Moody Business News: November 2020

Each month, we will share news and accomplishments of Moody College of Business faculty, staff, and students.

November 2020

Programs and Events
• Tammy Hall was featured in a Management online program blog article by the Office of Distance Learning.
• Buster LeBlanc hosted guest speakers from the Berry Corporation including Steve Burke (Director of Land), J.R. Billeaud (Sr. Staff Landman and Moody Business PLRM Spring 2013 graduate), and Jennifer Cox (Land Manager) in-person and via Zoom.  These representatives also interviewed five PLRM students for an internship opportunity in their Bakersfield, CA office for Summer 2021.
• Fred Davis hosted guest speaker Carey Chopin, Vice President of Gulf Coast Bank who spoke via Zoom to both of his BLAW 310 classes about the banking industry and credit. Carey gave the students helpful information on what banks review to determine lending criteria. He also shared strategies to achieve and maintain high credit scores. This session is a mainstay of Fred's 310 classes and always well received by students.
• Praveen Das hosted the Fall 2020 Student Managed Investment Portfolio Presentations. Eleven students from FNAN 485 Student Managed Investment Portfolio class presented their stock analyses to the Foundation Investment Committee and virtual public audience on Monday, November 16.
• Valerie McGehee hosted virtual guest speaker Scott Miller in MKTG 360 Professional Sales class. Scott is also the author of the class textbook, Management Mess to Leadership Success. Scott has the largest podcast following on leadership. His past guests include Seth Godin, Rachel Hollis, Dan Pink, Anthony Faucci, and Stedman Graham. He is also a New York Times best selling author.
• Valerie McGehee's MKTG 357 Sales Management Professional Sales classes conducted their final sales role plays with community and national business professionals as the role play buyers. In addition, thank you to the faculty who assisted with the 60 student role plays: Brian Bolton, David Baker, and Lisa Bowles.

Awards and Accolades
• David Reid was invited to serve on the University Athletic Committee.
• MBA student Deidra Ollie has been awarded a 2021-2023 MU Health Care Administrative Fellowship at University of Missouri Health Care. The program leverages MU Health Care's excellence in patient care along with its commitment to an engaged workforce to create an unparalleled learning experience. Working side-by-side with executive leadership, fellows benefit from customized rotations, individualized learning plans and enhanced leadership development opportunities that empower them to lead complex projects that impact the entire organization.
• Ninety-five percent of students in HMGT 371 Lodging Management I, taught by Lisa K. Bowles, earned their Certification in Hotel Industry Analytics from the American Hotel & Lodging Association Education Institute in conjunction with STR Share Center. CHIA is a professional designation that is valid for five years and will help to give students a boost on their resume for entry-level career positions.
• The Student Sales Team competed virtually at the International Collegiate Sales Competition in sales role play and sales management. They placed 32 out of 80 sales teams. The judges expressed how impressed they were with the professionalism from the Moody Business sales team students.

Research, Innovation, and Publications
• Gary A. Wagner released his 2020:Q4 Louisiana Economic Activity Forecast. Read the report.
• Colleen Wolverton presented "The Co-Evolution of Remote Work and Expectations in a COVID-19 World Utilizing an Expectation Disconfirmation Theory Lens" at a Moody Business Faculty Research Seminar.
• Zhiwei Zhu and co-authors had their manuscript "The Influence of Leader Empowerment Behavior on Employee Creativity" published by Management Decision, a B journal in ABDC.

News Mentions
• Stephen Barnes was cited in The Advocate article "Louisiana to see uptick in jobs to rebuild after three hurricanes made landfall; billions in damages."
• Mary Luquette had her article "Be sure to check your employee benefits" published by The Daily Advertiser.
• Heidi Melancon, Director of the Louisiana Small Business Development Center at UL Lafayette, was featured in the November 2020 UL Lafayette Alumni Accents for her work with small businesses during the pandemic. 
• Colleen Wolverton provided comment for The Vermilion article "Accreditation Makes Way for New Student Research."
• Gary A. Wagner was featured in The Advocate article "Lafayette's job growth third-highest among state's metros in past two quarters."