Jeff Mershon, CFP®, MBA, CPA

Chair, Financial Planning Program

Mr. Mershon holds an MBA degree in finance and accounting from Cornell University's Johnson Graduate School of Management, and is a Certified Public Accountant in Colorado. He is also a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certificant.

Mr. Mershon has been involved in the education and regulation of financial planners for nearly 10 years and has provided consulting services to many organizations within the financial planning profession. Most recently, he served as director of curriculum development for the College for Financial Planning (Denver, Colorado), where he was responsible for the development and maintenance of all curricula. Prior to that, he was assistant executive director and director of post-certification for the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc., in Denver.

Peter Blackwell, CFP®

Instructor, Certificate in Financial Planning

Mr. Blackwell has extensive teaching and financial planner practitioner experience. He has been teaching the CFP® comprehensive examination topics since 1993 as academic coordinator for Rollins College (1993-1997) and the University of Central Florida (1997-2007). Since 1997, he has been an instructor for Kaplan (formerly BISYS and Dalton Publications), and is well-versed in all the exam topics, having taught in both live and virtual classroom settings.

For more than 20 years, Peter was co-owner of Aegis Financial Advisors, a full service financial planning firm and Registered Investment Adviser. He previously held series 7, 63, 24 and insurance licenses. Currently, he is a Certified Financial Planner ™ and also has a Certified Estate Planner designation. His education includes an MBA from the Wharton School and a BA from Cornell University.

Sharon Bonnem, CFP®

Instructor, Certificate in Financial Planning

Ms. Bonnem has been involved in the financial services industry for more than 20 years. Her experience includes working for the Resolution Trust Corporation (the government agency that liquidated the failed S&Ls), for a benefits company working with employer sponsored retirement plans, and as part of a team working with high net worth clients.

She has been a CFP® since 2000, and has held various FINRA licenses including the Series 7 and 24. She began working for Kaplan Continuing Education in 2004, and has taught all six courses for the CFP program, as well as the review course. Ms. Bonnem currently teaches at Temple University (Philadelphia, PA) and for KCE's online program.

Bart Brewer, CFP®, CFA®, EA, CLU, ChFC, MBA

Instructor, Financial Planning

Mr. Brewer is currently an independent business and financial planning consultant in Santa Monica, California. He is also an instructor for Dearborn Financial Services, teaching securities licensing classes. He has been vice president of U.S. government trading for ScotiaMcleod (USA) Inc., in New York, as well as vice president of money market for the same firm. In addition, he has held the position of financial consultant for the Atlantic Richfield Company in Los Angeles. Mr. Brewer is an enrolled agent with the Internal Revenue Service and is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™. He also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation. He has an MBA from the Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College.

Dan Castle

Instructor, Six Sigma, Lean Six Sigma, and Environmental Sustainability

MBA, University of Michigan

BS, University of Michigan

Mr. Castle is a Hewlett-Packard Certified Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt. As the Lean Six Sigma leader for Hewlett-Packard (HP), he established and deployed “HP Lean Sigma” across the 200,000 employee global company. He has trained and mentored more than 100 Black Belts and more than 100,000 Green Belts. In addition to his HP certifications, Dan is an ASQ Certified Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB) and holds several other certifications from the American Society for Quality (ASQ), APICS (the Association for Operations Management), and the Project Management Institute (PMI). Mr. Castle’s career includes leading the supply chain organization for HP’s InkJet Cartridge business unit, managing the Program Management Office (PMO) for HP’s information technology organization, and managing HP’s Color LaserJet products for personal and small business customers. He has taught in the undergraduate and graduate programs at Oregon State University, the University of Oregon, and Boise State University. Mr. Castle is also a member of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Board of Examiners, an honor he has held since 1993.

Ralph Edwards, MBB

Adjunct Instructor, Business and Finance

Mr. Edwards graduated from The College of Engineering Technology at the University of Maine with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering Technology. He has more than 16 years of experience in the automotive, aerospace, marine, military, and service fields. He holds a Master Black Belt in Lean Six Sigma and has trained and certified over 100 Six Sigma candidates. Ralph currently works for RTE Consulting Incorporated where he serves as the president and chief executive officer. In addition, he is a former United States Army officer and disabled American veteran.

Matthías Eggertsson

Instructor, Business and Finance

Matthías Eggertsson was born in Reykjavik, Iceland, and came to the United States in 1989 to complete his bachelor’s degree in international business, eventually completing a master’s degree in international business. Mr. Eggertsson has 18 years of experience in international marketing and as an independent entrepreneur. He currently teaches marketing and customer relation courses at Everest University as an adjunct undergraduate professor.

Mr. Eggertsson has an ABD Doctor of International Business Administration from the H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business and Entrepreneurship at Nova Southeastern University. His dissertation proposal, Country of Origin and Branding in a B2B Context, has been approved and he is currently collecting data to complete the final chapters. The focus of his dissertation is to determine the relative importance of country of manufacture and country of brand relative to the functioned attributes for industrial products.

Michael Garvey

Instructor, Project Management

Mr. Garvey serves as a project manager within the Global Shared Services group of Harris Corporation. Mr. Garvey has served in the Shared Services group since October 2007, supporting domestic and global projects in the payroll, time and labor, and AP areas of Shared Services.

Mr. Garvey has over 12 years experience leading IS-related projects. He is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and is a certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt through Harris Corporation and ITT Corporation. Mr. Garvey has a master’s degree in management and leadership, a bachelor’s degree in computer information technology management, and multiple certifications recognized by the IT industry.

Mr. Garvey has over 7 years of experience in education and training. He has served in both the instruction and curriculum development areas of education. His training experience includes project management and Lean Six Sigma course offerings facilitated in Hungary, the United Kingdom, and multiple locations in the United States. His classroom experience ranges from junior high school through the undergraduate level.

James Kallman, PhD, ARM, CRM

Instructor, Risk Management

Dr. Kallman is president of Kallman Consulting Services and an adjunct professor of risk management at several universities. He was the graduate coordinator at The College of Insurance where he also taught a variety of courses in risk management and insurance. He is regarded as an expert in enterprise risk management and risk control; his seminars are presented internationally to organizations in Bermuda, Canada, China, Croatia, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and France. Dr. Kallman is the author of journal articles, risk management texts, and professional education courses. Prior to teaching, Dr. Kallman was an insurance agency owner.

Greg Lane CPA, CFP®

Instructor, Financial Planning

Mr. Lane is a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Financial Planner™ certificant. He received his Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Southern California and a Master of Accountancy-Taxation degree from Arizona State University. He has served as president of the North-Central Chapter of the Arizona Society of Certified Public Accountants and previously chaired its statewide Financial Planning Committee from 1995 to 1998. Mr. Lane is host and producer of Bisk Publishing's "Monthly Audio Financial Planning Report" and is a frequent speaker and published author on financial planning topics.

Hal Lenhart

Instructor, Investment Planning

Mr. Lenhart has a diverse background in science and finance, earning a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Nebraska, a Master of Science in Environment Health/Epidemiology from the University of Minnesota, and an MBA in Finance from the University of Colorado. His professional experience is just as diverse: as a lobbyist for the Atlantic Richfield Company; manager of a hotel investment and export management company in Los Angeles; a financial analyst in the treasury department of Public Service Company of Colorado; modeling and refinancing the decommissioning of Fort St. Vrain from a nuclear facility to natural gas; a portfolio manager for a group of corporations involved in hazardous waste site remediation; and a professor/lecturer in finance at Regis University and the University of Colorado at Denver. He is also an active member of the CFA Institute and holds the Certified Financial Analyst (CFA®) designation.

Jesús Longoria CFP®, MS

Instructor, Financial Planning

Mr. Longoria received a Master of Science in Financial Planning from Texas Tech University and earned the CFP® certification. He has held several positions in the financial services industry and currently manages his own financial practice specializing in comprehensive planning and investment management for a variety of clients, including offshore clients (mainly Mexican nationals). He is also beginning to focus his practice on settlement planning for personal injury victims.

Diane D. Menendez, PhD, MCC

Instructor, Executive Coaching

Dr. Menendez is a Master Certified Coach (MCC) and a senior associate of the O'Brien Group in Cincinnati, Ohio. She has been a faculty member at the University of Cincinnati, and an organizational consultant and executive coach since 1988. Prior to that, Dr. Menendez held two Fortune 500 company positions for a total of 10 years. She directed high potential development for Federated Stores, and consulted and coached leaders in a 10-state region of AT&T. She has led multiyear organization transformation initiatives and coached senior leaders within the initiatives. To date, she has worked to develop the leadership capabilities of more than 350 corporate leaders. Her work has been featured in many articles about executive coaching, and she maintains an active organizational change and executive coaching practice. She has taught and mentored many others to become professional coaches since 1998. She regularly speaks at conferences about executive coaching, including presentations at national Organization Development Network and American Society for Training and Development conferences.

Dr. Garrett Rathgeber

Instructor, Six Sigma

Dr. Garrett "Gus" Rathgeber has an extensive professional and academic background with more than 27 years in the aerospace, defense, and aviation electronics industries accompanied by a Doctor of Management in Organizational Leadership from the University of Phoenix. Professional highlights include demonstrated transformational leadership of organizational functions through development of innovative solutions for achieving business objectives. Positions held include varied leadership roles in quality assurance, program management, new product introduction, process engineering, and systems engineering. Dr. Rathgeber often acts as an internal consultant to evaluate an organizations structure, culture, and systems providing recommendations for efficient and effective performance. He has a demonstrated specialization in aligning process competencies with organizational strategy.

Dr. Rathgeber's dissertation, Speaking with Mindful Intent: A Phenomenological Study of the Affects of Oral Communication in Leadership, exposed a phenomenon linking a leaders oral communication proficiency to organizational performance. Prior education includes Master of Science in Management and Administration from West Chester University and a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering Technology from Eastern Kentucky University. Other training and certifications include Lean Six-Sigma Black Belt, ISO 9001:2008, Lead Auditor, Certified Program Manager, Microsoft Certified Professional, Certified Instructor for Empowered Workforce, and Certified GPS Spacecraft Systems Engineer.

Michael L. Wilson, CFP®, MBA

Instructor, Financial Planning

Mr. Wilson, CFP®, is the owner of Integrity Financial Planning in Orland, Indiana. Previously, he was a faculty member at the College for Financial Planning in Denver, training other financial advisors. He has extensive experience in the mutual fund industry, having worked for 10 years with Fidelity Investments and Invesco Mutual Funds. He has an MBA in finance from Baylor University and is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certificant. Mr. Wilson is also a Chartered Mutual Fund Counselor (CMFC) and Certified Retirement Planning Counselor (CRC).

Dr. Hayley Adams

Instructor, Veterinary Assistant

Dr. Adams graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine in 2001, and went on to complete an internship in small animal and emergency medicine in Mesa, Arizona, followed by a position as an associate veterinarian in Small Animal General Practice in East Tennessee. In 2003 she entered into the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine’s Comparative and Experimental Medicine program, and received a Doctor of Philosophy in Veterinary Virology and Epidemiology in 2007. She is a board certified Diplomate in the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, with specialties in epidemiology, infectious disease, public health and policy, environmental health and toxicology, and food safety. She is currently preparing for board certification in the American College of Veterinary Microbiology.

Dr. Adams has conducted extensive research on wildlife disease in Africa, including work with great apes in East Africa and lions in South Africa. Her interests in the field of veterinary medicine are varied and include teaching in the veterinary profession, research into infectious diseases of animals, and supporting the cause of wildlife health and conservation.

Shazia Ashraf

Instructor, Medical Billing

Ms. Ashraf graduated with a master’s degree in administration from California State University, Bakersfield. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and an associate’s degree in health information technology. She has more than 17 years of experience in the health care field and holds two certifications: CPC® and RHIT. Ms. Ashraf currently works as a senior quality specialist in the area of accreditation, regulation, and licensing for a large hospital. She also works as a consultant for a medical billing and coding company.

Kay R. Brown

Instructor, Life Care Planner

Ms. Brown completed the post-graduate course study of Life Care Planning for Advanced Catastrophic Case Management in 1995 through the Rehabilitation Training Institute and the University of Florida, Department of Rehabilitation Counseling. She became a Certified Life Care Planner in 1996. After completing all requirements outlined by the Commission for Case Manager Certification, Ms. Brown became a Certified Case Manager in 2006. She began working with Paul M. Deutsch & Associates, PA, in 1992, and has 18 years of experience in the research and preparation of life care plans detailing anticipated costs of care services for catastrophically injured individuals. Additionally, she is experienced in the assessment of vocational handicap and its impact on vocational development and wage earning capacity related to an individual’s pre- and post-accident earning capacity. Ms. Brown authored a chapter on organ transplantation in A Guide to Rehabilitation (AHAB Press) and Damages In Tort Actions, (Lexis Nexis).

Ann Bucholtz, MD, RN

Instructor, Forensic Nursing

Dr. Bucholtz received her undergraduate degree in nursing from Bowling Green State University and her medical degree from the Indiana University School of Medicine. Dr. Bucholtz has served as the Chief Medical Examiner for Nashville, as well as an associate medical examiner for Cochise, Pima, and Maricopa counties in Arizona. Currently, Dr. Bucholtz is in private practice and focuses on teaching and consulting. She reviews autopsy reports and case records interpreting injuries and causes of death. Dr. Bucholtz also instructs courses in forensic medicine, pathophysiology, criminalistics, and biological evidence at universities and has authored a book on biological evidence (LawTech Publishing, 2005).

Lawrence Carey, PharmD

Instructor, Pharmacy Technician

PharmD and BS, Temple University

Dr. Carey is a registered pharmacist with more than 15 years of experience in clinical practice as well as in education, training, and consultation. He has worked in a wide array of clinical settings, including as clinical pharmacist at a large university hospital, a community hospital, and within a nursing home/hospice practice. He has also served in various supervisory and administrative positions in pharmacies. In 2001, Dr. Carey moved into medical education as a senior medical information specialist at an international "med-ed" firm, where he was responsible for medical writing, review of medical literature, and faculty presentations. Most recently, he moved full time into teaching within the medical profession. He teaches pharmacy students, physician assistant students, nurse practitioners, and medical coding professionals. He has been responsible for the coordination and lecturing of courses such as pathophysiology, pharmacology and pharmacotherapeutics, and clinical reasoning skills. He also serves as a reviewer/contributor of drug information, nursing, and patient education for a national publisher.

Lucinda Conley

Instructor, Medical Office Management and Medical Coding

Mrs. Conley received her bachelor’s degree in medical office administration at Lyon College in Batesville, Arkansas, and then later obtained her Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) credentials from the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), Chicago, Illinois.

She currently works in an adjunct capacity, after working full-time in developing and teaching in the health information management (HIM) program for a regional college. Prior to teaching, Mrs. Conley worked as a department director, a medical coding and billing specialist in an acute care hospital setting, a coding specialist for a radiology clinic, and a multi-specialty transcriptionist for a regional health center. Other experience includes office management in home health care and consulting for long-term care facilities in central Arkansas.

Tarrin Degrate

Instructor, Medical Billing

Ms.Degrate graduated from The University of Phoenix with a master’s degree in business administration. She has 13 years experience in the health care field and holds three certifications: RHIA and CCS from AHIMA and a CPC from AAPC. She currently works as a senior billing compliance consultant providing support and guidance to departments involved in revenue cycle. She also works as a health data coordinator (coder), coding inpatient, outpatient (day surgeries), and emergency room (ER) records.

Paul M. Deutsch, PhD, CRC, CCM, CLCP, LMHC, FIALCP

Instructor, Life Care Planning

PhD and MS, University of Florida

BA, Rollins College

Dr. Deutsch is a licensed mental health counselor in the state of Florida and holds board certifications as a case manager, rehabilitation counselor, and life care planner. He is a founder of the first national training program leading to life care planning certification and is president of the Foundation for Life Care Planning Research. In addition, he holds the position of clinical professor of rehabilitation on the faculty of the Medical College of Virginia at Virginia Commonwealth University and is an adjunct professor of rehabilitation in the Department of Rehabilitation Counseling at the University of Florida. He has authored 11 books on life care planning and over 50 peer-reviewed journal articles and chapters in textbooks.

Donna Dougherty

Instructor, Medical Coding

BA, Rutgers University

Ms. Dougherty is a graduate of Rutgers University with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. She holds a Certified Coding Specialist (CCS) certificate from the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). With more than 12 years of experience in health information management, Ms. Dougherty has served as a rehabilitation coding consultant and is currently a lead medical coder providing inpatient, outpatient, observation, and ER coding services in a clinical setting.

Ellen Drake, CMT, FAAMT

Instructor, Medical Transcription

Ms. Drake is coauthor of Saunders Pharmaceutical Word Book and Sloane’s Medical Word Book. She is currently a development editor for Health Professions Institute (HPI) located in Modesto, CA, where she helped develop two highly acclaimed medical transcription training programs: The SUM Program for Medical Transcription Training and Medical Transcription Fundamentals and Practice. She has contributed to several textbooks and wrote numerous articles for Perspectives on the Medical Transcription Profession. Additionally, she is an editorial consultant and contributor to Dorland’s Medical Speller and Taber’s Medical Dictionary. Ms. Drake has presented in many venues, including Health Professions Institute and Prentice Hall conferences for health care instructors; American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) Assembly on Education for HIM and Medical Transcription Educators; national, state, and local conferences and symposiums for medical transcriptionists for the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI); Medical Transcription Industry Association conferences for medical transcription service owners; and the California Association of Medical Assisting Instructors (CAMAI) conference. Ms. Drake has owned a medical transcription service and previously served as director of education and credentialing for AHDI (previously known as AAMT). She is a former medical transcription program director and adjunct professor at Seminole Community College in Sanford, Florida. Ms. Drake has a Bachelor of Arts in English Education and taught high school English for 5 years.

Karin Fields, LMHC, CRC, CVE

Instructor, Geriatric Care Management

MHS, University of Florida

BS, University of Florida

Mrs. Fields is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Certified Rehabilitation Counselor, and Certified Vocational Evaluator in Gainesville, Florida. She has been working in private practice since 2007 doing individual counseling, case management, and vocational evaluations. Mrs. Fields has extensive training and experience in working with individuals with both physical and developmental disabilities. She also works as an adjunct professor at Sante Fe College where she is involved with the veteran’s affairs office. She is currently pursuing research in the role of mental health in the health care system and generational issues in counseling.

Susan Hampton

Instructor, Case Management

Ms. Hampton has more than 20 years of diverse experience in the health care industry. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Georgia State University and a MSN/MHA from the University of Phoenix. She has several years of extensive acute care, managed care, as well as case management experience. In 1986 she became a certified critical care nurse with ACLS credentials, preparing her to work as an intensive care nurse, including cardiac, neurology, and vascular surgery. Later she became a certified case manager and worked for a large metropolitan health care system. Her role included discharge planning, utilization review, and case management for members with complex as well as chronic care needs. She also mentored new graduates and nurses interested in case management. Ms. Hampton went on to work for several large health insurance companies such as Aetna, United Healthcare, and Humana Inc. She currently works as a complex case manager for Humana Inc. and works on call as a home health admissions nurse.

Jeanie Heck

Instructor, Medical Coding and Medical Office Management 

Ms. Heck graduated from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor's degree in business administration. She has more than 20 years experience in the health care field and hold four coding certifications: a CCS from AHIMA, a CPC from AAPC, and a FCS and PCS from ACMCS. Ms. Heck currently works as a Health Information Management (HIM) consultant providing both inpatient coding and audit support. She also manages two private family practice offices where her responsibilities include billing, coding, and accounting. In addition, Ms. Heck is an adjunct faculty member teaching college-level medical terminology for allied health students.

Brenda Hurley, CMT, AHDI-F

Instructor, Medical Transcription

Ms. Hurley has been a medical transcriptionist, educator, compliance officer, consultant, and has served in a variety of transcription management roles for nearly 40 years. She has been a member of the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI) since 1981, and has been credentialed as a CMT for over 26 years, receiving the designation of Fellow of AHDI in 2002. She served on the AHDI Board of Directors for a total of 12 years, and as its president in 1988 and in 1995. In 2005, Hurley was honored as the first recipient of the AHDI Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award. She has been a member of ASTM International since 1995. In addition, she is the current Secretary of the E31 Executive Committee and Chair of the E31.15 subcommittee, Health Information Capture and Documentation.

Dorothy McCray

Instructor, Case Management

MSN, University of Phoenix
BSN, Long Island University

Ms. McCray is currently employed by the Naval Health Clinic in Charleston. She is a Certified Case Manager for the Navy and assists patients with catastrophic illnesses with most of their homebound care needs. Case management is responsible for assisting patients and their families by developing a plan of care through collaboration with primary care providers, civilian non-network physicians, and mental health providers. Ms. McCray is also responsible for monitoring all diabetic patients in the disease management program, which has been quite challenging. Her experience in nursing includes medicine and surgery, rehabilitation, critical care, home care, and long term care nursing. In addition, she has worked 13 years in case management.

Karen Preston, PHN, CCRN, FIAL CP

Instructor, Case Management

MS, Arizona State University

BS, Mercy College of Detroit (now called University of Detroit/Mercy)

After entering clinical practice as a home health nurse, Ms. Preston had the opportunity to work with university students who had many different disabilities. She received postgraduate training in neurorehabilitation, worked at a major center for inpatient rehabilitation as a rehabilitation nurse, and was introduced to the concepts of case management and team functioning. Later, she developed a clinical nurse specialist position for a large, multi-office home health agency where case management was an integral part of the work. She is now co-owner of RNS HealthCare Consultants, which provides case management and life care planning services. Ms. Preston has contributed to several professional associations, authored journal articles, and taught classes.

Katherine Rossiter

Instructor, Legal Nurse Consulting

Executive JD, Concord Law School with honors (health law concentration)

MSN, Johns Hopkins University, with highest honors (pediatric nurse practitioner focus)

BSN, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, cum laude(minor in psychology)

With over 30 years experience in health care, Ms. Rossiter combines her clinical expertise with her legal background to provide the specialized perspective needed in today’s complex health care arena.

Ms. Rossiter currently works as an associate with The Lazoritz Group, teaches online law and ethics courses to graduate students, and has a clinical contract with the U.S. government. Ms. Rossiter serves as the medical ethics advisor on the State of Nebraska’s Newborn Screening Advisory Committee. She also has experience serving on hospital ethics committees.

Ms. Rossiter is an experienced national speaker and journal author. She has served as a board member and officer of the Pediatric Endocrinology Nursing Society. Presently, Ms. Rossiter is the president-elect of the Midwest Chapter of The National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners as well as the legislative chair. She is named as a national clinical expert for the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP) in the areas of nursing leadership and health policy; bioethics and health law; and endocrine/metabolism/diabetes.

Ms. Rossiter belongs to and is active in several professional organizations. Her special interests include: biomedical ethics, medical-legal consulting, health care policy, health care advocacy, pediatric endocrinology, and advanced practice issues.

Laura Schiavone, CCS, CPC, FCS, PCS

Instructor, Medical Coding

Ms. Schiavone has been working in the health care field for over 30 years. She currently holds four coding certifications: a CCS from AHIMA, a CPC from the AAPC, and a FCS and PCS from the ACMCS. She is currently employed at an inpatient facility providing medical coding for inpatient, ambulatory surgical, observation, emergency department, and interventional radiology services.

Gary Harris, MEM, PMP, CSSLP, CEI, CCP

Associate Dean, Business and IT

MEM, MS, BS

Mr. Harris has been in the information systems industry for more than 20 years. He is the founder of TrakSoft, LLC, an 18-year systems development and consulting firm with international reach, and retired from the United States Air Force in 1993. Mr. Harris completed a Master of Engineering Management through Saint Martin’s University in 2006 and a Bachelor of Science in Management Information Systems at the University of Tampa in 1985. He is currently pursuing a second master’s degree as well as a Doctor of Science Degree in Information Systems at Dakota State University.

Mr. Harris holds the following professional certifications: Certified Secure Software Lifecycle Professional (CSSLP), Project Management Professional (PMP®), Certified Enterprise Integrator (CEI), Certified Computing Professional (CCP), and is a Distance Education Certified Trainer through the University of West Georgia. His areas of expertise include project management, systems development, information security, business analysis and management, and database design and development.

John Etienne, MS, MCSE, CCNA, A+, CCSA

Instructor, IT

Mr. Etienne holds a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, a master's degree in technology from Georgia State University, and industry certifications from CompTia, Microsoft, Checkpoint, and Cisco. He is pursuing final degrees in Information Systems at Nova University and in Education at Walden University. He is currently a computer information systems instructor in Atlanta, Georgia.

Daniel James, MBA, CITPM

Instructor, IT

Mr. James holds an MBA from Rushmore University, with IT management specialization, and is a PSI-certified Information Technology Project Manager. His undergraduate studies included computer science and civil engineering at Walla Walla University. Dan began programming mainframes and performing systems analysis in 1974, moving into project management and semantic technologies in the 80s. In 1985, he co-founded Larkin Industries, Inc., a systems development firm in Nevada, assuming the reins as CEO in 1994. Along the way, he directly consulted with Fortune 500 companies, performed as and mentored Agile Scrum Masters, is a published author, and has edited multiple IT certificate courses for Kaplan Continuing Education. Currently, Dan resides in the Fort Worth, TX area, managing and consulting for LarkinSoft, a division of Larkin Industries, specializing in Agile practices, SEO, media, and Web development projects.

Scott McCullock, MCITP Data Base Programming

Instructor, IT

Mr. McCullock is a system administrator for both SharePoint Server 2007 and SQL Server 2005/2008, with more than 15 years of IT experience and over 4 years with SQL Server 2005/2008 experience. He recently retired from the United States Air Force after 22 years and currently works in the IT department of a large construction company in San Antonio, Texas.

Mr. McCullock earned a graduate certificate in business intelligence, a master’s degree in information technology management from Touro University, and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Studies from the University of Maryland. He holds Microsoft Certificated IT Professional certifications in SharePoint Server 2007 Configuration and SQL Server 2005 and 2008 Database Administrator. In his spare time he teaches undergraduate classes and is studying for his Microsoft certification in Windows Server 2008.

Mark Murphy, BS, MCSD.NET

Instructor, IT

Mr. Murphy holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer and Management Science from Metropolitan State College in Denver, Colo. His professional certifications and continuing education include the Microsoft Certified Solution Developer for .NET, Personal Software Process and Object Oriented Development. Since obtaining his BS in 1985, Murphy has worked in the communications, insurance and government sectors and has done private consulting for small business. He is currently employed as a senior engineer for the Department of Defense.

Brad Nicolajsen, CCNP, CCDA, Security+, Net+, CIW Associate

Instructor, IT

Mr. Nicolajsen holds a master’s degree in educational technology from East Carolina University and industry certifications from Cisco and CompTIA. He is a Cisco Certified Academy Instructor and has been working with Cisco routers and switches since 1999. Since 2000, he has been involved in education as a Web and computer technology instructor in Morehead City, NC. Mr. Nicolajsen also owns his own computer consulting business in eastern North Carolina.

Brian Richardson

Instructor, IT

Mr. Richardson is a computer scientist and consultant with over 25 years of experience. His personal adventures have included researching robotics, virtual reality, advanced computing, and expert systems for space exploration and real-time flight simulation. He is the founder of Highlander Technologies, Inc., a technology engineering and consulting firm. 

Mr. Richardson earned a graduate certificate in computer forensics from University of Central Florida (UCF)/National Center for Forensic Science (NCFS), an MBA in Computer Resources and Information Management from Webster University, and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He is currently completing a Master of Science in Digital Forensics at UCF/NCFS.

Mr. Richardson holds the (ISC)2 Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification, and is a member of the Computer Security Institute (CSI), the Information Systems Security Association (ISSA), and the Association of Old Crows (AOC). His areas of expertise include virtual reality, information security, systems engineering, program management, business process engineering, and public speaking. His research interests include wireless sensor networks, digital forensics, artificial neural networks, and virtual reality.