Faculty Experts
Find experts across various fields, focus areas, or by nameFaculty Experts
UCCS faculty are leaders in research, innovation, and public engagement. This directory connects you with experts across disciplines who are available for media inquiries, research collaboration, and community outreach. Looking to connect? Browse our experts or submit a request to get in touch with the right faculty member.
If you can’t find the expert you are looking for or are on a tight deadline, please reach out to the UCCS Media Relations Department at ucomm@uccs.edu or call us at 719-255-3732
Interested in being added to the page please submit an inquiry here.
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Benjamin Kwitek
Department: Innovation
Email: bkwitek@uccs.edu
Office Phone: (719) 255-5126
Link to Department Website: https://innovation.uccs.edu/about
Areas of Focus: Entrepreneurship education; Innovation leadership; New venture creation; Intellectual property strategy; Commercialization and monetization models; Economic development and innovation ecosystems; Strategic management of innovation; Public administration and innovation policy; Experiential entrepreneurship pedagogy; Capstone‑based innovation learning; Design thinking and prototyping; International business; New product development; Fundraising and financing; Negotiation
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Bill Craighead
Department: Business
Email: craighead@uccs.edu
Office Phone: (719) 255-3722
Link to Department Website: Bill Craighead, Ph.D. | College of Business
Areas of Focus: Pikes Peak Region and Colorado economies, macroeconomics, international economics
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Bob Cook
Department: Business
Email: rcook2@uccs.edu
Office Phone: (719) 255-3767
Link to Department Website: Bob Cook, M.B.A. | College of Business
Areas of Focus: Cybersecurity management and governance; Insider threat analysis; Cloud computing and security; Business intelligence and analytics; Information systems for business; AI systems security and risk; Cyber hygiene and best practices; Programming for business applications (Python, Java, SQL); Data analytics for business decision‑making; Cryptocurrency and digital assets; Universal design for inclusive teaching; Consulting for digital transformation; Media commentary on cybersecurity and technology; Executive leadership; Software program management (Agile, etc.); Penetration testing; Ethical hacking
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Brad Monson
Department: Business
Email: bmonson2@uccs.edu
Link to Department Website: Brad Monson, MSA, J.D. | College of Business
Areas of Focus: Business law and legal compliance; Contract law and commercial transactions; Business ethics and decision‑making; Intellectual property law; Employment law; Corporate and partnership law; Legal risk management; Mediation and dispute resolution; Ethics instruction; Law and accounting integration; CPA‑relevant legal education; Applied legal pedagogy; Accounting; Tax research and tax controversy; Litigation and the court systems
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Brian McAllister
Department: Business
Email: bmcallis@uccs.edu
Office Phone: (719) 255-4668
Link to Department Website: https://business.uccs.edu/about/directory/faculty/brian-mcallister
Areas of Focus: Governmental and not-for-profit accounting; IRS Form 990 and 990-PF reporting and transparency; Financial reporting and regulation; FASB standards and implementation
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Carolayne Henry
Department: Business
Email: chenry10@uccs.edu
Office Phone: (719) 255-5183
Link to Department Website: https://business.uccs.edu/about/directory/faculty/carolayne-henry
Areas of Focus: Collegiate and conference esports governance; Legal and ethical issues in sport; Sport law and compliance; Collegiate athletic administration; Esports policy and regulation; Sport management professional development; Internship and experiential learning in sport; Women’s leadership in sports organizations; Risk management in sport enterprises; Ethics in sport and esports ecosystems; Strategic planning/benchmarking in sport; Licensed Attorney
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Cliff (Zhe) Li
Department: Business
Email: zli2@uccs.edu
Office Phone: (719) 255-5169
Link to Department Website: https://business.uccs.edu/about/directory/faculty/zhe-cliff-li
Areas of Focus: Corporate finance; Capital structure and cash flow volatility; Corporate governance and board composition; Military leadership and firm performance; Mergers and acquisitions; Financial risk management; Equity valuation; Intangible assets and firm value; Political connections and investment behavior; International and emerging market finance; Financial institutions and markets; Dividend policy and cash holdings; Investment efficiency; CFA‑aligned finance education; Financial regulation and policy uncertainty
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Dahui Li
Department: Business
Email: dli@uccs.edu
Office Phone: (719) 255-5168
Link to Department Website: Dahui Li, Ph.D. | College of Business
Areas of Focus: Management information systems; Digital platform strategy; Decision support systems; Artificial intelligence and analytics; Online consumer behavior; Digital innovation and transformation; E‑commerce and live‑streaming commerce; Fake review detection and trust systems; Crowdfunding and digital finance platforms; Technology‑enabled public sector innovation; Cybersecurity awareness and governance; Human‑centered digital service design; Data‑driven policy and equity analysis; Innovation ecosystems and startups; AI for social and economic impact; Information Security Management; Platform Strategy; Technology Innovation; Crowdsourcing and Crowdfunding; Online Communities; Computer-mediated Communications
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David Kocsis
Department: Business
Email: dkocsis@uccs.edu
Office Phone: (719) 255-3590
Link to Department Website: David Kocsis, Ph.D. | College of Business
Areas of Focus: Organizational cybersecurity behavior; Cyber hygiene and cyberpsychology; Cybersecurity policy compliance; Trust and online workforce engagement; Design science research; Technology adoption and persistence; Industry‑specific cyber risk analysis; IT networking and infrastructure; Cybersecurity education, training, and awareness; Data ethics and information governance; Social issues, trust, and privacy; Diversity and Inclusivity; Business analytics; Quantitative analysis; Data visualization; Collaboration systems and practices
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James Van Scotter
Department: Business
Email: jvanscot@uccs.edu
Office Phone: (719) 255-3513
Link to Department Website: James Van Scotter II, Ph.D. | College of Business
Areas of Focus: Strategic leadership and governance; CEO compensation; CEO personality and executive behavior; Dark triad, destructive and dysfunctional leadership; Charismatic and transformational leadership; Strategic management and sustainable competitive advantage; Research Design, Theory Development, and Hypothesis Testing; Student research mentorship, independent studies, dissertations, and senior thesis research; MBA startegic analysis and capstone consuting projects; Industry analysis and strategic positioning; Space business and cyber enterprise strategy; Cybersecurity leadership education; MBA and doctoral program leadership design; Academic program objectives and assurance of learning assessment; Ostchometrics, survey design, and factor analysis; Construct measurement, reliability, and validity; Video‑based behavioral assessment methods; Organizational effectiveness and autonomy; Applied strategy consulting with firms; Executive education and workforce development
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Jevita R. Rogers
Department: EMSA
Email: jrogers3@uccs.edu
Office Phone: (719) 255-3466
Link to Department Website: Jevita Rogers | Division of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs (EMSA)
Areas of Focus: Well versed in all aspects of applying for and receiving financial aid, which includes, scholarships, grants, work-study and student/parent loans and athletic scholarships
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Jin Peng
Department: Business
Email: jpeng@uccs.edu
Office Phone: (719) 255-3331
Link to Department Website: Jin Peng, Ph.D. | College of Business
Areas of Focus: Fintech and AI in finance; Blockchain, cryptocurrency, and definance; Quantum finance and quantum computing; Algorithm trading and quantitative finance; Corporate finance and valuation; Natural language processing, large language models, and high-frequency trading; Mutual fund performance and risk, investment, and financial markets ; Cultural diversity in finance and investor sentiment ; Corporate governance, CEO duality, and CEO turnover; Data breaches and firm value; Executive compensation; International finance and capital markets; Exchange rate forecasting; Financial risk management; Fixed income securities; Information asymmetry and market efficiency; Behavioral finance and scandals; Sustainable and ethical finance; Financial modeling and analytics; Finance policy and regulation
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Joe Craig
Department: Economics
Email: jcraig2@uccs.edu
Office Phone: (719) 255-4002
Link to Department Website: Joe Craig, Ph.D. | Department of Economics
Areas of Focus: Applied Microeconomics (Data Work) Sports Economics; Applied Microeconomics, From the economics of Wine/Beer, to how attire affects how much students learn.
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Josh Vandiver
Department: Political Science
Email: jvandiv2@uccs.edu
Link to Department Website: Josh Vandiver, Ph.D. | Department of Political Science
Areas of Focus: National, state or local politics
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Kevin Laudner
Department: Nursing and Health Sciences
Email: klaudner@uccs.edu
Office Phone: (719) 255-4411
Link to Department Website: Kevin Laudner, PhD, ATC |
Areas of Focus: Physical health and wellness
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Kirk Danielson
Department: Business
Email: kdaniel8@uccs.edu
Office Phone: (719) 255-5160
Link to Department Website: Kirk Danielson, MBA | College of Business
Areas of Focus: Concurrent enrollment; Personal financial planning; Individual investing and wealth management; Corporate finance fundamentals; Financial decision‑making for managers; Securities and investment regulation; Financial literacy education; Retirement planning and savings strategies; Risk and return analysis; Applied finance instruction; Student mentoring in finance careers; Manufacturing/Auto Industry
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Laith Al-Shawaf
Department: Psychology
Email: lalshawa@uccs.edu
Office Phone: (719) 255-4148
Link to Department Website: https://psychology.uccs.edu/laith_al-shawaf
Areas of Focus: The psychology of emotion, cognitive bias, cross-cultural research, and personality & individual differences
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Larry Plummer
Department: Business
Email: lplumme3@uccs.edu
Link to Department Website: Larry Plummer, Ph.D. | College of Business
Areas of Focus: Regional entrepreneurial dynamics (both the creation and destruction of new ventures), local economic development, military veteran entrepreneurs, and entrepreneurial support organization (e.g., accelerators, incubators, and small business centers).
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Lauren Hallaron
Department: Business
Email: lauren.hallaron@uccs.edu
Office Phone: (719) 255-5191
Link to Department Website: Lauren Hallaron Desutter, MA | College of Business
Areas of Focus: US-based nonprofit operations, leadership, ethics, fraud; Social impact and social enterprise/entrepreneurship; Microfinance and micro‑enterprise development; Business ethics and ethical leadership; Global development and poverty alleviation; Entrepreneurship in emerging economies; Business‑government‑society relations; International service and humanitarian work; Impact investing and sustainable finance; Global community development: clean water, sanitation, education; Global health; Ethics education and training; USAID; Refugees; Community‑based economic development
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Martin Key
Department: Business
Email: tmkey@uccs.edu
Office Phone: (719) 255-3497
Link to Department Website: Thomas Martin Key, Ph.D. | College of Business
Areas of Focus: Strategic marketing and brand leadership; Generative AI and managerial decision‑making; AI ethics and societal impact; Strategic storytelling and brand activism; Digital marketing strategy; AI and entrepreneurship; Marketing theory and research methods; Customer well‑being and value creation; Platform ecosystems and transparency; Marketing education and doctoral training; AI policy and literacy in business; Innovation and digital business strategy; Marketing‑finance interface; Consulting on Responsible Use of AI
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Matt Metzger
Department: Business
Email: mmetzger@uccs.edu
Office Phone: (719) 255-3294
Link to Department Website: Matthew Metzger, Ph.D. | College of Business
Areas of Focus: Entrepreneurship and new venture creation; Entrepreneurial action under uncertainty; “MacGyvering” and ingenuity in organizations; Generative AI in business education; Business planning and strategy; Social enterprise formation; Organizational identity and virtues; Innovation under environmental turbulence; Entrepreneurship pedagogy; AI‑enabled curriculum design; Sport organization innovation; Dynamic capabilities; Climate‑related entrepreneurial adaptation; Ethical identity development; Experiential management education
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May Bantan
Department: Business
Email: mbantan@uccs.edu
Office Phone: (719) 255-5172
Link to Department Website: May Bantan, Ph.D. | College of Business
Areas of Focus: Cybersecurity law and cybercrime; Organizational cybersecurity management & leadership; Information security governance, risk, and compliance (GRC); Cyber risk management, data privacy, and data protection; Cybersecurity education, training, and workforce development; Diversity and inclusion in cybersecurity (e.g., Women in cybersecurity, gender egalitarian organizational culture); Space cybersecurity; Space cyber law and regulatory frameworks
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Nicole Weis
Department: Lyda Hill Institute of Human Resilience
Email: nweis@uccs.edu
Office Phone: (719) 323-5329
Link to Department Website: Nicole Weis, MA, LPC, LAC | Lyda Hill Institute for Human Resilience
Areas of Focus: Self-efficacy, emergency responders, and stress and trauma. Weis attended the UCCS Clinical Psychology Masters program and published a thesis, The Capability for Suicide in Firefighters, in the Suicide and Life‐Threatening Behavior journal; licensed professional counselor (LPC) and licensed addictions counselor (LAC) and currently oversee the clinical operations and community training programs. the Institute focuses on healing stress and trauma in a multi-disciplinary approach and providing stress, trauma, and resilience education throughout the community.
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Sameer Prasad
Department: Business
Email: sprasad@uccs.edu
Office Phone: (719) 255-6247
Link to Department Website: Sameer Prasad, Ph.D. | College of Business
Areas of Focus: Supply chain management; Supply chain resilience and risk; Humanitarian logistics and migrant supply chains; Sustainable operations and responsible production; Total cost of ownership analysis; Global sourcing and reshoring decisions; Operations strategy and tactics; Big data and prescriptive analytics; AI and neural networks in operations; Bottom‑of‑the‑pyramid productivity; Disaster management and resilience networks; Economic development and vulnerable communities; Project management; Sustainability metrics and KPIs
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Shujia (Sue) Mei
Department: Business
Email: smei@uccs.edu
Office Phone: (719) 255-5175
Link to Department Website: Shujia "Sue" Mei, Ph.D. | College of Business
Areas of Focus: Corporate taxation and tax avoidance; Internal control weaknesses; Financial reporting quality; Tax expense valuation; Corporate governance and compliance; Individual and corporate income taxation; Accounting regulation and disclosure; AI‑assisted tax research (NotebookLM); Accounting pedagogy and curriculum integration; CPA‑aligned accounting education; Group‑based learning in accounting; Ethics and tax decision‑making
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Steven Pittz
Department: Political Science
Email: spittz@uccs.edu
Office Phone: (719) 255-8132
Link to Department Website: Steven Pittz, Ph.D. | Department of Political Science
Areas of Focus: National, state or local politics
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Todd Endres
Department: Business
Email: tendres@uccs.edu
Office Phone: (719) 255-5050
Link to Department Website: Todd J. Endres MA, SPHR | College of Business
Areas of Focus: Human resource management; Labor and employee relations; Employee engagement ; Total rewards and compensation strategy; Training and development; Negotiation and conflict management; Organizational behavior; Strategy and organizational effectiveness; Business ethics and ethical leadership; Leadership development and executive coaching; Organizational development and change management; Organizational communication; Management consulting; SHRM‑aligned HR practices; Talent management and workforce planning; Career development and readiness; Experiential learning in management education; Executive and professional education ; Business‑government‑society relations
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Tracy Gonzalez-Padron
Department: Business
Email: tgonzale@uccs.edu
Office Phone: (719) 255-3794
Link to Department Website: Tracy Gonzalez-Padron, Ph.D. | College of Business
Areas of Focus: Business ethics and ethical leadership; Corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy; Responsible management education; Ethics and compliance programs; Sustainable and environmental marketing; Global marketing strategy; Trust and ethics in marketing channels; International business ethics; Ethics education and curriculum design; Responsible leadership development; Marketing and stakeholder orientation; Global standards for responsible management (PRME); Ethics in emerging technologies; Executive education in ethics and compliance; Social responsibility in global markets