Fall 2020 Faculty News

Promotions

Four faculty members in the Engler College of Business are recognized for their outstanding performance in the award of tenure and/or promotion for the 2020-2021 academic year.

As a hallmark of academic life, tenure and promotion involves extensive peer review and recommendation for advancement at the department, college, and university levels. This process culminates with final approval by President Walter Wendler and The Texas A&M Board of Regents.

Promotion and tenure is a privilege reserved for faculty members who have demonstrated professional accomplishments in instructional responsibilities, intellectual contributions, and service.

Award of Tenure and Promotion to Associate Professor

Dr. Ryan Mattson
Associate Professor of Economics

Dr. Mattson joined the Paul and Virginia Engler College of Business in 2014. He received a B.A. in Economics, Mathematics, and Spanish from the University of Kansas, an M.A. in Economics from Southern Methodist University in 2007 and a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Kansas in 2013.

Dr. Kelly McCauley
Associate Professor of Management

Dr. McCauley joined the Paul and Virginia Engler College of Business in 2014. She earned a B.A. degree at Furman University, M.S. at Clemson University, and Ph.D. at Texas Tech University.

Promotion to Professor

Dr. Jeffry Babb
Professor of Computer Information Systems

Dr. Babb joined the Paul and Virginia Engler College of Business at West Texas A&M University in 2009. He received a B.A. in geography from the University of Hawaii in 1991, a master’s of urban and regional planning from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2000, an M.S. in information systems from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2005 and a Ph.D. in business and information systems from the Virginia Commonwealth University in 2009.

Dr. Jonathan Shaffer
Professor of Management

Dr. Shaffer joined the Paul and Virginia Engler College of Business in 2010.­ He received a B.A. in Spanish from Oklahoma State University in 2002, an M.B.A. from Oklahoma State University in 2004, and a Ph.D. in management from the University of Iowa in 2010.

College Awards

Three faculty members in the Engler College of Business were recognized for their outstanding performance in research, teaching, and service to the university for the 2019-2020 academic year.

Research Excellence Award
Dr. Eric Hoffman

Dr. Hoffmann has produced a high quantity and quality of research in the preliminary years of his emerging career.  His work includes nine articles in seven different journal outlets. Using the the COB research quality rubric, five of Dr. Hoffman’s publications are scored at a 9, three at 8, and one at 6.  Finally, publishing in quantitative economics is relatively difficult.  Applied economists have the advantage of being able to make slight modifications to their data and generate multiple publications from one idea stream, which is not usually an option for quantitative economic scholars.  Hence, Dr. Hoffmann’s publication record is even more impressive when one adds context to the nature of his research.

Teaching Excellence Award
Dr. Sean Humpherys

Dr. Humpherys is a high-performing and inspiring educator with consistently high teaching evaluations.   However, Dr. Humphery’s teaching excellence extends beyond the results of his Course/Instructor Evaluation Questionnaire (CIEQ). Through his consistent and palpable commitment to student success, Dr. Humpherys embodies and exemplifies a student-centered philosophy of education. As an educator in a technical area, Dr. Humpherys has successfully inspired and coached student to connect with their potential and persevere through the application of thoughtful, positive, and discipline daily habits of success.

Service Excellence Award
Dr. Jillian Yarbrough

Dr. Yarbrough brings a wealth of applied HR experience and shares that wealth of that experience with our students, providing them with a unique competitive advantage as they enter and progress within the workforce. Dr. Yabrough devotes an additional time to prepare students who have been approved to sit for the Society for Human Resource Management – Certified Professional (SHRM-CP) training and exam by offering via weekly seminars. Further, Dr. Yabrough has assumed a variety of crucial roles within SHRM including advising online students and organizing key community-service events (such as resume reviews for underprivileged women at the Downtown Women’s Shelter). Dr. Yabrough also serves on the board of the Panhandle Human Resource Association which strengthens our link with employers.

New Faculty Appointments

Ms. Laurel Hoover
Instructor of Accounting

  • M.S. in Accounting from Texas Tech University
  • B.B.A. in Accounting from Texas Tech University

Dr. Gahangir Hossain
Associate Professor of Computer Information Systems

  • Ph.D. in Computer Engineering from the University of Memphis
  • M.S. in Computer Engineering from the University of Memphis

Dr. Eric McKee
Assistant Professor of Finance

  • Ph.D. in Finance from University of Iowa
  • M.S. in Actuarial Science from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
  • B.S. in Finance, Actuarial Science, and Classics from North Central College


Dr. Ashley Morgan
Assistant Professor of Marketing

  • Ph.D. in Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing from the University of Mississippi
  • M.S. in Finance & Economics from West Texas A&M University
  • B.S. in Economics from West Texas A&M University



Dr. Katelynn Sell
Assistant Professor of Management

  • Ph.D. in Business Administration with a focus in Strategic Management from Louisiana State University
  • M.B.A. with a concentration in Management from Nova Southeastern University
  • B.B.A. in Business Management from the University of North Florida

Dr. Cheng Zhang
Assistant Professor of Computer Information Systems

  • Ph.D. in Computer Science from the George Washington University
  • M.S. in Computer Science from George Washington University