We believe an important part of success is caring about others and your community. Our faculty are active with nonprofits and charitable organizations in the community, and they often lead students to become involved as well. Read about some of their recent projects:

Eliz Ozcan, lecturer of Finance, was recently appointed Associate Director on the Board of DuPont Community Credit Union (DCCU).

In this role, Eliz will serve alongside the other directors in their oversight of the credit union. DCCU is a member-owned financial cooperative serving more than 124,000 members and managing more than $2.1 billion in assets throughout the Shenandoah Valley. 

As a finance faculty member, she looks forward to contributing her expertise while gaining additional insight into the governance and operations of a financial institution that plays a significant role in the region. She also hopes to strengthen connections between DCCU and the College of Business, including opportunities for industry professionals to engage with students in the classroom.

Dr. Rhonda Syler, associate professor of Computer Information Systems and Business Analytics, was recently selected as a Digital Statecraft Academy (DSA) Cambridge Fellow.

The highly competitive DSA Cambridge Fellowship brings together a global cohort of scholars, policymakers and practitioners focused on the governance of artificial intelligence, emerging technologies and digital statecraft. As a Fellow, Dr. Syler will engage in advanced study and collaboration at the University of Cambridge, contributing research and thought leadership on responsible AI, digital infrastructure and public-interest technology.

This recognition reflects Dr. Syler’s ongoing work at the intersection of technology, policy and societal impact, and highlights the College of Business’s commitment to engaged scholarship and global leadership especially in the domain of artificial intelligence.

Dr. Jason Fink, professor of Finance and Business Law and the Wallace/Chandler eminent professor was recently invited to serve on the Journal of Financial Planning’s Editorial Advisory Board. Dr. Fink was first published in the journal in 2016 and, alongside his wife Kristin, has since had three more articles published. 

Dr. Fink was already a member of the journal’s peer review team, where he reviewed submitted articles anonymously. In his new role, he will review the publication regularly and advise the editor on the direction of the journal with the goal of expanding the knowledge base and productivity of financial planning practitioners.

Senior Lecturer in the Department of Finance and Business Law, and advisor to JMU’s Financial Management Association chapter, Ron Rubin helped earn the FMA Superior Chapter Award for the 2024-2025 academic year, thanks to his outstanding guidance and dedication. This high honor is awarded to less than ten percent of FMA chapters. To receive the award, the chapter had to meet several specific criteria, including demonstrating exemplary chapter management and excelling in member programming.

This is the sixth time within the past 7 years that JMU’s chapter has received this distinction, earning the additional honor of being named an Ambassador Chapter. Only 6 out of 175 chapters hold this title, which recognizes them as resources for new chapters to emulate for success.

JMU’s FMA chapter is recognized worldwide for this honor on FMA International’s website and in FMA International’s publications.

Sergiy Dmytriyev, associate professor in the Department of Management, has been appointed as the section editor for Strategy and Business Ethics at the Journal of Business Ethics (JBE), effective August 2025. He previously served as Research Integrity Editor where he reviewed submissions for research policy violations.

JBE is a top-tier academic journal and is included in the FT-50 list, which is used for the Financial Times Business School ranking. This appointment is a testament to Sergiy’s contributions and expertise in the field.

In November 2024, Amy Connolly, associate professor of Computer Information Systems, was promoted to an Associate Editor for the Journal of IS Education (JISE). For the past 5 years, JISE’s acceptance rate has consistently been in the teens and the publication is considered a premier journal for publishing IS pedagogical research, teaching cases and teaching tips to improve IS education and curricula. It also operates as a Diamond Open Access journal.

In July '26, Amy was invited to serve as an Associate Editor for Communications of the Association for Information Systems (CAIS). She joined their education department, which “provides a forum for studies that focus on a broad range of pedagogical issues at all levels of education and enables the advancement and sharing of innovative teaching models, technologies and approaches in the IS curriculum and instruction.”