Jim is a member of the business faculty at Moorpark College and an adjunct
professor in the adult degree evening program and graduate program at
California Lutheran University. . Previously he was President and Chief
Executive Officer of Exel Direct a provider of home delivery and distribution
services to many of the nation’s largest home furnishings, appliances and
electronics retailers and manufacturers. Jim also served as Chief Financial
Officer for a number of companies in the logistics and construction services
industries.
Jim received his Master of Business Administration degree from California
Lutheran University and his Bachelor of Business Administration degree from
the University of Houston. He is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in
both Texas and Hawaii and is a Certified Financial Planner®.
Jim has been an invited speaker at several domestic and international forums
focusing on home delivery issues. He is a board member of the Ventura County
Chapter of the Financial Planning Association and has also served as past
President of the Los Angeles Chapter and National Director of the Construction
Financial Management Association. Jim is a member of Sigma Beta Delta an
International Honor Society in Business, Management and Administration.
Education: MBA from The University of Chicago, with a marketing/finance
emphasis. BS from The University of Southern California, with a marketing
emphasis.
Teaching Experience: Currently a full-time, tenured business
professor at Moorpark College. Began teaching at Moorpark College in
August, 1996. Courses taught include Marketing, Sales, Advertising and Intro
to Business and Economics. Prior teaching experience includes part-time
business professor at Tacoma Community College. Taught a variety of business
courses (1993-1995).
Prior Work Experience: Several years of Marketing Management experience with
a variety of companies, including General Mills (cereals, snacks, new products),
Pharmavite (Nature Made Vitamins), Coast Savings Bank and my own Swiss Colony
Franchise.
My varied background allows me to mix real world experience with textbook
theory. I prefer to use a variety of teaching techniques including lecture,
small and large group discussions, case discussions, current events discussions,
Internet assignments and other interactive methods appropriate for each class.
I enjoy teaching and am happy to be part of Moorpark College and our local
community.
EDUCATION: Bachelor of Science in Psychology - University of California Davis; Master of Science in Accountancy - California State University Northridge; passed CPA exam. TEACHING AND RELATED EXPERIENCE: Full-time professor at Moorpark College since January, 1989; adjunct faculty member at Ventura College, Oxnard College and University of LaVerne from September 1983 through December 1988. Courses taught include Accounting Procedures, Financial Accounting, Managerial Accounting, Cost Accounting, Intermediate Accounting, and Auditing. Moorpark College Business Department Chair from July 1991 through June 2004. Current and/or prior service on Career Education Council, Curriculum Committee, Fiscal Planning Committee, General Education Committee, Learning Resources Committee, Sabbatical Leave Committee, and Staff Development Committee. Division representative on the Academic Senate for two years and Treasurer of the Academic Senate for six years. Coordinator of Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program for ten years. Strong commitment to curriculum development through participation in the California Colloquium for Accounting Education and the IMPAC (Intersegmental Major Preparation Articulated Curriculum) Project. OTHER EXPERIENCE: Staff accountant at Soares, Sandall, Bernachi & Pertovich for two years; accountant and business manager for family-owned business since 1980. MEMBERSHIPS & AWARDS: Past president of American Society of Women Accountants, Ventura County Chapter; past treasurer of National Association of Women Business Owners, Ventura County Chapter; recipient of Moorpark College Academic Senate President's Award - 1999; member of Teachers of Accounting at Two-Year Colleges (TACTYC). EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY: "It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult undertaking which, more than anything else, will determine its outcome." "There are no uninteresting things; there are only uninterested people." "One must learn by doing the thing; for though you think you know it, you have no certainty until you try." "The impossible is often the untried." "Thinking is the hardest work there is which is probably the reason why so few engage in it." "It is a great nuissance that knowledge can only be acquired by hard work." "The only place you find success before work is in the dictionary." These examples of the "quotable quotes" with which I begin each class session give an overview of my educational philosophy. I believe that students at the community college level are adults and must take personal responsibility for their own learning. Students must make a commitment to the learning process - to attending class regularly and actively participating in class discussion, to doing the reading and problem solving assigned as homework, and especially to maintaining a positive and inquisitive attitude about the course material. Students who are not willing to make this commitment rarely complete their courses successfully. I recognize that most students who take introductory accounting courses will not major in accounting or ever be employed directly in an accounting position. However, students planning to pursue a career in any business discipline (production and operations management, human resources, marketing, advertising, sales, finance, etc.) or planning to be an entrepreneur must have a strong basic understanding of accounting and how the decisions they make affect the profitability and financial position of the business entity in which they work. Therefore, a basic knowledge of accounting will prove useful in virtually any career as well as in one's personal life. I make a strong commitment to provide the tools and create an educational environment that will allow students not only to master the technical aspects of accounting but also to develop the critical/analytical thinking skills needed for success in accounting as well as in other courses and in employment. Because accounting is a progressive discipline in which each new topic builds on what was previously learned, I maintain a structured classroom environment that will provide students with the opportunity to master the material step by step IF the student also makes the commitment necessary to succeed. Students who successfully complete my classes will be well prepared to pursue a baccalaureate degree in business or to enter the workforce.
I obtained my undergraduate degree in Business (Finance) from Cal State University
Northridge and completed a graduate program at Pacific Coast Banking School; which
is a program focused on banking, banking senior management, and banking operations.
I obtained my Masters Degree from the University of Phoenix in Education Curriculum
Instruction and then I earned an MBA also from the University of Phoenix.
I am and have been a college professor for over 16 years, teaching business and
accounting courses on a part time basis. I am also a Capital Access Manager for
Valley Economic Development Center, INC. managing a loan team and putting loan
packages together for the Small Business Administration and various banks. Over the
years I have held positions such as President & CEO (for an insurance brokerage
operation), President & COO (for a premium finance company), and Regional Vice
President & Manager (in banking) to name a few.
I believe that hard work and the ability to move forward no matter the odds will
generate victory in the end. I enjoy reading and read as much as possible every
day. I also listen to books on tape daily. This is a great way to pass the time
when computing back and forth to work. I enjoy science fiction, westerns, mystery
and any type of action story that catches my attention. My second passion is
sports, basketball (go Lakers), as well as football.
BS in Accounting from Woodbury University.
MBA in Computer Information Systems from California Lutheran University.
Experience in goverment, private, and public accounting. Part time Instructor,
past or present, Moorpark, Pierce, and Oxnard Colleges.
MBA - U of So.IL - 1983; BA - Bethany College, 1962
Over 30 years in Industry, holding sales, marketing and Senior Management
positions with Westinghouse Electric; Emerson Electric; Square D;
Consolidated Electrical Distributors. National Energy Services and currently
with Wheatstone Energy Group- VP Sales & Marketing.
Certified Energy Manager (CEM) -one of 900 hundred in the Country;and
Certified Lighting Efficiency Professional (CLEP) thru the Association of
Energy Engineers.
Member of the National Energy Advisory Board.
Member of Association of Energy Engineers.
Listed in Who's Who in Business & Industry.
Married, 5 children and 7 grandchildren.
Live in Wood Ranch.
Adjunct Faculty
MBA, Santa Clara Univ, 1999
BS Computer Engineering, UC San Diego, 1991
Worked in High Tech as a Computer Engineer, Product Manager, Program Manager
in the Tech Industry. I currently provide consulting services for small high
tech companies and also teach in the Business departments at:
-Rio Hondo College
-Cerritos College
-Moorpark College