College of Business Leadership
Dean – Filiz Tabak, Ph. D.
Dr. Tabak is dean and professor of leadership and management in the College of Business. Her Ph.D. is in business administration with a focus area of management and organizational behavior from Oklahoma State University. Dr. Tabak also holds an M.B.A, an M.S. in Marine Physics and Chemistry, and a B.S. in Environmental Engineering. Dr. Tabak brings a wealth of experience in academic program development, implementation of high-impact, experiential learning eco-systems, as well as strategic planning and AACSB accreditation. She has championed and expanded multiple community outreach efforts to build strategic partnerships with business college stakeholders.
Dr. Tabak has taught multiple graduate and undergraduate courses in organizational leadership, learning and change, management, organizational behavior, and organization theory for over 20 years. Her research interests span areas of work engagement, transformational leadership and entrepreneurship, and innovation and change management. Her research has been published in several top-quality journals such as Journal of Business Venturing, Academy of Management Perspectives, Journal of Engineering and Technology Management, and Journal of Education for Business.
Dr. Tabak has given numerous workshops and consulted with businesses and managers on executive leadership, team building, organizational structure and dynamics, and leadership development in organizations. She is a member of the Academy of Management and the Southern Management Association. She is also a member and a fellow of the Eastern Academy of Management (EAM). As a fellow and past president of EAM, Dr. Tabak has led all incorporation processes, chaired the Board of Directors, streamlined finances, and managed all fund raising. Dr. Tabak is an avid dog lover, and in her free time, boards and trains dogs.
Associate Dean – Christopher Garcia, Ph.D.
Chris is associate dean and professor of quantitative methods in the College of Business. His academic expertise lies in the areas of combinatorial optimization and machine learning. Chris’s research presently focuses on developing algorithms for complex planning and scheduling problems in the logistics, supply chain, and transportation domains; applying reinforcement learning to dynamic pricing problems; and using machine learning techniques to discover, extract, and fuse information from disparate sources into a reliable operational picture. His research has been published in flagship engineering and operations research journals including IISE Transactions, Engineering Optimization, OR Spectrum, INFORMS Journal on Applied Analytics, and others.
Chris earned his Ph.D. in Engineering Management at Old Dominion University. He also holds an M.S. degree in Operations Research as well as M.S. and B.S. degrees in Computer Science. Chris is a Certified Analytics Professional (CAP®) and has provided consulting for organizations in multiple industries including defense, transportation, finance, logistics, petroleum, and insurance. His faculty website can be found at https://cgarcia.info.
Entrepreneurship & Communications Manager – Kelsey Proctor
Kelsey graduated from Germanna Community College in 2013 and began her career at the University of Mary Washington in 2016 as part of their Parking Management team. During this time, she continued her studies and transitioned to UMW’s Office of Admissions. Over the years, Kelsey expanded her experience in diverse fields, including roles at a law firm and an accounting office.
In 2023, Kelsey returned to UMW as the Academic Support Centers Manager for the Speaking & Writing Center, where she supported operations, budget management, and purchasing for the Speaking & Writing Center, Digital Knowledge Center, and Digital Learning Support. She now serves as the Entrepreneurship and Communications Manager for the SBDC and CED, bringing extensive experience in finance, budget management, operations, social media management, and project management to her new role. Kelsey’s diverse background provides her with a strong foundation to support and drive the growth and success of the center’s initiatives. Kelsey is a lifelong swimmer and is a member of the U.S. Masters Swim League and participates in summer open water swims in VA Beach and Maryland.
Administrative Coordinator – Brittany Bailey
Brittany A. Bailey is a strong believer in helping others and being of service to those in need. Her career for the past 37 years has been devoted to addressing issues of poverty, education, and Community Initiatives. With a Master’s degree in Urban Guidance/Counseling, Brittany has dedicated 33 years to the City of Norfolk, serving in several capabilities such as Human Services, Recreation and Neighborhood Preservation. Her last position with the City of Norfolk was Facilities Manager, managing three neighborhood service centers working with civic leagues, crime prevention, and City Manager’s Taskforce.
Before coming to the University of Mary Washington, Brittany worked the last four years at George Mason University as an Administrative Specialist in New Student and Family Programs, working with professional staff and students assisting in the planning and logistics for orientation and family programs.
Director, Small Business Development Center – Susan Ball
Susan Ball is a Certified Business Analyst, a certified NxLevel instructor, and a GrowthWheel advisor. UMW SBDC consultants work with clients to evaluate business opportunities, forecast cash flows, develop marketing strategies, prepare loan proposals, and write business plans. The center serves clients throughout Planning Districts 16, 17, and 18, which includes Fredericksburg and the surrounding counties, the Middle Peninsula, and the Northern Neck. Susan has been with the UMW SBDC since the fall of 2007 and has worked with more than 2,000 clients during that time.
Susan has participated in the Veteran Business Bootcamp program since its inception in 2012. She oversees the Government Contracting Assistance Center (GCAC). The GCAC assists clients in registering to do business with state and federal agencies and obtaining applicable minority business certifications; it partners with the Virginia Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity (VSBSD) and the Virginia Procurement Technical Assistance Center (VPTAC) to provide training and one-on-one advising on marketing to the government.
Susan earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and economics from the University of Mary Washington and an MBA in finance from the University of Florida. Prior to working with the SBDC, Susan co-authored finance textbooks, helped found a church-based preschool, and taught high school mathematics. With her husband and sons, she owned and operated a franchise pizza restaurant, Papa’s Pizza To-Go, in Orange, Virginia. She and her husband currently own an Airbnb in Mathews, Virginia, with their son and daughter-in-law.
Co-Director – Center for Economic Development-Christopher Willis
Chris’s entrepreneurial journey began during his college years at Appalachian State University, where he started a construction company in Boone, NC. After earning his bachelor’s degree, he founded a consulting firm to supplement his high school teaching salary, marking the beginning of a 30-year career in business and technology.
Throughout his professional life, Chris has held various roles, including IT consultant and director at MCI/WorldCom. His expertise as both an independent and direct consultant has been sought by major corporations such as Nestlé, BP Oil, Macy’s, Time Warner Cable, Home Depot, Cisco, and Verizon, as well as government agencies like the Port Authority of NJ/NY and Social Security Administration.
Driven by his experiences observing governance breakdowns at MCI/WorldCom, Chris pursued advanced education in management. He holds a Master’s in International Management from Thunderbird, an MBA from Virginia Tech, and is currently completing his Ph.D. in Management and Entrepreneurship at Old Dominion University. His research focuses on how individual factors influence entrepreneurial activities and firm governance, with a particular interest in hybrid social ventures that contribute to societal improvement. During his Ph.D. program, Chris has published five peer-reviewed studies in respected journals such as Entrepreneurship Education and Pedagogy and Asia Pacific Journal of Management.
Co-Director – Center for Economic Development-Lulu Huang, Ph.D
Siang-Ru “Lulu” Huang, Ph.D. received her doctorate in Business Administration from the University of Texas at San Antonio. During her academic journey, Lulu was invited to the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania as a visiting doctoral student sponsored by the Wharton Global Family Alliance for her research focus on family business.
Lulu has teaching and research interests in strategic management, entrepreneurship, and international business, with a specific focus on understanding family firm internationalization. Her research has been published in several top-quality journals, including the Journal of Applied Psychology, Journal of International Management, and Human Resource Management Review. Lulu is faculty as Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship and Management while also serving as co-director in the CED.
Director, Center for Economic Education – Amrita Dhar, Ph.D.
Dr. Dhar is an Associate Professor of Economics at Mary Washington and the Director of the UMW Center for Economic Education. She received a Ph.D. in Economics from University of Houston, Texas. Her research interests are primarily. but not limited to, in international economics, monetary policy, macroeconomics, forecasting, and applied econometrics. In her research she broadly analyzes various aspects of cross-border capital flows. Additionally, she is interested in understanding fiscal interactions between different levels of government and written and published an article on the dynamics of school district finance. Dr. Dhar has presented at major conferences worldwide and published in prestigious peer-reviewed journals as the Review of Economics Dynamics and International Review of Economics and Finance. She has also authored a book on the Advanced Program (AP) test prep in Economics.
Dr. Dhar also oversees the operations and events of UMW’s Center for Economic Education, a part of the Virginia Council on Economic Education (VCEE)’ statewide network of university-based centers for economic education dedicated to fostering strong partnerships with the region’s school divisions and their teachers, provide professional development workshops for teachers, and provide creative, hands-on lesson plans, curriculum and programs for students. These efforts aim to enhance economic and financial literacy among K-12 educators and students. In collaboration with the Virginia Council on Economic Education (VCEE), she leads initiatives develops professional development programs, workshops, and curriculum resources to support K-12 teachers in integrating economics into their classrooms.
Director, Center for Business Research – Lance Gentry, Ph.D
Dr. Gentry received his Ph.D. in Marketing and Supply Chain Management from Michigan State University. In both academics and industry, Dr. Gentry has been surveying and evaluating respondents since 1993. In previous experience, Dr. Gentry was directly responsible for market research as a Marketing Manager at Intel Corporation and as the North American Director for New Product Development at Philips Consumer Electronics Company. He also earned an MBA and a BSBA at the University of Tennessee.
Dr. Gentry has taught multiple graduate and undergraduate courses in marketing, market strategy, market research, negotiations, ecotourism, supply chain management, and business communications. He has founded several small firms and he and his advanced marketing students often provide pro bono marketing help for local entrepreneurs. His research interests include demographics, how consumers interact with technology, and transportation issues.
Dr. Gentry enjoys his family, nature, and travel. He has taken students on trips to various US and international destinations, including Arcadia National Park, Los Angeles, Niagara Falls, the Florida Keys, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Cambodia, Iceland, Japan, Hong Kong, Mauritius, New Zealand, Paraguay, and Vietnam.