External Consultants

In addition to the management team, on specific projects the Center utilizes the expertise of consultants with advanced degrees in areas such as Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Organization Development, Information Technology, and Economics. These consultants have years of experience working with a variety of organizations on human resources and organization development projects. The backgrounds of these consultants are described in the following sections.

	Keivan Deravi, Ph.D. Keivan Deravi is a professor of Economics at Auburn University Montgomery’s School of Business and the Chief Economist for University Outreach. He is the architect of the Alabama Economic Forecasting Model, which is used to generate forecasts for the state's major economic variables. During the last 15 years, Dr. Deravi's forecasts have been utilized by every Alabama administration in developing the General Fund and Education Trust Fund budgets, which are presented to the Alabama Legislature annually. Dr. Deravi has been a consultant to a major lobbying firm in Washington, D.C. as well as law firms in New York and Alabama. He has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, London Financial Times, and Forbes magazine. He is the author of many journal articles. His research papers have appeared in a wide range of professional journals, including Journal of Banking and Finance, Economic Inquiry, and Southern Economic Journal, three of the most prestigious economic journals. Dr. Deravi is a Phi Kappa Phi graduate of Oklahoma State University where he received his doctoral degree. His research interests include the theory of monetary policy, foreign exchange markets, and regional economic modeling techniques.
	Jennifer Brown, Ph.D. Jennifer A. Brown is the Dean of the School of Education at Auburn Montgomery. She received a doctoral degree in Health/Physical Education and Recreation from the University of Alabama. Dr. Brown's professional interests include Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, physical education with emphasis in nutrition, weight management, fitness, stress management, and education administration. For her outstanding work in the field of Physical Education and Administration, Dr. Brown was awarded an Outstanding Administrator Award by the Alabama State Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance. Dr. Brown has co-authored a number of publications in areas of women's fitness, eating behaviors and disorders, and gymnastics.
	Carolyn L. Facteau, Ph.D. Carolyn L. Facteau is a consultant with Facteau & Associates in the Atlanta area. Dr. Facteau received a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Auburn University and a Doctorate of Philosophy in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from the University of Tennessee. Her primary interests include personnel assessment and selection, performance management, management development, and 360-degree feedback. Dr. Facteau’s experience includes consulting with both private and public sector organizations on entry-level, promotional, and executive selection; 360-degree feedback; management development; performance management; survey design and administration; training; compensation; and team development. Dr. Facteau has worked with and managed projects for a number of organizations including the Alabama Department of Transportation, Lincoln National Life Insurance, Alabama Gas Corporation, ChangeTechnologies, Tennessee Valley Authority, Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University’s Office of Academic Assessment, University of Tennessee Management Development Center, Englehardt Corporation, Indiana University MBA Program, United States Forestry Service, University of Tennessee’s Office of Academic Assessment, and Tennessee Assessment Center.
	Ronald R. Sims, Ph.D. Ronald R. Sims is the Floyd Dewey Gottwald Senior Professor in the Graduate School of Business at the College of William and Mary where he teaches Organization Behavior, Leadership, Business Ethics, Change Management, and Human Resource Management. He received his Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior from Case Western Reserve University. Dr. Sims has provided consultation in the areas of change management, human resources management, and employee and leadership development to organizations in the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors for more than 21 years. Dr. Sims is the author or co-author of 20 books and more than 75 articles that have appeared in a wide variety of scholarly and practitioner journals. His research focuses on a variety of topics to include leadership and change management, human resources management, employee training and management development, learning styles, experiential learning, and business ethics.
	Michael R. Buckley, Ph.D. Michael R. Buckley is a Professor of Management and the Director of the Division of Management in the Price School of Business at the University of Oklahoma. His teaching is focused in the human resources management area. Dr. Buckley has published more than 60 referred journal articles in publications such as Journal of Applied Psychology, Personnel Administrator, Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Marketing Research, International Journal of Management, and Academy of Management Review. His areas of research include performance appraisals, organizational socialization, and business ethics. Dr. Buckley received his doctoral degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Auburn University.
	Serbrenia J. Sims, Ed.D. Serbrenia J. Sims is a private consultant and former Director of Accountability Assessment and Grants Writing for Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools in Williamsburg, Virginia. She received a doctoral degree in Higher Education Administration from the College of William and Mary, a master's degree in Public Administration from Auburn University Montgomery, and a bachelor's degree in Biology from Auburn University Montgomery. She has taught science and history (K-12) and has an endorsement in Educational Administration from the state of Virginia. Dr. Sims has published several articles, books, and chapters in books in the areas of testing and accountability, Total Quality Management, human resource management, and diversity awareness. Her research interests include curriculum development, strategic planning, program evaluation, and integrating technology in the classroom. She has served as a clinical faculty member for Williamsburg-James City County Schools and the School of Education at the College of William and Mary. Dr. Sims has performed consulting work in the areas of testing, program evaluation, and strategic planning.
	Yaw-Chin Ho, Ph.D. Yaw-Chin Ho is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Information Systems and Decision Science at Auburn Montgomery. Dr. Ho has published numerous articles on topics such as estimating software project resources and timetables, the use of computer-aided software engineering tools in systems development, and management information systems applications in business and the medical profession. He has received grants and funded research awards in such diverse areas as managing radioactive materials, designing decision support systems for attorneys, and developing matched marketing database systems. He has extensive experience in programming, system design, database design, and system integration. Dr. Ho earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Soochow University in Taiwan, a master’s degree in Economics from Vanderbilt University and a doctoral degree in Mathematics from Peabody College at Vanderbilt. He received a Ford Foundation Fellowship for Graduate Study at Vanderbilt University and has appeared in publications such as Leaders in American Science. Dr. Ho is an Honorary Professor of Information Systems at the Beijing Institute of Machinery Industry and the Tainjing Institute of Finance and Economics in the People's Republic of China.
	Chester I. Palmer, Ed.D. Chester I. Palmer specializes in the analysis of testing and employment data. He has testified on behalf of both plaintiffs and defendants in 16 cases in federal district courts and at one arbitration. He serves as a non-testimonial expert in many more cases. Dr. Palmer has published numerous articles and technical reports dealing with issues in statistics, testing, and validation. Dr. Palmer is currently a Senior Statistician with ERS Group in Tallahassee, Florida. He joined ERS in 1998 upon his retirement from a position as Professor of Mathematics at Auburn University Montgomery.
	Jerry J. Ingram, Ph .D. Jerry J. Ingram is Professor Emeritus of Marketing at Auburn Montgomery and the President of Southeast Research, Inc. He received his doctoral degree in Marketing from the University of Alabama. Dr. Ingram’s professional interests include marketing research activities in areas such as economic impact analyses, public sector personnel selection marketing models, housing segmentation models, marketing evolution reports, and program marketing assessments. Dr. Ingram has provided consulting services to a number of public and private organizations such as the Alabama Medicaid Agency, Osmose Treated Lumber, and the American Association of Manufacturers. He has also provided expert testimonies in a number of litigation disputes. Dr. Ingram also has provided assistance to a number of community programs such as the Business Committee for the Arts, the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, the Montgomery County Board of Education, and the American Heart Association.