang

Dr. Wang received her Ph.D. from Mississippi State University. She teaches courses in business finance, business statistics, and quantitative management at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Dr. Wang's current research interests focus on corporate finance with a specific interest in corporate governance, strategic financial decisions, and international behavioral finance. Her articles have been published in the Review of Financial and Economics and Global Finance Journal. Dr. Wang belongs to the Financial Management Association, Eastern Finance Association, and the Southern Finance Association.

Alexander Yemelyanov

Dr. Alexander Yemelyanov is the director of the MS in Computer Science Program. He received his Ph.D. in Computational and Applied Mathematics and a D.Sc. in Systems Engineering with a concentration in Human Factors. His professional interests include human computer interaction; decision-making and problem-solving under risk and uncertainty; decision support and intelligent systems and their web-based mobile apps; and error analysis. Dr. Yemelyanov has written more than 120 publications, including three books. For his commitment to research, Dr. Yemelyanov received the Faculty Excellence in Scholarship Award for outstanding Contributions to University Scholarship and Creative Works in 2020.

Janie Mooney

Janie Mooney came to Georgia Southwestern in March 2010 as the Administrative Assistant to the Dean of the School of Business Administration. She has continued as Senior Administrative Assistant with the Business School and Computer Science Departments merge to the College of Business and Computing in Fall 2019. Janie has served on the Staff Senate, the graduation committee, and on several search committees during her time as GSW. She is currently an active volunteer with SOWEGA CASA, an Ambassador for the Sumter County Chamber of Commerce, and a former member of the Americus Pilot Club. Janie is dedicated to serving the faculty, staff, and students of the College of Business and Computing. In her free time, she enjoys traveling with her husband and spending time with her children.

Lisa Hensley

Lisa Hensley has a wealth of experience in both the private and public sectors, paired with life experiences gained from living and working in five states (Indiana, Illinois, Florida, Kentucky, and now Georgia). Over the course of 25+ years, her work has focused on administrative assistant and office management roles, including for a large insurance company, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the United States Postal Service. In her free time, she enjoys spending time outdoors with her family and taking walks with her husband, Mike, and their two Brittany Spaniels, Persimmon and Willow.

Jonathan Hobbs

Jonathan Hobbs joined the GSW College of Business & Computing in 2014. He completed his MSIT specializing in Cyber Security at Kennesaw State University and his BSIT at Georgia Southwestern State University. He manages all technology, online learning management system, and faculty support for the College of Business & Computing.