Faculty Overview
As a Master of Business Administration student at Stetson University, you will be taught by faculty with a profound commitment to teaching, with excellent academic qualifications and extensive real-world experience.
Dr. Surynt is Professor of Information Systems and Associate Dean of the Stetson University School of Business Administration.
During his twenty plus years at Stetson, he has been instrumental in the creation of business technology programs at both the undergraduate and graduate level. He has published numerous articles dealing with Information Systems pedagogical issues.
For fifteen years he was owner and president of Surynt Computer Services, a software consulting and contract-programming firm. Prior to coming to Stetson, he was a Systems Engineer and Corporate Planning Analyst for IBM Corporation.
Dr. Bill Andrews is an associate professor of management at Stetson University where he directs the Prince Entrepreneurship Program. His primary teaching interests are in Entrepreneurship, Strategic Management, and International Business at the graduate and undergraduate levels. He has published on these and other topics in a number of academic journals, and is on the editorial board of the Case Research Journal.
He is a Certified Financial Manager (CFM) with the Institute of Management Accountants and a Certified Mergers and Acquisitions Advisor with the Association of Mergers and Acquisitions Advisors. He has chaired three not-for profit boards and has been a member of two others.
Dr. Andrews graduated of the University of Georgia (B.B.A.; Ph.D. - Strategy) and American Graduate School of International Business (Thunderbird).
Dr. Augustine is Professor of Information Systems and Chair of the Department of Decision and Information Sciences at Stetson University. He earned his Ph.D. at Florida State University.
He has written articles published in the Journal of Systems Management, Journal of Computer Information Systems, System Dynamics Review, Journal of End-User Computing, CIS Educators Forum, Interface, The E-Business Review and others.
His primary research interests are in the organizational issues involved in the use of web technologies in the development and implementation of e-Business systems and the global aspects of e-Commerce.
Dr. Larry Belcher is currently Professor of Finance at Stetson University in DeLand, Florida. Dr. Belcher also serves as the Chairman of the Finance Department and Director of the Roland and Sarah George Investments Institute at Stetson University. The George Institute sponsors and funds investment research and also houses the Roland George Investments Program. This is a student-managed investment portfolio that is currently valued at $2.3 million. The George program is arguably the most successful and one of the longest running student managed funds in the country, winning in eight international student managed fund competitions in the past eight years. Dr. Belcher also serves as the president of the Association of Student Managed Investment Programs, an association geared to the advancement of collegiate student-run investment programs.
Dr. Belcher has been recognized with five teaching awards at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, including the School of Business Teacher of the Year. He has also been recognized three times for innovative curriculum projects at Stetson.
Dr. Belcher has published research in academic journals like the Journal of Macroeconomics, the Journal of Economics and Finance, and Consumer Interests Annual and in other areas like Florida Trend magazine. He is a frequent commentator to both the Orlando Sentinel and Daytona Beach News-Journal. He has also provided commentary to the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Hartford Courant, the Wall Street Journal, the Chronicle of Higher Education, and University Business magazine.
Dr. Belcher earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and economics from Hanover College in Hanover Indiana, a Master’s degree in Economics from Auburn University, and a Ph.D. in economics from Indiana University.
Dr. Bitter is a Professor of Accounting at Stetson University. His degrees include a BBA from Stetson University, a MAcc from the University of Florida and a Ph.D. from the University of Mississippi. Dr. Bitter is a CPA and previously worked in public accounting with Ernst and Young.
He has been very active in research and has numerous publications in journals such as Strategic Finance and the Southern Business Review. He has also made numerous presentations at various professional conferences. He has actively served the profession and the local community.
Dr. Bitter has received numerous awards for his teaching, research and service including being named the School of Business Administration's Professor of the Year in 2001 and 2006.
Dr. Boozer is a Professor of Management in the Department of Management and International Business at Stetson University. He earned his B.S.B.A. degree in Banking and Finance from the University of Florida, and his M.B.A. and D.B.A. degrees from Mississippi State University. Prior to Stetson he served on the faculties at the University of South Alabama and the University of Memphis.
He has published numerous articles in the area of personality and organizational behavior. Dr. Boozer also served as a member of the Association for Psychological Type’s training faculty for more than 15 years.
Dr. DeZoort is the Director of Graduate Business Programs at Stetson University. He earned his MBA and Ph.D. from the University of Georgia where he served as the Associate Dean of the Graduate School of Business before taking the position of Director of Graduate Programs at Valdosta State University.
Dr. DeZoort joined Stetson in 1983 as a Professor of Management Science and Director of Graduate Business Programs. Under his direction, Stetson’s Graduate Business Programs have flourished from approximately 30 students in one location to over 200 students in three locations.
He has extensive consulting experience in both the private and public sectors. His areas of expertise are operations research, international business, and ethics and he is a Certified Candidate for the Ministry of the United Methodist Church.
He is the author of numerous articles in professional journals and for his teaching excellence has received six Golden Apple awards and the Outstanding Professor of the Year award; additionally, he is a member of Tau Alpha Pi and Beta Gamma Sigma honor societies.
Dr. Becky Oliphant is an Associate Professor of Marketing at Stetson University. She earned her B.A. and M.Ed. at California University of Pennsylvania and her Ph.D. at Florida State University. She was on the faculty at the University of Nebraska and has been with Stetson University for fourteen years.
Her business experience has been at NBC television, Walt Disney World, Volusia County Schools and Harmon Homes Publishing. She has been an entrepreneur in retail as the owner of a children's bookstore and owned a real estate publishing company. She was president, vice president and treasurer of Friends of Montessori and serves on the SAC board at Southwestern Middle School. She has also consulted with various companies in the fields of management, service marketing and sales.
Peggy Stahl, is a lecturer in management for the Management and International Business Department at the Lynn Business Center of Stetson University in DeLand, Florida. She holds an M.S.O.D from Pepperdine University in Malibu, California and a B.A from Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee.
Stahl is an organization development consultant, as well as a certified MBTI trainer and facilitator. She works in multiple industries including oil and gas, government, entertainment, hospitality, and pharmaceuticals. Former managerial and consulting positions include Director of Organization Development for Northwestern Mutual Life in Los Angeles, International Training Manager and Eastern Regional Manager of Noevir, USA, headquartered in Tokyo, and Vice President of Human Resources for e-Scribe, Inc., in Irvine, California. Her last position before accepting a full time faculty assignment with Stetson was with the Federal Aviation Administration’s Center for Management and Executive Leadership, where she facilitated workshops and coached management on strategic planning, change management, and executive coaching skills.
She teaches undergraduate and graduate level courses at the DeLand campus, and she delivers courses with the Passport and Executive MBA programs at Celebration. She is the 2008 recipient of the Campus Life Faculty Appreciation Award.
Dr. Stryker is the Eugene M. Lynn Chairman of the Rinker Institute of Tax and Accountancy at Stetson University and serves as an Associate Dean of the School of Business.
He previously served as Vice President of Finance for the University and held management positions with the General Electric Company prior to joining Stetson University. He earned a BSBA at the University of Florida, an MBA from Stetson University and his DBA from Mississippi State University. He is a licensed CPA in the state of Florida.
Dr. Stryker has been active in research and has published over 50 articles in journals and conference proceedings. He actively serves the profession and the local community. He is a previous recipient of the School of Business Teaching Award and the University's Mentor of the Year Award. He is currently serving as Treasurer and on the Stetson University Business School Foundation Board.
Dr. Michelson is the Dean of the School of Business Administration. He also serves as a Roland and Sarah George Professor of Finance and Director of the Executive MBA program at Stetson University in DeLand, Florida. He holds a Ph.D. in Finance from the University of Kansas and an MBA from the University of Missouri.
He is editor of the academic journal, Financial Services Review. He has published extensively in academic and professional journals, including: the Journal of Investing, Journal of Financial Planning, Managerial Finance, and the Journal of Business, Finance, and Accounting. He is a member of the editorial board of several scholarly journals and is an active member of Financial Executives International and the Financial Planning Association. He has completed several studies for the Institute of Public Policy and Business Research and Daytona Beach Community College.
He is the past President of the Academy of Financial Services, the past President of the Academy of Business Education, and past President of the Central Florida Financial Executives International. He is chair of the School of Business Graduate Committee, Unit System Change Committee, and Policy Review Committee. He is chair of the University Finance Committee and a member of the University Trustees Finance and Investments Committee.
Monique Forte is a Full Professor and former Chair of the Management
Department. She holds an M.B.A. from the University of Georgia and a Ph.D. from Florida State University. She teaches throughout all levels at Stetson, including the Freshman Experience course, the senior-level Strategic Management course, and multiple management courses for non-traditional learners at Stetson's campus in Celebration.
Her research interests include applications of psychological type, organizational politics, and strategic change. Forte is an active contributor to scholarly conferences and has published articles in the Journal of Psychological Type, the Journal of Management Education, and Strategic Management Journal.
Professor Thaler is an assistant Visiting Professor and serves as the Associate Director of Graduate Business Programs. He also directs the J.D./M.B.A. Dual Degree Program. This program is available to students enrolled in both the College of Law and the School of Business Administration at Stetson University. Full-time students in the J.D./M.B.A. Program can receive both a J.D. and an M.B.A. degree within 3 years. Please see the J.D./M.B.A. Program web site for more information.
A businessman and practicing attorney in Florida, Professor Thaler joined Stetson University in Business Administration in 2000. He brings over 25 years of work experience into the classroom and is currently the President of the St. Petersburg Bar Association. He is a licensed Real Estate Broker in Florida and Kentucky, serving as principal broker for firms in Florida and Kentucky, and has owned and operated several businesses as a consultant, manufacturer’s representative, restaurateur and commercial real estate developer.
Professor Thaler received a Bachelor of Science degree from Centre College in Danville, Kentucky, a Master of Business Administration from Stetson University School of Business Administration and a Juris Doctor degree from Stetson University College of Law. He is admitted to The Florida Bar, the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Tax Court, the U.S. Court for International Trade and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit.
