George Dean Johnson, Jr. College of Business & Economics Faculty
Frank Rudisill 
Dean and Professor, Management
Dr. Rudisill received his Ph.D. in management science from Clemson University. He joined the USC Upstate faculty in fall 2002 and served as associate dean of the College from fall 2008 thru spring 2011. After eight months as interim dean, Dr. Rudisill was named dean of the College in March 2013.
Dr. Rudisill teaches in the areas of management, operations management, statistics and business strategy. He has over 25 years of experience in industry as a statistician (Duke Energy), operations research manager (Milliken & Co) and statistical quality consultant (with national and international companies). He was also the lead partner from USC Upstate in working with BMW Manufacturing to develop the USC Upstate/BMW Academic Outreach Camp for high school students. His research interests focus upon applying quality tools and techniques in solving industrial problems. He has published in peer-reviewed journals such as Production and Inventory Management, Quality Engineering, Quality Progress, International Journal of Production Economics, Interfaces, and Strategic Finance. He is the co-author of a book, Quality Management and Measurement Systems.
David Albrecht 
Professor, Accounting
Dr. Albrecht received a Ph.D. in accounting from Virginia Tech. He joined the USC Upstate faculty in 2012. He teaches financial and cost/managerial accounting. He is active in the American Accounting Association and AECM, the international e-mail listserv for accounting professors.
Steven D. Caldwell 
Associate Professor, Management
Dr. Caldwell received a Ph.D. in Management from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He has taught at USC Upstate since August 2004 in organizational behavior, human resources and statistics. He has presented his research at both national and international conferences sponsored by organizations such as the Academy of Management, the Southern Academy of Management, the Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychologists, and the International Journal of Business and Economics, as well as published in Journal of Applied Psychology, Personnel Psychology, Encyclopedia of Industrial/Organizational Psychologists, and Decision Sciences. Prior to his academic career, he was Founding President of Data Ventures, LLC and served in executive positions in various other businesses within the consumer products industry.
Elizabeth Cole 
Associate Professor, Accounting
Dr. Cole joined the faculty in 2007. She earned a Ph.D. in Accounting from Kent State University. Before joining USC Upstate, she was an assistant professor at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA.
Adriana S. Cordis
Assistant Professor, Economics
Dr. Cordis joined the JCBE faculty in 2010. She earned a Ph.D. in Economics from Clemson University in May 2008. Her research interests are primarily in the areas of public economics, political economy, and law and economics. Prior to joining USC Upstate, she worked as an economist for Ernst & Young in New York.
John Cronin 
Instructor, Accounting
Mr. Cronin joined the faculty in 2006 as an adjunct instructor; and in 2008 as a full time Instructor of Accounting. Mr. Cronin earned an MBA in Accounting from the University of Maryland. Before coming to USC Upstate, Mr. Cronin served as a senior partner with Cronin, Jackson, Nixon & Wilson, Certified Public Accountants in Clearwater, Florida.
Michael Dinger
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Assistant Professor, Management
Dr. Dinger received a Ph.D. in Management from Clemson University and a B.S. in Business Administration from Presbyterian College. His research interests include information security, IT workforce management and absorptive capacity. He teaches in the areas of strategy and human resource management.
Alan Duesterhaus
Instructor, Nonprofit Leadership
Dr. Duesterhaus joined the faculty in 2011 as an adjunct instructor; and began as a full-time Instructor of Nonprofit Leadership in the fall of 2012. Dr. Duesterhaus earned his doctorate in higher education administration from Vanderbilt University and completed a post-doctoral bridge program in management and marketing at the University of Florida prior to joining the faculty. Before coming to USC Upstate, Dr. Duesterhaus worked in higher education administration for 20 years, including service as vice president for advancement for two colleges. In addition, Dr. Duesterhaus has served on a number of non-profit and civic organization boards. He teaches in the areas of management, marketing, and nonprofit leadership. Research interests include brand management, the marketing of higher education, and leadership in nonprofit settings.
Theodore Morrison
Associate Professor, Accounting
Dr. Morrison joined the faculty in 2007. He earned a Doctorate of Business Administration from Mississippi State University. Before joining USC Upstate, he was an associate professor at Wingate University in Wingate, NC.
Jim O'Connor 
Assistant Professor, Management
Dr. O'Connor joined the faculty in 2004 as an adjunct instructor, and in 2008 as a full time Instructor of Management. In 2012, he earned a Doctorate in Management from Georgia State University, and accepted a position as Assistant Professor of Management. Dr. O'Connor has Masters Degrees in Statistics and in Management, and a Bachelors degree in Chemical Engineering, all from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He teaches primarily in the areas of management, operations management and improvement, and statistics. His research interests include environmental sustainability strategies and operations in business. Dr. O'Connor has served as vice president of manufacturing, plant manager, director of quality, and process engineering manager for such companies as Fuji Film, Printpack and BBA Fiberweb, and currently consults with companies on environmental, quality and performance improvement.
Rosalind Paige 
Associate Professor, Marketing
Dr. Paige joined the faculty in 2007. She earned a Ph.D. in Textiles and Clothing from Iowa State University. She has also completed graduate courses in Marketing at Clemson University. Before joining USC Upstate, she was an associate professor at Lander University in Greenwood, SC.
Mark Pruett 
Associate Professor, Management
Dr. Pruett joined the faculty in 2010. He earned a PhD in strategic management from the University of Illinois, and MBA and BS degrees from the University of North Carolina. Prior to joining USC Upstate, he taught at Appalachian State University. His teaching and research interests include management, entrepreneurship, and creativity/innovation.
Charles S. Reback
Associate Professor, Economics
Dr. Reback joined the Upstate faculty in 2005. He received a Ph.D. in Applied Economics from Clemson University, an M.S. in Finance from Boston College, and a B.S. in Economics from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. His research interests include economic and financial history and the capital markets implications of managerial decisions.
Nicholas Roberts 
Assistant Professor, Management
Dr. Roberts received a Ph.D. in Management Information Systems from Clemson University. His research interests include the adoption, diffusion and business value of information technologies. He teaches in the areas of information systems and management. A certified Project Management Professional (PMP), Dr. Roberts also has several years of industry experience in project management.
Sarah P. Rook 
Professor, Economics
Dr. Rook received M.E. and Ph.D. degrees in economics from North Carolina State University. She teaches macroeconomics, microeconomics, and statistics. Her research interest is environmental economics.
Rob Routman
Assistant Professor, Business Law and Tax
Mr. Routman joined the faculty in 2007. He earned a Juris Doctor and Master of Taxation from Georgia State University. Before joining USC Upstate, he was the Senior Associate Council for MARTA (Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority).
Brian Smith
Instructor, Information Management Systems
Mr. Smith received a Master of Management Information Systems degree from Georgia College and State University. A former IT Manager and Certified Novell Engineer, he teaches Management Information Systems.
Jeff Smith
Instructor, Management
Mr. Smith joined the faculty as an adjunct instructor in 2005; and in 2008 as a full time Instructor of Management. Mr. Smith teaches classes in Entrepreneurship and Accounting at USC Upstate. In addition, he has 20 years experience in the accounting, banking and the real estate development sectors. He has owned and operated several small businesses. Academic interests include stock valuations, emerging business and social enterprises, and governmental efficiencies.
Elnora Stuart
Associate Dean
Professor, Marketing
Dr. Stuart joined the faculty in 2008. She earned a Ph.D. in Marketing from the University of South Carolina. Before coming to USC Upstate, Dr. Stuart was a visiting professor of marketing at the Instituto de Empressa in Madrid, Spain. She has also served as professor of marketing, BP Egypt Oil Professor of Management Studies, marketing unit head and AACSB Accreditation Coordinator for the Department of Management at the American University in Cairo in Cairo, Egypt.
Faruk I. Tanyel
Professor, Marketing
Dr. Tanyel received an MBA from Syracuse University and a D.B.A. in Marketing from the University of Tennessee. He teaches marketing, economics and business policy. He has served as the assistant dean and chair of the School of Business Administration and Economics. Professor Tanyel's research and consulting interests include management development, export, import, and marketing. He has completed a faculty internship position with Remington Company, and was the director of management training for the National Education Foundation.
William R. Word
Professor, Economics
Dr. Word received a Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee. He has published in a number of scholarly journals including the Monthly Labor Review, Public Personnel Management, and the Southern Business Review. During 1993-95, 1996-98, and 2001-03, he served as a member of the Business Accreditation Committee for AACSB International. He was the principal consultant for AACSB accreditation to the University of Laval in Quebec City, ESSEC in Paris, the Rotterdam School of Management, Queen's University (Canada), the University of Mannheim (Germany) and the University of St. Gallen (Switzerland). The University of Laval received AACSB accreditation in 1995; ESSEC was accredited in 1997; the Rotterdam School of Management and Queen's University received accreditation in 1998; the University of Mannheim was accredited in 2000; and the University of St. Gallen was accredited in 2003; ESSEC was the first school in Europe to be accredited by AACSB.