W. Kevin Barksdale, Ph.D
Dean

A native of Birmingham, Alabama, Dean Barksdale received his Bachelors degree in Business Administration, Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia in May of 1989.  He received his Ph.D. in business administration from Georgia State University in August of 1994 with a concentration in personnel and employment relations.  Upon completion of his doctorate, he accepted a position at The University of Memphis as an Assistant Professor of Management where he served as advisor to student groups and was active on several doctoral dissertation committees.  In 1998, he accepted a position with a locally-owned automobile group as Vice President and Director of Human Resources, later serving as the de facto director of operations, marketing, and acquisitions.  More recently, he has served as Associate Professor of Management at Union University in Jackson, TN as well as Visiting Professor of Management at Tennessee State University in Nashville, TN.

Dean Barksdale has written and published articles on various topics of business management including organizational performance, compensation, employee commitment, management education, and research methods.  His most recent research interest has been on teaching pedagogy and the integration of faith and learning into the business curriculum.  He has taught courses in research methods, computer programming, human resource management, employee relations, employment law, general management, organizational theory and learning, and leadership.

He has consulted with a wide variety of retail and wholesale organizations including AutoZone, Delta Airlines, Ciba-Vision, and Promus Hotels.  Consulting topics include leadership development, EEOC investigation, and compensation programs.  Dean Barksdale has given addresses to many large groups and organizations.  He has served on the board of several non-profit institutions including the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.  He also served the academic and athletic programs of Hillcrest High School in Memphis, TN.  At Hillcrest, he served as an advisor to the athletic programs, technology programs and on the site review committee for High Schools that Work reform programs.  He is active in the Christian Business Faculty Association and has worked with a number of professional academic associations.  He is the editor-in-chief of Knowledge and Human Resource Management Journal and sits on the editorial board for IntellectBase International Consortium journals and international meetings.

Dean Barksdale resides in Scottsdale with his wife Lisa and two daughters – McKenzie and Madison where he is active in their sport of choice – Hunter/Jumper Ponies and Horses.  He also is an avid motorcyclist participating in desert trail riding and amateur super sport motorcycle road racing.

Olivier Bouclier is the Assistant Dean for Ken Blanchard College of Business at Grand Canyon University.  Before this position, Olivier was Senior Director at Thunderbird School of Global Management.

Olivier began his career in the U.S at Thunderbird in 2003 with the mission to increase marketing efforts of the non-degree online programs. In March 2005, under Mr. Bouclier’s leadership, a series of high quality streaming video-based online certificates was officially launched.  Since then, the number of enrollments steadily grew.

Prior to working at Thunderbird, Olivier held various positions in sales and business development. He was a successful sales executive (B2B and B2G) at Kodak in Paris, France. He then moved to Xerox in England (London) as an Account Manager. Back in Paris, Olivier held a European Sales Manager position for one of the fastest growing American Companies in the High Tech Industry.  There, he was charged with business development through O.E.M. contracts with Japanese Corporations headquartered in Europe. He then accepted a position as a Country Manager in France for an online education and training provider and then joined a start-up in the e-learning industry as the Sales Director.

Olivier taught online Global Leadership and Global Strategy certificate programs at Thunderbird. He also teaches Organizational Behavior and Strategic Management at the Ken Blanchard College of Business for the MBA and Executive MBA programs (Campus and online instruction).

Olivier has started his doctoral program at Case Western Reserve University (Class of 2012). He completed his MBA (With Distinction) in International Management at Thunderbird.
He is a member of Pi Sigma Alpha Honor Society and a member of Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society.
He received his Bachelor of Business Administration from the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers in Paris, France. Olivier has also completed the Emotional Competence Inventory (ECI) Accreditation and the Leadership Styles and Climate Improvement Accreditation (CIA) with HayGroup, a global organizational and human resources consulting firm

Olivier was born in France. French is his native language. He is fluent in English and also studied German and Spanish. Olivier, his wife and two children have resided in Scottsdale, Arizona since August 2003.
Oliver practices Martial Arts (Karate) and holds a black belt in Wado Ryu.

Cathryn Meegan, Ph.D., CPA
Director of Academic Excellence

Tom Skochinski, MS, MM
Director of Business Programs

Mr. Tom Skochinski has been with Grand Canyon University since October, 2004.  Before joining The Ken Blanchard College of Business, he held positions as a Curriculum Development Manager and Associate Registrar.  Tom is also an online instructor and an adjunct professor with The Ken Blanchard College of Business.  

Tom holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Metallurgical Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology, a Master of Science Degree in Materials Science from Northwestern University, and a Master of Management Degree from the J.L. Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.  He is pursuing a DBA at Northcentral University.

Tom lives in Scottsdale with his wife, Bonnie, and their cat, Samantha.  His personal hobbies include an occasional round of golf and playing the guitar and the piano.

John McDonald, DBA
Associate Professor
Executive MBA Director

Dr. McDonald has held a variety of managerial positions in the private sector in the health insurance and marketing research consulting fields. His experience includes all facets of marketing as well as strategic management and operational roles. Client companies include many Fortune 50 companies in domestic and global markets. He has served on the Boards of several professional associations and continues to be actively involved in these associations.

Dr. McDonald began his career, upon completion of his DBA at the University of Kentucky, on the faculty of the College of Business at Arizona State University. He left to pursue a career in the private sector and has over twenty years of experience in a wide range of positions in Marketing and Management He then returned to academia at Grand Canyon University

While in the commercial market research industry, he designed and executed a wide range of projects for many different industry verticals including automotive, financial services, government, health care, and retail. Applications included advertising, product development, customer engagement, and employee surveys (e.g., satisfaction, retention, motivation.) employing standardized and customized scales and item batteries. The analyses ranged from simple data description to more advanced choice modeling.

Dr McDonald has published a number of articles and has spoken at conferences in the US and in Europe on topics including advanced product development, service satisfaction and advertising effectiveness. His research interests include customer engagement and retention as well as a wide range of topics in health care strategy and marketing.

Teaching interests include Business Strategy, Innovation, Marketing and Sustainability at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

As the Director of the Ken Blanchard Executive MBA program, he is responsible for the academic program and in helping students be successful. Dr. McDonald considers the three pillars of servant leadership, innovation and entrepreneurial spirit as the basis for future success of all KBCOB graduates.

His community involvement interests include working with at risk youth in increasing their likelihood of college attendance and success, He is active in his church and serves on the diocesan communications committee.

Dr McDonald is married and resides in Phoenix, Arizona. He enjoys running and reading.

R. Kevin McClean, DPS
Professor of Marketing

Dr. R. Kevin McClean brings over 30 years of industry experience to his classroom, with significant experience and expertise in services marketing, customer service, performance measurement, electric energy deregulation, cost analysis, and financial controls.

As Professor of Marketing, Dr. McClean teaches a variety of marketing courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels, including Solutions Based Relationship Management and Branding, and Customer Value and Service Excellence, both offerings in The Ken Blanchard Executive MBA Program, courses that he developed specifically for that program.

He is moderator of the business honors society, Delta Mu Delta, and the chair of the Program Standards and Evaluation committee for the College. He also serves the College on the University’s Rank and Tenure Review committee.

Dr. McClean has spoken extensively at the national level regarding electric and gas industry deregulation and has presented to industry forums and conferences regarding marketing management, project management, and customer service, and was a contributor to an award-winning compendium on leadership challenges. He is the moderator of both an annual honors symposium that addresses topics important to the university and to the Ken Blanchard College of Business (ethics, stewardship, servant leadership), and an annual research colloquium.

Dr. McClean is a graduate of King’s College in Pennsylvania where he received a B.A. in History.  Dr. McClean was awarded an MBA by St. John’s University and a Doctor of Professional Studies degree by Pace University.

Ernie Scarbrough, DBA
Associate Professor of Finance

Dr. Ernie Scarbrough’s background includes 27 years of industry experience in financial services, along with more than 12 years of teaching experience at the undergraduate and graduate level.  He has extensive expertise in Financial Services and brings a blended perspective between investment practice and academic theories.  He earned a Certified Financial Planner® designation in 1987 and a Certified Investment Management Analyst® designation in 2000.

Dr. Scarbrough was Associate Faculty with Arizona State University from 1999 through 2008.  He has also taught as Adjunct Faculty with Keller Graduate School of Management, the University of Phoenix, and Thunderbird School of Global Management.  He has been a frequent guest speaker on financial issues, financial planning, and security markets.  Dr. Scarbrough has also been published in research journals, textbooks, industry magazines, and local business publications.   Working with major Wall Streets firms, he provided consulting services to individuals, families, foundations, trusts, and corporations (including mergers and acquisitions, valuations, and capital funding).   He has also been a consultant expert to legal firms on cases involving securities’ practices, arbitration, and litigation.

Dr. Scarbrough earned a Doctor of Business Administration (Finance), with Distinction, from Nova Southeastern University in1999.  He has a served as a Board member (including Chairman) for several Phoenix area non-profit organizations.  He is currently a “citizen member” of the City of Phoenix Police Department’s Use of Force and Disciplinary Review Board. 

Ronke Oke, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Organizational Behavior and Management

Dr. Ronke Oke is a Graduate fellow and Assistant Professor of Organizational Behavior and Management.  Her professional experience includes working in various banking positions in Africa and as an associate HR consultant in the UK. Her areas of research are inter-organizational dynamics and inter-firm networking.

Dr. Oke has presented at various management conferences in both the U.S. and across Europe and has published articles in peer reviewed academic journals including Journal of Change Management and Journal of Operations Management.  In addition, Dr. Oke has authored a practitioner paper for the Intelligent Transport Systems in the UK.

With about 10  years of teaching experience at the undergraduate and graduate level, Dr. Oke taught Organizational Behavior, Management, and Human Resource Management in the UK, and she has continued to teach those courses at GCU in the traditional ground classes as well as online. Dr. Oke has taught in the Masters of Science in Leadership Program and teaches in the traditional MBA Program as well as the Executive MBA Program.  As assistant professor of Organizational Behavior and Management, Dr. Oke has oversight of the BSBA and MBA curriculum at GCU.  She sits on the Graduate Council and the Institutional Review Board at GCU and is actively involved in the Ed.D  and DBA Programs.

Dr. Oke earned her MBA (with Distinction), Post-graduate Diploma in Research Methods, and Ph.D. from Cardiff Business School in the UK, a top research school belonging to the Ivy League of the UK. Cardiff Business School is also AACSB accredited and is rated the 7th leading UK University. Dr. Oke's dissertation title was “Collaboration between firms in inter-organizational networks in the UK: An analysis of key factors.”

Ann Nelson, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Leadership 

Dr. Ann Nelson has been with Grand Canyon since March 2006. Before joining The Ken Blanchard College of Business as the Director of Professional Studies and Assistant Professor of Leadership, she held positions as Curriculum Developer and as an adjunct professor in both online and ground courses teaching courses in the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral programs.

Passionate about human resource topics, Dr. Nelson was previously employed as the Senior HR Manager for a multinational corporation, has published papers for the International Journal of Decision Ethics, and has spoken at conferences about ethics, diversity, work/life balance, and other topics sponsored by Oxford University. Additionally, she frequently reviews manuscripts for publication in the Journal of Business Ethics.

Dr. Nelson holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership, a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies in Finance, and an MBA in Human Resources from Northcentral University. She is currently pursuing a Ph. D. in industrial organizational psychology and is a certified Senior Professional of Human Resources. In addition, Dr. Nelson is a Grand Canyon University alumna, having completed her Bachelor of Science in Applied Management here.

Kim Donaldson, MBA, MIM
Associate Professor of Economics

Professor Kim Donaldson began her full-time career in higher education as Global Organizational Development Consultant at the Thunderbird School of Global Management before moving to GCU and serving successive roles as Assistant Professor of Economics, Assistant Dean, and Dean.  Her areas of expertise include International Business, International Trade and Economics, Innovation, and Strategic Management. 

Ms. Donaldson has over fifteen years experience in the financial services sector as an internal auditor, corporate account manager, learning and development director, and business performance consultant to various international banking and trade divisions. Her combined corporate and executive education experience support the College’s vision to establish thought leadership and teaching excellence in the fields of Leadership, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship.

MS. Donaldson is a fellow of the Canadian Institute of Bankers. Her international business experience includes assignments in Germany, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Canada, and the British West Indies.  She received her Bachelor of Commerce in Economics and MBA in International Business from Dalhousie University and her Masters of International Management from Thunderbird School of Global Management.

Dr. David Perkins is an Assistant Professor of Business (Quantitative Methods) at Grand Canyon University. He has 18 years of industry experience, including work as an avionics design engineer on the F-16 Fighter Aircraft program. He has also held Project Manager and Project Analyst positions at MicroAge, National Computer Systems, Motorola and General Dynamics.

Dr. Perkins holds a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) degree in Management from Anderson University in Anderson, Indiana. He holds Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Master of Technology degrees from Arizona State University. Dr. Perkins also holds a Bachelor of Engineering Technology degree from Southwest Minnesota State University.

Dr. Perkins’s primary research interests include behavioral issues in operations management. He is also a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and has published articles in selected project management publications including PM Network (2000) and Project Manager Today (2007). One of his articles also appears in the book People in Projects (2001). Dr. Perkins has also been a guest speaker at various Project Management Institute (PMI) Chapter meetings in Arizona, California, and Utah.

Mr. Perkins can be reached at 602.639.6560 or at dperkins@gcu.edu

Donna DeMilia, MBA, CPA, CMA 
Assistant Professor of Accounting

Ms. Donna DeMilia, Assistant Professor of Accounting, has been with Grand Canyon University since 2005.  She brings over 10 years of college teaching experience and over 15 years of professional accounting experience to her classroom.  Donna teaches a variety of accounting courses for the undergraduate and graduate programs and Financial Intelligence and Decision Making for The Ken Blanchard Executive MBA Program.  She is also the Faculty Advisor for Grand Canyon University’s IMA Student Chapter.

Donna received her BBA in Public Accounting and MBA in Marketing Management from Pace University in New York.  She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Business, with a concentration in Financial Management, from Northcentral University in Prescott Valley, Arizona.  Donna holds both the CPA (New York) and CMA licenses.

Dawn Vinh
Academic Coordinator 

Ms. Dawn Vinh is an Academic Coordinator for the Ken Blanchard College of Business and the Executive MBA program.  She is responsible for supporting the Assistant Dean and the Director of the Executive MBA and handles the day-to-day operations of several programs.

Dawn has a background in sales in the real estate, mortgage, and staffing industries, where she worked with upper level management clientele.

Dawn earned a Bachelor’s of Arts in Communication from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota.  She is currently pursuing her Master of Science in Leadership at Grand Canyon University.

  Allison Mason, M.Ed
Academic Coordinator

Allison Mason is an Academic Coordinator for the Ken Blanchard College of Business. She supports the Assistant Dean and Director of Business programs. She began working at Grand Canyon University in September 2008 as an Academic Counselor. Prior to Grand Canyon University she worked in a variety of positions in Higher Education.

Allison earned a Bachelors degree in Mass Communication from Winona State University in Winona, Minnesota and a Masters in Education with an emphasis in Human Relations from Northern Arizona University.

Allison is originally from St. Paul, Minnesota and has been living in Arizona with her husband and two dogs since 2005. She likes to attend sporting events, hiking and spending time with her family.