Teaching
Teaching Philosophy
My teaching philosophy is grounded in the belief that entrepreneurship must be learned through action under uncertainty. Students do not become entrepreneurs, innovators, or effective organizational leaders by mastering static frameworks. They develop these capabilities by making real decisions with incomplete information, navigating ambiguity, and learning to reflect on both success and failure.
In each setting, the goal is to help students learn how to think and act when the right answer is not obvious and when decisions carry real risk. Rather than relying on static cases, I emphasize dynamic projects, simulations, and field-based work that mirror the realities students will face after graduation.
Courses
Social Entrepreneurship & Innovation
Required course for entrepreneurship majors and minors combining field projects with local nonprofits, design thinking, and critical analysis of impact ventures. Student teams partner with organizations such as food pantries and furniture banks to identify operational challenges, test solutions, and present recommendations to organizational leaders.
Course designed by instructor
View Course MaterialsNew Venture Creation
Graduate-level venture strategy course where students manage a simulated startup over multiple rounds, making strategic tradeoffs related to pricing, product development, financing, and growth under competitive pressure. Emphasizes decision-making under uncertainty and real-world venture dynamics.
Course designed by instructor
New Venture Planning
Core entrepreneurship course focused on opportunity recognition, business model development, and venture feasibility analysis. Students develop and refine business plans through iterative customer discovery and market validation exercises.
Organizational Management
Introductory management course where students analyze organizational failures and ethical breakdowns to understand how incentives, governance structures, and power dynamics shape organizational outcomes. Covers foundational management theory through applied case analysis.
Strategy & Organizations
Graduate strategy course examining how firms create, capture, and sustain competitive advantage. Students explore strategic decision-making through complex case analyses and simulations, with emphasis on governance, industry dynamics, and organizational design.
Pedagogical Highlights
Experiential Learning
Student teams partner with local nonprofits such as food pantries and furniture banks to identify operational challenges, test solutions, and present recommendations directly to organizational leaders. MBA students manage simulated startups with strategic tradeoffs in pricing, product development, and financing under competitive pressure.
AI Integration
I have integrated responsible uses of generative AI into multiple courses — not as a shortcut, but as a tool for market research, customer discovery, and rapid prototyping. Students learn to evaluate AI-generated outputs critically and maintain accountability for final decisions.
Program Development
At Miami University, I led the design and launch of the Organizational Leadership major — an interdisciplinary program spanning three colleges, now enrolling 160+ students. At Xavier, I co-led a comprehensive revision of the Entrepreneurship major and minor, aligning course sequencing with experiential components and Jesuit values.
Teaching Experience
Xavier University
Associate Professor (Spring 2025 – Present) · Assistant Professor (Fall 2019 – Spring 2025). Courses across entrepreneurship (ENTR 311, 335, 611), management (MGMT 200, 300), strategy (MGMT 550), and creativity & innovation (ENTR/MGMT 305).
Miami University
Assistant Professor of Organizations & Sociology (Fall 2018 – Spring 2019). Courses in economy & society, research methods, and innovation in organizations.