I grew up on a small farm in Southern Indiana and all of the male members in my family were coal miners. \u00a0I knew I did not want to be a farmer or a coal miner so I entered college and majored in accounting. \u00a0After getting my undergraduate degree, I entered the military and spent 21 years serving my country. \u00a0While in the military, I earned a MBA. \u00a0Upon retiring from the military, I enrolled in a doctoral program and earned my Ph.D. \u00a0I spent the next 20 years, teaching accounting and serving in the Dean’s office at ODU. \u00a0Upon retiring from ODU, I spent the next 20 years traveling around the world helping 30 developing countries improve their financial systems. \u00a0None of the challenges that I faced were insurmountable as long as I was persistent. \u00a0I would encourage our students to remain persistent and they will also be successful in whatever career they choose to pursue.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I grew up on a small farm in Southern Indiana and all of the male members in my family were coal miners. \u00a0I knew I did not want to be a farmer or a coal miner so I entered college and majored in accounting. \u00a0After getting my undergraduate degree, I entered the military and spent … <\/p>\n