MBA with a concentration in International Business

Thomas Debbink, Ph.D.

As do most of his colleagues, Dr. Debbink has a thorough grounding in his topic, both academically and professionally. Prior to beginning his doctoral education in 1992, Dr. Debbink worked for General Motors for 13 years. His experience was largely in Manufacturing and Quality Engineering, but also included significant assignments in Salaried Personnel Administration and Purchasing. As a Certified Quality Engineer, Dr. Debbink worked with over 100 of the Division’s suppliers to remedy specific quality issues and improve the overall performance of their manufacturing systems. Dr. Debbink has also served as a consultant to NCR Corporation, the United States Navy and General Motors.

Academically, Dr. Debbink’s interests are in corporate governance, deception within organizations, and make-buy decision making. His dissertation explored the motivations behind the decision to outsource components in the auto industry. He is a member of the Academy of Management and has presented papers at numerous conferences. Dr. Debbink teaches Strategic Management undergraduate and graduate courses in Tiffin, and graduate courses in the school’s EMBA curriculum in Bucharest, Romania.

Off campus, Dr. Debbink is a twenty-plus year member of Rotary International and serves on the Board of the Foundation of the Tiffin Rotary Club. He is a licensed pilot who enjoys introducing his students to the joys of flying. He and his wife, also a teacher, live on Catawba Island where they enjoy sailing and oenology.

Perry Haan, D.B.A.

Dr. Perry Haan has worked as a faculty member and administrator in higher education since 1986. He was won teaching awards at three different institutions of higher learning. He has taught in eight countries outside the U.S. He won the 2016-2017 Tiffin University Scholarship Award. In 2017 he was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to teach and conduct research in Nepal. In 2010 he was awarded a Fellowship by the International American Association of Financial Management for his teaching and academic work in international markets.

Haan earned his Doctor of Business Administration from the University of Sarasota, Master of Business Administration from Xavier University and Bachelor of Business Administration from The Ohio State University. He has authored or co-authored over ninety peer reviewed articles that have appeared in conference proceedings and journals, including the Journal of Marketing in Higher Education and the International Journal of Sports Marketing & Sponsorship. He co-authored a textbook, Practical Statistics for Business. His research interests include entrepreneurship, international business, ethics, sales and sales management, education marketing, sports marketing, and leadership.

Teresa Shafer, Ph.D.

Dr. Shafer began her academic career at The Ohio State University's Marion campus. During her tenure, she served as an Admissions and Financial Aid Officer and Public Relations Director. Upon completion of her master's degree, she joined the Shelby Insurance Company and served nearly ten years in various corporate positions including Public Relations, Sales, Marketing and Underwriting.

Dr. Shafer joined Tiffin University in 1993 as an adjunct professor. In 1996, she became the Director of the Elyria Academic Center and was instrumental in the development and implementation of the Fast Track degree completion program in Organizational Management. She joined the full-time faculty as Dean of Arts and Sciences in 1999. In 2005 she took over as Dean of Assessment and Accreditation and successfully orchestrated reaccreditation visits with the Ohio Department of Higher Education, Higher Learning Commission, European Council on Business Education and American Council of Business Schools and Programs garnering the maxirimm reaffirmations allowed by all four accreditation agencies. Dr. Shafer is considered an accreditation specialist and serves the Higher Learning Commission as a Peer Reviewer as a visiting team member and distance education reviewer. In 2011 she became Associate Dean of International Business Programs and currently serves as a Professor of Management. Dr. Shafer is also a member of the TU Graduate Faculty Senate.

As an organizational behavior scholar, Dr. Shafer's work includes research into corporate mergers and downsizing and how these activities impact human capital and efficiencies. She has published and presented her research at numerous conferences both regionally and nationally. Dr. Shafer's consulting experience is extensive as she works with both national and international companies with respect to human resource training, executive coaching, strategic planning and budgeting. She also serves the higher learning community as a pedagogical mentor to various faculty members and institutions across the nation. Dr. Shafer is a member of several professional organizations and serves on a number of local program boards.

Lisa Kahle-Piasecki, Ph.D.

Dr. Lisa Kahle-Piasecki is an Associate Professor of Management and Information Systems and has served as Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence and Chair of the Management and Marketing areas. She joined the business faculty at Tiffin University in 2012.

Dr. Kahle-Piasecki comes to Tiffin after completing her Ph.D. with an area of concentration in human performance improvement, which is the study of and ethical practice of improving productivity and competence in organizations. Performance improvement uses scientific research principles to assess performance gaps, implement solutions, and measure the impact of solutions when implemented. A performance improvement and talent development specialist, Kahle-Piasecki is a follower of systems theory and uses a systematic approach in solving performance problems.

She is actively engaged in research and is a frequent presenter at both international and national conferences. Her current research interests and areas of expertise are in the use of technology to improve performance in the workplace and classroom, and performance interventions such as mentoring for performance improvement. She is a certified facilitator for the Global Mindset Inventory, spent a summer living and teaching in Costa Rica, and has additional international teaching experience.

In addition to teaching and research, she is a peer reviewer for the Journal of International Students, Journal of Excellence in College Teaching, on the Board of Directors of the Greater Toledo Chapter of the Association for Talent Development (GTAC ATD), the Polish American Community of Toledo (PACT), and a member of the Academy of Management, International Society for Performance Improvement, and Association for Talent Development.

She is the proud recipient of the 2016 Urban All-American Achievement Award, presented by the Central City Ministry of Toledo (CCMT). The award recognizes a graduate of a Catholic inner-city elementary school, who exhibited extraordinary achievement as an inspiration for today’s inner-city school students.

Below is a sample of recent publications:

Ritzman, M., & Kahle-Piasecki, L. (September, 2016). What works: A systems approach to employee performance in strengthening information security. Performance Improvement Journal, 55(8), 17-22.

Kahle-Piasecki, L. & Doles, S. (2015). A comparison of mentoring in higher education and Fortune 1000 companies: Practices to apply in a global context. Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice, 15(5), 74-79.

Kahle-Piasecki, L. (2013). Business in Costa Rica: Trends and Issues. Journal of Applied Business and Economics, 15(2).

Kahle-Piasecki, L., Miao, C., & Ariss, S. (2012). Managers and the Mobile Device: M-Learning and M-Business-Implications for the United States and China. Journal of Marketing Development and Competitiveness, 6(1), 56-68.

Kahle-Piasecki, L. (2011). Mentoring: What organizations need to know to improve performance in the 21st Century workplace. (Doctoral dissertation, University of Toledo, 2011). UMI No. 3474769.

Nykodym, N., Kahle-Piasecki, L., & Marsillac, E. (2010, May). The Managers Guide to Understanding, Detecting and Thwarting Computer Crime: An International Performance Issue. Performance Improvement Journal, 49(5), 42-47. doi: 10.1002/pfi.20151