Meet JMU's Newest Faculty

Belal Abdelfettah
Visiting Professor of Computer Information Systems and Business Analytics 
Abdelfattah’s hometown is El Paso, Texas.

• Education: Ph.D., M. A. and B.A., El Paso, Texas
• Areas of Expertise: Social Media, Cloud Computing, Digital Divide, Health Informatics, Culture, Ethics, Technology Literacy, Business Analytics
• Courses Teaching: Business Statistics, Systems Analysis and Design, Visual Basic Programming
• About his decision to join JMU Faculty: For the dedicated faculty and highly engaged students

Amanda Deerfield
Visiting Professor of Economics 
Deerfield’s hometown is Richmond, Kentucky.

• Education: Ph.D., M.B.A. and B.A, University of Kentucky.
• Areas of Expertise: Foreign Aid, Economic Growth, Macroeconomics
• Courses Teaching: Economics 200
• About her decision to join JMU Faculty: “ I chose JMU Faculty for the reputation of a collegial and supportive network and to instruct world-class students”

Irem Demirkan
Visiting Professor of Management
Demirkan’s hometown is Izmir, Turkey.  You can read more of her work at https://jmu.academia.edu/IremDemirkan.

• Education: Ph.D. and M.A., University of Texas; B.A., Bogazici University, Istanbul-Turkey
• Areas of Expertise: Inter-Organizational Relationships, Networks, Strategic Alliances, Strategy, Innovation, Exploration, Exploitation Framework, Family Businesses, Entrepreneurship
• Courses Teaching: Interpersonal Skills
• About her decision to join the JMU Faculty: For the world class faculty and a good brand

Nic Huang
Visting Professor of Computer Information Systems and Business Analytics 
Huang’s hometown is Tainan City, Taiwan. 

• Education: Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; M.A. San Francisco State University, University of Oregon; B.A., Chung-Yuan Christian University
• Expertise: Human Computer Interaction (HCI), Information Systems Security Management and Assurance, eBusiness, Social Media, Network Technologies,
• Courses Teaching: CoB 204, Computer Information Systems
• On his decision to join JMU faculty: “JMU is a perfect university for my #1 work-life balanced career choice, and JMU is highly driven to foster student success. Also, students are polite and motivated.”

Fiona Xiaoying Ji
Assistant Professor, Department of Management
Ji’s Hometown is Beijing, China. You can find her at twitter.com/FionaJI 

• Education: Ph.D. Virginia Tech; M.A., Grenoble Graduate School of Business; B.A., China Foreign Affairs University
• Areas of Expertise: Business Strategy, International Management, Organizational Learning and Entrepreneurship
• Courses Teaching: COB300A, Principle of Management
• About her decision to join JMU Faculty:  “I chose JMU due to the reputation for excellence and continuous improvement in student learning and for commitment to prepare students to be active citizens in a global market. Also, the faculty members from the College of Business at JMU demonstrate a strong commitment to a balance of teaching and research.” 

 
Mikihiro Sato
Assistant Professor in the School of Hospitality, Sport and Recreation Management
Sato’s hometown is Niiza, Sitama, Japan. Learn more about his research at his Research Gate Page: http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mikihiro_Sato.

• Education: Ph.D., Temple University; M.B.A and M.S.A., Ohio University; B.S., Tokyo Institute of Technology
• Areas of Expertise: Sport and Well-Being Health Promotion through Physical Activity
• Courses Teaching: SRM438 Human Resources in Sport and Recreational Management

 
Irana Scott
Assistant Professor of Accounting
Scott’s hometown is Nickelscille, Virginia.

• Education: Ph.D., University of Memphis; M.A. and B.A. from East Tennessee State University
• Areas of Expertise: Accounting Fraud, Corporate Cash Flows, Tax, Revenue Recognition and Manipulation
• Courses Teaching: Advanced Tax
• On her decision to join JMU faculty: “I taught at JMU as an instructor before going back to school to get my Ph.D. I came back because of the people in the accounting department and the accounting department director.”

J. Andy Wood
Professor, Wardniski Family Foundation Faculty Fellow, Academic Unit Head Marketing
Wood’s Hometown is Indialantic, Florida. Follow him on Twitter at @cheatlakegator. 

• Education: Ph.D., Georgia State University; M.B.A., University of North Florida; B.S., University of Florida
• Areas of Expertise: Professional Sales and Sales Management; Neuromarketing, Non-verbal signals; Global Marketing; International Market Selection; Meta-Analytic Methods
• Courses Teaching: Principles of Marketing