UD’s First Doctor of Business Administration Graduates
Date published: Dec. 5, 2017
This fall, three Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) students successfully defended their dissertations to become the first DBA graduates
from the Satish & Yasmin Gupta College of Business at the University of Dallas.
As part of the first cohort of DBA students, this ceremony marked a very special occasion
for David Rogers, Simone Meskelis and Raymond Pasko who received their doctoral hoods at the December Commencement Ceremony at Irving
Bible Church.
The DBA program at the University of Dallas was launched in 2014 as the first and
only AACSB-accredited DBA program in Texas to provide a rigorous research-based experience
for business professionals.
Rogers, a Senior Director of Business Intelligence at Raising Cane’s, was the first
DBA candidate to successfully defend his dissertation on Oct. 20, 2017. His research,
which explores managerial knowledge acquisition and assimilation aims to help companies
gain insights into how they can improve hiring decisions and role assignments of managers
to maximize organizational learning and innovation.
Rogers has management and analytics leadership experience at a variety of firms including
EY, NCR, Home Depot, JCPenney, RenaissanceRe and Fannie Mae. He holds an M.S. in Management
from the MTechnology Management Sloan School and a B.S. in Computer Science from Florida
State.
Upon completion of the three year program, Rogers notes, “It feels so amazing to be
a successful member of the inaugural cohort. I’m really proud and appreciative of
the program we’re building. The program was rigorous and that makes it all the more
satisfying to have completed it.”
Simone Meskelis echoed Rogers, “I feel honored to be part of this group. It's rewarding
to see how far we've come together. I feel like the students helped shape the program
and make it what it is right now.”
The support of classmates in the program has been a unifying theme among all.
“The diverse background that we had within the cohort certainly enriched the exchange
of ideas and experiences. The professors did an amazing job of preparing the classes
so that we would have productive discussions,” said Meskelis, whose research focuses
on understanding what affects employee engagement by exploring how personality and
leadership behavior interact to impact engagement.
Meskelis is a sales systems manager at Essilor as well as an adjunct professor of
management in the Gupta College of Business and Fundacao Dom Cabral, in Brazil. Meskelis
received her bachelor’s degree in economics from the Universidade Federal de Minas
Gerais before completing her MBA at Fundacao Dom Cabral in Brazil.
The third DBA graduate, Raymond Pasko’s research concerns millennial employees and
what companies can provide them in terms of work-related attributes in order to increase
their retention.
“I am hopeful that my research will enable companies to increase millennial employees'
satisfaction and unlock the secret to keeping them in their companies.”
Pasko received his MBA in management from Auburn University and a bachelors of science
in business administration from Loyola College.
“My favorite part of the DBA program was learning how to become a researcher,” said
Pasko. “It may sound easy given the vast resources available through university libraries
or vehicles such as Google Scholar, but it really isn’t; it is something that you
have to learn to do. Thanks to the help of the UD faculty and the other members of
my cohort, I have learned how to search out the publications and research that support
and inform my own personal research interests.”
Each DBA graduate noted their fellow students and faculty members as being instrumental
to their success in the program.
Pasko noted, “There are many faculty members that have been special to my learning
journey, but the one that truly stands out for me is my dissertation chair, Dr. Rosemary
Maellaro. Rosemary was always, always available for me throughout the process. Because
I am on an expat assignment and live in London, we had to do the bulk of our collaboration
over the phone. Despite this time difference, Rosemary was always available for me
and offered the perfect balance of support, praise and critical feedback that was
necessary to keep me motivated and energized through the exhausting journey of completing
my dissertation.”
Rogers also noted the dedication of his dissertation committee, “Dr. Sue Conger and
Dr. Rich Miller were both amazingly supportive and involved, contributing their time,
perspectives, and guidance.”
Likewise, Meskelis said, “As the chair of my committee, Dr. J. Lee Whittington went
above and beyond to make sure I was giving my best and he did an awesome job of inspiring
me and guiding me to the finish line. Additionally, I was really touched by how committed
Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs Dr. Greg Bell was to our group. He would always
go an extra mile to make sure we had everything we needed to excel.”
While each graduate plans to use their degree in new ways — including staying in industry,
transitioning to teaching and continuing to do research — each is equally as excited
to be a part of this year’s graduating class.
“After three and a half years, I’m not sure what to do with my free time,” jokes Rogers.
Are you a proven business professional looking to expand your breadth of knowledge
and abilities in leadership, innovation and customer engagement? Explore the top-ranked
DBA program at the University of Dallas.