Jan 2011 Featured Speaker: Dr. Mellani Day, D.B.A., M.S.S.M.

Your Brain on Entrepreneurship! with guest speaker Dr. Mellani Day, D.B.A., M.S.S.M.

January 26th at 12:00 CST
(Members only teleseminar)

Bio:

Over the course of her professional career, Dr. Day has worked in both higher education and corporate America. On the corporate side she has worked primarily in entrepreneurial-type ventures. Before coming to CCU, she spent over five years as CFO of a small high-tech entrepreneurial company that placed multi-media kiosks (music preview, scanning and digital downloading of tracks) in retail locations.

Dr. Day spent over 13 years living in Germany (from 1981 through 1994). While there she started out completing her B.S. Degree in Business and Management with a minor in Computers with University of Maryland and went on for her Master’s in Systems Management with an Information Systems Specialty at the University of Southern California, courses for both degrees were all taken at military education centers around Germany in an adult learner format. She understands the needs of adult education from personal experience. Upon finishing her master’s degree she started an import business – Orville Redenbacher Microwave Popcorn – exclusive distributor for Germany. Over time she also began teaching for several local colleges at the military education centers in Germany, and at Schiller International University, in Heidelberg. There she eventually made the switch to full-time academia as Chair of Graduate Business Programs (MBA and MIM), with students from all over the world. At this time she began her doctoral studies with Nova Southeastern University (NSU) (in entrepreneurship of course) a non-traditional doctoral program out of Ft. Lauderdale Florida. She also added the duties of Regional Program Manager for NSU’s doctoral program to her role, recruiting German students to NSU courses offered at the SIU campus in Heidelberg and later also in Frankfurt.

She returned to the states at the end of 1994 with her husband, two children and a dog. She started a consulting company called Business Development and Analysis in Aurora, CO, and did consulting, primarily writing business plans for small businesses that needed funding. She continued representing NSU’s doctoral programs for the Denver Site, and increased responsibility up to 6 regional sites over the next seven years. She completed her Doctor of Business Administration requirements in 2002. One of her consulting clients was a small high-tech entrepreneurial firm where she became CFO and helped them raise seed and two other rounds of financing. She left that company in March of 2007 to accept her current position at CCU. Dr. Day’s research interests revolve around entrepreneurship (international, institutions that foster it, social/sustainable, Neuroentrepreneurship), spirituality and religion in management and adult education (e.g. transformational learning, and how to teach entrepreneurship in an adult format). Dr. Day is also a singer/songwriter and released a CD in August of 2006 called Mostly True. She has twice been a widow, but God is good and has brought a new husband into her life. She has two grown children and one grandchild. She has recently taken up golf. She gives the glory all to God for any good thing that may come out of her work and life!