MERIT CAREER DEVELOPMENT - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Business Development Manager
• Instructor

Mr. Jobori is a management professional living and working between the U.S.A, Italy, and Iraq/ Kurdistan with two decades of valuable local, regional, and international experience. He has a track record that demonstrated success in various industries including: sales of large accounts, marketing research, strategic planning, operations, corporate communications team building, project, and account management. In his role as the Senior Account Executive at IPSOS MENA, he assumed responsibility for leading strategic engagements with Fortune 500 clients across the MENA region (e.g., Unilever, J&J, P&G, Caterpillar, BMW, Ford, Toyota, Volkswagen Group, Zain Telecommunications, and GSK). During this time, he delivered insightful expertise across five research specializations: Brand health and recognition, advertising and media consumption, customer loyalty, marketing, and survey management. His role also included corporate computer systems training in Media Monitoring S/W (StatEx) for competitive intelligence analysis amongst Blue-Chip advertising, media agencies across the Middle East and North Africa region. During the time he spent in PA, he worked as a Change Management training and communications manager at UGI. He was focused on designing communication plans, stakeholder analysis, training plans, resistance management plan and learning management systems (LMS). Mr. Jobori delivered many custom-built workshops, training sessions for clients over the past 10+ years. This includes Train-The-Trainer classes for non-profit organizations (United Nations, EU Integrated Rule of Law Mission, ACTED). He most recently worked for Merit Systems LLC as a Senior Business Advisor MENA (Middle East and North Africa region) and APAC (Asia Pacific). He earned an MBA from New York Institute of Technology, an MLD from Penn State University and currently working to become a certified PMP.

Job Titles:

• Director of Global Technical Training Services
• Training Center Manager

Angie is a powerful Training Center Manager. She had responsibility to setup, manage and handover several training centers for Hitachi Vantara. As Head of Education Services EMEA she and her team were responsible for all aspects of selling, customizing, organizing and resourcing Hitachi Vantara technical courses in EMEA for customers, partners and internals. In addition she successfully set up external training partners for Hitachi Vantara throughout EMEA. Today she is the Director of Global Technical Training Services at Merit Career Development with responsibility to recruit, train, and retain a team of technical trainers. Angie is based in Hamburg, Germany, speaks three languages, enjoys riding motorcycles, and producing good wine as well as finding time to work as an independent Consultant & Coach.

Job Titles:

• Instructor

A management consultant and executive coach with over thirty years of business experience, Cornell worked in the large corporate environment with IBM for over nineteen years. While at IBM he worked with large, complex clients in systems, sales, marketing, management, and consulting capacities. Additionally, he has worked extensively with small to mid sized companies in his own management consulting firm The Parker Wright Group, Inc. established in 1994, a management consulting practice, located in Stratford, CT, specializing in: customer service, SWOT analysis, organizational assessments, strategy development and non profit Board development

Job Titles:

• Academic Advisor
• Assistant
• Subject Matter Expert

Dave Murray currently serves as Assistant Dean of Information Technology and Clinical Assistant Professor at William & Mary's Mason School of Business Administration with a PhD from the University of Michigan and an MBA and BSc (Mathematics) from Concordia University, Montreal. Dave currently teaches in the area of information technology at both graduate and undergraduate levels. Prior to joining the William & Mary faculty, he taught at the University of Michigan Business School. Dave is a co-founder and partner at Cayuga Partners. Dave joins the Merit team as an academic advisor in its Supply Chain Leadership curriculum. Dave's research interests are focused on the role that information technology plays in manufacturing and supply chain design and analysis, with emphasis on the ways that information technology can be used to improve the coordination of value-adding activities among firms in the supply chain. His pursuit of these interests has involved the development of comprehensive computer-based simulation models, and his teaching interests are directed towards the use of models of this type in the classroom. Dave Murray has over 20 years of experience in the information systems field and has held senior positions within large organizations in systems programming, operations and systems development, marketing and strategic planning, with extensive hands-on experience in modeling, logistics system design and operation. He has worked extensively in the railroad industry, leading a project to redesign Canadian National Railways' information systems to support company's business strategy. As a world-renowned expert on transportation logistics Dave has also consulted with Indian Railways, Brazilian Railways, and the Kowloon Canton Railway. As a consultant to industry and the public sector, Dave has offered his supply chain management expertise to well-known organizations in numerous fields including Amazon.com, Avon, Accenture, Aspen Technology, General Motors, Philip Morris USA, the Commonwealth of Virginia, Trinova and Whirlpool. Dave collaborated with his Cayuga Partners colleagues to develop a custom collaborative demand planning tool that saved Eaton Aeroquip Corporation millions of dollars, and an innovative strategic planning model used by Philip Morris to evaluate the impact and feasibility of long-term plans on operations. Dave recently completed a project for the Transportation Security Administration, "Operation Restore", to provide a real-time decision support model to improve the re-routing of maritime and inland transportation should a major port close for an extended time for any reason, including a terrorist incident.

Job Titles:

• Director of IT and Application Development

David Hisey is responsible for the application, web and IT aspects of Merit Career Development.

Job Titles:

• Academic Advisor
• Subject Matter Expert

As a Fulbright research scholar, Dr. Denise Potosky brings international and intercultural expertise to human resource management, communication, and leadership. International research projects include modeling organizational culture, leading IT systems change, developing cross-cultural competencies, and describing the ideal employee. She has developed several measures used in training, development, and research, including the Computer Understanding and Experience (CUE) Scale, the Listening Skills Assessment (LiSA), and the Meaning-Centered Communication (MCC) measure. An internationally peer-reviewed book chapter (co-written with fellow Merit team member John Juzbasich and former Merit team member, the late Dr. Jim Spaulding) focuses on meaning-centered communication design and evaluation of computerized and web-based assessments. Her work on the medium used to assess and survey personnel was nominated for a best paper award and published in the Academy of Management Review. A forthcoming chapter (Potosky & Lomax) in the Psychology of Workplace Technology provides new insight regarding leadership and technology. She has developed and facilitated numerous seminars, workshops, classes, and presentations for executives, professionals, students, and faculty in the U.S. and internationally. Dr. Potosky earned a Ph.D. in industrial relations and human resources from Rutgers University, a master's degree in communication from the University of Delaware, and a bachelor's degree in speech communication with a minor in business from the Pennsylvania State University.

Job Titles:

• Senior Technical Trainer

Edward Branley is a Senior Technical Trainer for Merit Systems; a freelance author; courseware developer; and consultant. If you want to dive into technical details many steps beyond a multi-day information dump, take a course with Ed. He has grown up in the industry, taught his way through Digital / Compaq; EMC; and finally Hitachi Vantara where he's been fully engaged for more than ten years. Ed draws his energy from being in the classroom. Over the years Ed has honed remarkable expertise on what it takes to help working professionals 'learn'. He exhibits a rare combination of experience, patience, and communication skills fostered by an extra dose of preparation. If you need to know of a good restaurant or comfortable hotel anywhere in North America or Europe, ask Ed. He's been pretty much everywhere. That's what happens when you spend most of your waking hours teaching technical professionals in a global marketplace. He conducted the first Train-The-Trainer class for THI 0517, Enterprise Storage Foundations, for Hitachi Vantara Global Learning (EMEA) as well as acting as the go-to resource for the implementation of the THI 2264 - Storage Foundations - Modular and Enterprise course. Ed is a lifelong resident of metro-New Orleans. He is married with two adult children. A particular passion for Ed is historic streetcars in New Orleans. In 2004 he wrote a book on the History of New Orleans' Canal Streetcar Line. He is active in efforts to educate the public on the values and importance of New Orleans' historic streetcars and raise funds to preserve & restore several streetcars not currently in service. Courses Taught 1024PI - Installing and Configuring Hitachi VSP Midrange Family 1037PI - Hitachi VSP E Series Refresher Workshop for Certified Partners: What's New 1045CI - Managing Hitachi VSP Midrange Storage with Embedded GUI 1050CI - Storage Performance Analysis with Hitachi Ops Center Analyzer 1056CI - Applying S3 API to Hitachi Content Platform 1086CI - Managing Hitachi Universal Replicator (HUR) 1089CI - Transitioning from Hitachi Command Suite to Hitachi Ops Center Administrator 1090PI - Installing and Configuring the Hitachi VSP 5000 Series 1171CI - Ransomware Recovery with Hitachi Ops Center Protector and CyberVR 1174CI - Hitachi Ops Center Fundamentals with Hands-on Labs 1189CI - Operating and Managing Hitachi UCP Advisor 1197CI - Installing and Configuring Global-Active Device (GAD) 1202CI - Installing and Configuring Hitachi Universal Replicator (HUR) 1218CI - Configuring Online Data Migration CCI0110 - Storage Concepts TCI2626 - Introduction to Hitachi Storage Architecture TCI2743 - Operating and Managing Hitachi Content Platform v9.x TCI2956 - Administering Hitachi UCP 4000 for VMware with UCP Director TCI3431 - Installation and Configuration, and Platform Migration with Global-Active Device TCI6776 - Hitachi Content Platform Retention and Compliance THI2264 - Hitachi Vantara Storage Foundations THI2526 - Installing, Configuring and Maintaining Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform G1x00 and F1500 THI3497 - Installing Hitachi Advanced Server DS7000 Series THI3857 - Hitachi VSP 5000 Series Hands-On Training TSBI2929-1 - Intensive - Managing Hitachi Ops Center Administrator TSI0150 - Implementing Hitachi Universal Replicator on Open Systems TSI2564 - Managing Replication Solutions v8.x TSI2690 - Managing Hitachi Ops Center Automator TSI2728 - Operating and Managing Global-Active Device TSI2847 - Configuring and Managing Hitachi Storage Systems in a VMware Environment TSI2929 - Managing Hitachi Ops Center Administrator TSI2980 - Managing In-System and Remote Replications TSI2995 - Managing Data Protection with Hitachi Ops Center Protector TSI3440 - Introduction to Hitachi Content Intelligence TSI3455 - Managing Hitachi Content Intelligence Internal Services TSI3456 - Designing Workflows for Hitachi Content Intelligence TSI3836 - Introducing Hitachi Command Control Interface TSI6765 - Operating and Managing Hitachi Content Monitor TXI2900 - Managing Hitachi Performance Analytics TXI3361 - Managing and Monitoring Hitachi UCP Hyperconverged Solutions with UCP Advisor v3.x TXI3362 - Managing UCP Converged Infrastructure Solution with Hitachi UCP Advisor v3.5 TXI3684 - Managing Hitachi Ops Center Analyzer TXI3932 - Working with Hitachi Ops Center TXI6752 - Managing In-System Replication TXI6753 - Managing Remote Replication TXI6754 - Hitachi Content Platform Replication TXI6795 - Managing Hitachi Content Platform for Cloud Scale

Job Titles:

• Instructor
• Master of Management

Frank LaFrazia has a broad range of experience as a small business owner, plant manager, project manager, industrial engineer, and educator. Frank is a Certified Facilitator (The Philadelphia Area Council for Excellence), was a Quality Circle Facilitator at Boise Cascade and an Organizational Development Specialist at Eastman Kodak Co. In a varied thirty year manufacturing career, Frank's accomplishments include: Managing the redesign of an assembly operation implementing self-managed work teams that utilized "lean" manufacturing techniques, reducing inventory 50%, increasing productivity 25%, and minimizing scrap to less than 1%. (Graphic Controls - a Tyco company) Leading the consolidation of two facilities and their subsequent redesign and relocation, while continuing to satisfy customer demand. (Boise Cascade - Envelope Division) Successfully transferring a photographic paper converting operation from Germany to the United States (Agfa - Gevaret, Inc.) As an educator, Frank has conducted various training programs (e.g. Project Management, Problem Solving utilizing Root Cause Analysis, S.P.C.) for Philadelphia area companies. He also was a faculty member for twelve years at the University of Phoenix (Philadelphia Campus) Graduate and Undergraduate Business School. Frank graduated from Northeastern University with a B.S.I.E (Alpha Pi Mu honor society) and earned a Master of Management from Penn State - Great Valley where he published the paper "Just-In-Time Manufacturing in the USA". Frank is a former board member of the Association of Manufacturing Excellence - Mid Atlantic Region and former member of the Institute of Industrial Engineers.

Job Titles:

• Instructor
• Communications
• Market Strategist and Team Leader

Gail Cooperman is a communications and leadership development professional who brings fresh perspectives and adaptability to her consulting and instructional assignments. Gail earned an MLD (Master of Leadership Development) degree from Penn State University and an undergraduate degree from the University of Delaware, majoring in marketing and double minoring in psychology and graphic arts. Gail has created and delivered hundreds of customized, interactive workshops, training interventions and coaching programs for clients over the past 10+ years. She incorporates best practices for optimal adult learning utilizing highly interactive communications techniques interspersed with multi-media, assessments, exercises, and engaging techniques. She provides training for those entering the workforce as well as seasoned professionals, in businesses, educational institutions, and government agencies. Gail delivers workshops through on-site, instructor led training, virtual instructor led training, web-based training, and video training. Prior to going deep into the design and development of educational programming, Gail was a marketing professional. She spearheaded comprehensive marketing programs, launched high-impact marketing solutions that maximized brand awareness, drove profitability, and increased market share. Throughout her career, Gail has provided reporting and evaluated analytics with a strong bent on understanding consumer behavior. In her earlier career and today, Gail continues to mentor, coach and facilitate where needed; focus groups, board meetings, and disparate groups that need to identify issues, prioritize, and agree to short and longer term goals. Gail has demonstrated success in numerous industries including pharma and healthcare, professional services, technology, telecommunications and retail. She has helped large global organizations, start-ups, private, public and not-for-profit organizations, with their strategic development, marketing and employee engagement. Gail is a skilled market strategist and team leader who combines creative problem solving with sharp market sense to motivate teams and develop programs that result in improved productivity, morale, quality output, and employee retention. Courses Taught LD101 - Fundamentals of Leadership and Management LD201 - Strategic Thinking and Decision-Making LD303 - Building High-Performing Teams PD103 - Situation-Based Leadership PD106 - Conflict Management PD107 - Customer Conversations - What NOT to say or do! PD201 - Persuasive Presentations PD203 - Technical Writing PD204 - Workplace Communications PD303 - Interpersonal and Cross-Cultural Communications LD202 - Managing Organizational Change LD203 - Performance Management LD301 - Innovation and Creativity PD102 - Team Excellence PD104 - Active and Effective Listening PD202 - First Class Faciliation PD206 - Harassment Avoidance and Retaliation Prevention PD301 - Professional Selling Skills PM101 - Project Management Foundations

Job Titles:

• Technical Trainer

Job Titles:

• Instructor
• Independent Consultant and President & CEO of TheNavigatorGroup

James J. Ranieri is an independent consultant and President & CEO of theNavigatorGroup, a consulting firm focused on negotiations, collaborative group process, sales excellence and strategy development. He has served as sales and business executive with over 35 years of experience in multiple businesses. In addition to his sales and business roles, Jim has had extensive experience in Customer Engagement, Customer Relationship Management, and Talent Development. Mr. Ranieri leverages his expertise and experience in teaching leadership and personal development coursed for Merit Career Development. Mr. Ranieri has taught leadership and personal development to a myriad of audiences with greatly varying levels of experience levels. He is an adjunct professor at Muhlenberg College and a lecturer at Lehigh University, and the author of Mindful Manipulation and Stop Blaming the Fish. He is a polished and dynamic speaker and exceptional facilitator with an uncanny ability to read his audiences and deliver a meaningful experience. In his first book, Mindful Manipulation, he explained the thoughtful practice of understanding the Other's perceptions and expectations, then influencing and shaping them through civil, consistent and purposeful behaviors to create consistently mutually advantageous negotiated results. Prior joining the Merit team, Mr. Ranieri's career has spanned the Chemical, Automotive, Information Technology, Military, Pharmaceutical, Insurance and Healthcare business sectors. He is a former U. S. Air Force aviator, holds an engineering degree from the Missouri University of Science & Technology and an MBA.

Job Titles:

• Instructor

Janet is an experienced IT professional who wrote her first computer program while listening to disco music. Janet's experience spans a diverse range of companies, industries, and technologies. Janet's focus areas with Merit Career Development are technology training, particularly Hitachi Vantara storage, and a range of business competency skills. Of the many different job roles Janet has held, she particularly loves being a trainer. Janet's motto is "I make the people around me smarter!" Courses Taught TXI3361 - Managing and Monitoring Hitachi UCP Hyperconverged Solutions with UCP Advisor v3.x TXI3932 - Working with Hitachi Ops Center TSI2980 - Managing In-System and Remote Replications TXI3362 - Managing UCP Converged Infrastructure Solution with Hitachi UCP Advisor v3.5 TSI2929 - Managing Hitachi Ops Center Administrator THI2264 - Hitachi Vantara Storage Foundations PD204 - Workplace Communications TCI2626 - Introduction to Hitachi Storage Architecture

Job Titles:

• Senior Technical Instructor

Jarek learned his trade from the ground up by actually performing work in the field. After graduating from Gdansk University of Technology in 1996, Mr. Sliwinski began his career managing a team of PC assembly workers with service and support responsibility. He progressively rose through the ranks with assignments in Network Equipment; Operating System Software Services; Installation, Configuration, Service and Support for IBM mainframe systems. Upon joining Hitachi Vantara in 2001, Jarek held positions as Senior Customer Support Specialist; Team Leader MIDE CS&S; and Customer Service and Support Manager Central & Eastern Europe. In July of 2012, Jarek undertook responsibility as a Technical Training and Education Hitachi Vantara Specialist with Merit Career Development. Based on his broad-based technical background and well developed communication skills, teaching was a natural next-step in his career. He has become a well-respected and highly sought-after Training Specialist.

Job Titles:

• Instructor

A subject matter expert in communication and curriculum design, Jean Farlino plays a crucial role in customizing courses in the Communications section of the Merit Career Development Catalogue. As former Director of Instruction in the School District of Philadelphia, Jean worked with multiple constituencies to impose standards-based curriculum. In that capacity she wrote curriculum, designed content and created workshops in communication skills with an emphasis on meeting organizational needs. Those needs included: Improvement of planning efforts within the budget process The implementation of curriculum and assessment Planning and monitoring professional development In her previous position as Equity Coordinator with the district, Jean acquired knowledge in how to successfully manage diversity. She assured equitable access to programs by monitoring special programs such as federally mandated Title I, federal and state grants, programs for special education, gifted students, and gender and equity issues. Jean earned her B.S from Temple University, and M.S.Ed at Arcadia University. She frequently serves as adjunct faculty in Philadelphia area universities. Jean's memberships include the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), Columbus Forum, International Reading Association (IRA), and Magnet Schools of America. Courses Taught PD204 - Workplace Communications PD107 - Customer Conversations - What NOT to say or do!

Job Titles:

• Academic Advisor
• Professor of Business Management and Leadership Studies at Cornell University 's School of Operations Research
• Subject Matter Expert

Professor John A. "Jack" Muckstadt, Acheson-Laibe Emeritus Professor of Business Management and Leadership Studies at Cornell University's School of Operations Research and Information Engineering, brings his wealth of knowledge and experience to Merit's Supply Chain Leadership curriculum. He is also the co-founder and Senior Partner at Cayuga Partners, the Co-Director, Institute for Disease and Disaster Preparedness, Weill Cornell Medical College; and a member of the Board of Scientific Counselors to CDC's Coordinating Office for Terrorism Preparedness and Emergency Response. Jack Muckstadt is one of the world's leading authorities in the field of Operations Research, noted for his particular expertise in one of its most challenging areas of study: large scale multi-echelon, multi-indenture service parts supply chains. Most recently, his research interests have taken him in the direction of applying proven, innovative industrial supply chain management techniques to healthcare systems operations and logistics, with emphasis on disaster preparedness and response. After receiving an M.A. in Mathematics and Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Michigan, Jack taught at the US Air Force Institute of Technology and then was assigned to Headquarters, Air Force Logistics Command, where he laid the mathematical foundations for the logistics planning systems in use today within the Air Force Material Command. He was on active duty in the Air Force for 12 years and a member of the Air Force Reserves for an additional 9 years. Jack joined the faculty of Cornell in 1974 where he served as the school's Director for nine years, and established Cornell's innovative Manufacturing Engineering and Productivity Program. With a unique gift and passion for teaching, Jack has garnered numerous educational awards from academic institutions and professional societies at all levels, and most importantly, from the many students he has taught, coached and inspired over the years. In 2010, Jack was honored to be named a Stephen H. Weiss Presidential Fellow by Cornell's Board of Trustees.

Job Titles:

• CEO
• Instructor
• Partner
• D.Ed
• Merit Team Member

John Juzbasich is the Partner-in-Charge of the Human Performance Improvement Group at Merit Career Development. He earned an MLD (Master of Leadership Development) degree from Penn State University and his undergraduate degree from the Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania. John's business experience includes a successful career at IBM and a variety of high technology firms. His achievements include ten consecutive IBM 100% Clubs and many awards. John attributes his successes to the development of interpersonal skills, a familiar component in Merit Career Development courses. Beyond the business arena, John's leadership experience include positions as Scoutmaster, church committee chairs, township government, and board directorships. The MLD program at Penn State challenged John in such a way that he founded the West Africa American Trading Company (WAATCO), an enterprise dedicated to help rebuild the war-torn country of Liberia. During this leadership endeavor, John met President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia and other officials on numerous occasions in the USA and Liberia, Africa. Thus far 40,000 textbooks have been delivered to schools in Monrovia, Liberia through WAATCO. John regularly teaches leadership and lectures at conferences and universities. He maintains membership in the International Leadership Association (ILA), the Project Management Institute (PMI), and the American Association for Adult and Continuing Education (AAACE).

Job Titles:

• Instructor

Job Titles:

• Instructor

Marci Hackel brings over 25 years of experience in executive sales, marketing and training positions at leading global consulting and market research agencies including Nielsen and Information Resources, Inc. Marci is a motivating, engaging facilitator and instructor whose enthusiasm and passion for training and helping others succeed is contagious. She spent several years training, coaching and facilitating strategic selling programs for sales leaders in the United States and Europe. Marci is committed to bringing fresh, personalized and new ideas to her clients. She has long been recognized for her ability to develop high performing professionals as well as effective sales teams. Marci consistently receives praise for her ability to effectively coach others to identify opportunities and create actionable strategies and tactics in order to drive results. She has been responsible for and actively engaged in recruiting, training and mentoring numerous professionals over the years. During her career, Marci managed and led multi-disciplined teams of professionals in providing marketing solutions and insights to many Fortune 500 companies including Johnson & Johnson, Campbell Soup, Wyeth, Mars, Pepperidge Farm, McNeil Consumer Products, Colgate, Schering Plough, Pfizer, Hershey, Church & Dwight, Rite Aid, Ahold, CVS, Toys R US and others. Her solid communication and interpersonal skills have enabled her to cultivate and expand long term, productive client relations and consistently meet or exceed multi-million-dollar sales goals, year after year. She is also an experienced job search coach specializing in helping young adults market themselves and accelerate their job search success. She holds a B.S. degree in Biochemistry and an MBA from The Pennsylvania State University. She is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) and is a member of the Professional Association of Resume Writers (PARW). Courses Taught PD201 - Persuasive Presentations

Job Titles:

• Technical Trainer

Job Titles:

• Instructor

Job Titles:

• Academic Advisor
• Professor
• Subject Matter Expert

Professor Peter Jackson heads the Engineering Systems and Design pillar and the Aviation Studies Institute at the Singapore University of Technology and Design. Prior to this, he served as the Director of the Cornell University Systems Engineering Program where he led the introduction of it online Master of Engineering degree program in systems engineering. Peter is an Academic Advisor to Merit's Supply Chain Leadership curriculum. Peter received a B.A. in Economics with Mathematics from the University of Western Ontario, and a M.Sc. in Statistics and Ph.D. in Operations Research from Stanford University. Peter's research interests include planning and scheduling for integrated production, transportation and inventory management systems, supply chain management and business modeling and data analysis. Typically, his research involves modeling a stochastic system, developing analytic approximations of the system performance, validating the approximations with simulation, and, finally, developing custom techniques to optimize the system performance. Peter has consulted with many companies in these areas, including AGCO, Cleveland Clinic, ClickCommerce (Xelus), Clopay Building Products, Eaton Aeroquip, International Flavors and Fragrances, General Motors, Nissan, Quaker Oats, Servigistics and the Weill Cornell Medical College. He is the recipient of a General Motors R & D "Most Valuable Colleague" Innovation award for designing a business process to optimize retail inventories. Peter is also active in educational curriculum development for operations research and systems engineering, manufacturing system design and management. He is the recipient of several awards for curriculum innovation in addition to numerous student-voted awards for teaching excellence. He is the author of an introductory textbook to systems engineering, Getting Design Right: A Systems Approach (2009). He has been published in several academic journals, including IIE Transactions, Journal of Manufacturing and Operations Management, Management Science, Mathematical Programming, Mathematics of Operations Research, Naval Research Logistics Quarterly, and Operations Research.

Job Titles:

• Instructor

Job Titles:

• Subject Matter Expert and Instructor

Providing expertise in behavior management, Dr. Robin Hegvik is a subject matter expert in change facilitation and human performance improvement.

Job Titles:

• Academic Advisor
• Subject Matter Expert

Sandi Dinger brings her expertise in diversity and transformational leadership to our roster of subject matter experts at Merit Career Development. A frequent presenter at conferences around the country on the topic of workplace teams, she also consults with organizations ranging from sports teams to manufacturing plants.

Job Titles:

• Instructor

Vicki Ferguson has over twenty years of progressive Human Resources experience in fast-paced, service-oriented, competitive environments, with an expertise in Leadership Development, Change Management, Talent Management, Organizational Development, Employee Relations, and Legal Compliance. Vicki is a conscientious, team-oriented professional, personally dedicated to developing organizations that respect people, encourage the full expression of employees, and are committed to delivering the highest quality products and services. Vicki most recently worked for Prudential Financial where she provided leadership and management of Human Resources products and services to Corporate Operations & Systems' clients in six facilities across the country. Prior to her work with Prudential, she directed the human resources function for ARAMARK Corporation's Campus Services Eastern Region, supporting 56 college and university operations. Her work with THORN Americas, Inc. earned her recognition as the #1 Performer in testing and implementation of the company's customer satisfaction training. Vicki, a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech Communication, Business Option, from the Pennsylvania State University, and will soon hold a Master of Leadership Development from Penn State Great Valley. She has served on the Board of Directors from the Southeastern Chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management (SEPA SHRM), is a member of SHRM National, is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources, and is a certified facilitator and coach. Today, she also works with several non-profit organizations helping to strengthen their human-centered capabilities. Courses Taught PD202 - First Class Faciliation LD101 - Fundamentals of Leadership and Management PD106 - Conflict Management PD201 - Persuasive Presentations