Faculty - Business and Management

Amanda Bourgoin received her Bachelor of Business Administration degree from St. Bonaventure University in New York and her Master of Business Administration degree from Wayne State College in Nebraska.

Amanda began her career at Husson as an admissions recruiter before moving into the classroom. Along with being a full-time lecturer for the School of Business, she is also the University's Head Women's Softball Coach. Coach Bourgoin has been with the team since 2006.

Dr. Tom Fitzpatrick completed his Doctorate of Business Administration specializing in International Business and Strategic Management at Southern New Hampshire University. His Masters in International Business is from the American Graduate School of International Management or also known as Thunderbird and his Bachelor of Arts is in Political Science and History from Concordia University of Montreal, Loyola Campus.

Dr. Fitzpatrick has worked, lived or visited some dozen or more countries in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. In 2010 and 2011 he led over 30 students on a travel study course to China visiting Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong as part of a course he created called Business and Culture in China. Dr. Fitzpatrick has over 20 years of experience in teaching and industry and has taught at Arizona State University, Rivier College, Plymouth State University, Champlain College, Saint Anselm College, University System of NH and Southern New Hampshire University. He has extensive experience in sales, sales management, marketing strategy, public relations and community economic development.

Dr. Fitzpatrick is an active scholar presenting papers at international and national conferences annually and publishing consistently in peer reviewed national and international journals. He is a proponent of micro finance and has made over 200 loans through KIVA to entrepreneurs in 40 countries and his students have made over 500.

Dr. Fitzpatrick also believes in the use of business skills sets in the solving of social issues and seeks to employ social entrepreneurship as a vehicle for making the world a better place. He and his students have financed the building of a school for girls in Afghanistan, a well in India for the Dalit, purchase of land for a school in Uganda and a Liberty Garden that provides 6000lbs of food to the NH Food Bank and garden plots for 50 refugees in Manchester, NH.

Dr. Fitzpatrick has joined the Husson team as the Director of the School of Business and Management, Executive Director of On-line and Distance Education and as an Associate Professor of Business.

I believe that as a teacher it is my role to serve as a content expert in my field and deliver educational experiences to students that "build a bridge to relevance" to the real world. In my classes I provide students with the theoretical foundations but then seek to find an experiential activity that allows them to apply those concepts to a practical problem or opportunity. The educational technology of today allows us to "blow the walls out the classroom" and bring the world to the students. My students in the past have worked with a large restaurant in an Apprentice style competition, raised funds to build a school in Afghanistan, dug a well in India for the Dalit, made micro-loans to over 500 entrepreneurs in 50 countries and a community garden for a Food bank. I believe in the transformational power of the free market and social entrepreneurship to solve problems using business skill sets and I communicate that and implement that in my business classes. I have the best job in the world, I am a teacher.

Robert Goodwin earned his undergraduate degree from Husson in 1962 and then his Masters in Education from UMO in 1973. He began working at Husson when the college moved to its current campus in the Fall, 1968 as Data Processing Instructor – which is pre-computers! He was promoted to Assistant Professor 1981 and granted tenure in 1983.

While serving as CIS Department Head off and on for many years, he accomplished the following:

Ran the administrative data processing center (punched cards) while teaching full time in the 60s; recommended and supervised the installation of two terminals connected to the Dartmouth Time-Sharing System; designed and taught the first programming course using the DTSS—(Basic) 1970; prepared the justification study for the implementation of a DEC PDP 11/40; designed and assisted in programming the administrative applications; supervised the DEC system which was used both by administration and students; designed and implemented the installation of an IBM System which was used by both administration and students, supervised the operation of the IBM system on multiple upgrades; and designed and implemented the installation of an instructional network with 50 terminals using PCs including assisting many faculty with the acquisition and learning to use their first computers.

Robert Goodwin assisted in the development of the A.S. and B.S. degrees and worked to update the curricula with new courses for currency. He also provided an array of service to the Institution including serving on the following committees:

Scholarship Committee, Commencement Committee, Dean’s Council, President’s Council, Alumni Board, NEASC Self-Studies, Promotion and Multiple-Year Contracts, and Search Committees.

Additionally, he received the Professor of the Year award from the students 17 times and was advisor to Kappa Delta Phi for 20 years. He retired in June 2009 after 41 years of teaching for Husson.

As a native of Bangor, Marie earned her undergraduate degree in Political Science, with a minor in Public Administration and the Honors Program from the University of Maine. She returned to Bangor to practice law after she earned her Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Maine School of Law. Today, Marie continues her legal practice on an Of Counsel basis in the areas of federal criminal appellate, mediation and Guardian Ad Litem work.

She began working at Husson in 2003, where she has delivered a variety of classes in over 24 topics ranging from introductory courses through graduate level. She has also presented courses for the Maine State Bar and at national conferences for Criminal Justice teachers and professionals.

Marie completed the Institute for Management and Leadership in Education at Harvard University in 2010 and attained Mastery level of Prior Learning Assessment through DePaul University. Currently, she is pursuing further doctoral studies in Organizational Behavior at the Chicago School for Professional Psychology.

Outside of Husson, she is the Past-President (2004) of the Penobscot County Bar Association (PCBA) and past Vice President of the Board of Directors for the Bangor Ballet. She continues to serve as a Director on the PCBA Board. Additionally, she is serving on the Advisory Committees for Hancock County Technical Center Criminal Justice Program and Biddeford Regional Technical Center.

Having worked with legal professionals, I understand that the key to education at the college level is to learn how to perform the work hands-on. While it is imperative to have a background from text books to learn the law, in order to apply this knowledge, one must see the legal world in action. In both the Criminal Justice and Paralegal Studies Programs, I endeavor to find full time and adjunct instructors that bring this philosophy to life in the classroom as I do. One has to love what they do to be ready to do a job everyday and the exposure that students will gain from both programs will help them find that energy.

John Michaud received his Bachelor's degree in Philosophy from St. Francis College (now U. New England) in Biddeford, Maine. He also received two Master's degrees, one in Human Relations from Webster University and one in Strategic Studies from the Naval War College. John served in the military and became a United States Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel.

Michaud served as a Federal Agent for 25 years, working specifically in the Terrorism Division where he trained and led Special Protective Anti-Terrorism Squads. After retiring from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, John worked with the International Olympic Committee and was in charge of managing corporate security during the Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia. At the conclusion of the Games, he became a consultant to the Boston Police Academy.

After a year in Boston, John returned to Maine and entered the world of business where he worked for MBNA, first as Vice President in the Personnel Division followed by Vice President in the Telesales Division. He then began teaching as an adjunct professor at Andover College and has now joined Husson. John currently lives in Camden with his wife and their three dogs. John enjoys reading, writing, cooking and traveling.

I have been very fortunate in my professional career, always loving what I was doing, but for a long time I thought I would enjoy teaching. After being given the opportunity to teach here at Husson it became obvious that I had not realized how much. I hope to teach more than subject matter; my goal is to be part of developing well educated graduates from Husson. I want to challenge students to recognize multiple sides of issues and understand arguments that oppose their position. I believe that to be really successful in any profession students choose, they need to understand the why as well as the how. My students hear more than once "All words mean something" as I stress to them the necessity of understanding what words mean and the importance of using them correctly. One of the focuses of my classes is to ensure my students enjoy the process of education, as important as it is, it can also be fun.

Bill Read received his undergraduate degree in Business from American International College in Springfield, Massachusetts. He continued his education at the University of Connecticut, where he earned his Masters in Business. Returning again to American International College, Mr. Read earned his post-graduate degree in Business.

Bill Read is the Editor-in-Chief of the Business Law Review, a post he has held since 1968. The publication is read nation wide by over 600 subscribers. Professors of Business Law and Law are regular readers of the journal.

A long-standing professor, Bill Read has been in the classroom for four decades. He began teaching at Bay Path College in Massachusetts and also taught at Andover College before coming to Husson. He has led classes here for over 44 years. Business Management is a specialty course of his. Giving students a solid foundation, he often instructs the Introduction to Business courses at Husson. Most recently Professor Read has been at the helm of introducing new technologies in the classroom.

As a new student in business you will be taking Introduction to Business. This course is taught in real time. We will be following all the top business stories of the day.

Dr. Belinda Wee’s Ph.D. is in Education, with a specialization in Human Resource Development, from the University of Minnesota. Her Masters of Arts in Human Resources & Industrial Relations is from the Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota and her Bachelor of Science degree is in Restaurant, Hotel and Institutional Management from Purdue University. She had been an adjunct instructor with Husson University’s College of Business since 2010.

Dr. Wee’s field experience include being engaged in high level management positions in various large organizations that enjoy international presence, mainly as a human resource practitioner. She earned her place in those organizations by applying and demonstrating leadership and management skills in conceptualizing, communicating and over-seeing the execution of strategic plans to ensure that the areas under her lead consistently contribute value to the organization. Her portfolio encompassed corporate level responsibilities like crafting Human Resources Policies and Procedures to be implemented organization-wide. While working with a management company which had interests in various hotels in China and Australia, Dr Wee designed training and development modules for implementation in each of those hotels. Her pursuit of a career in the international hospitality sector led her to live and work in Singapore, Malaysia, the People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong, Australia and the United States.

The establishment of a Corporate Training Center that is located in Beijing, China for Holiday Inn, Worldwide is another feather in Dr Wee’s cap. Besides recruiting and training course facilitators for this corporate university, she was also involved in the development and teaching of some of the corporate university’s courses. She managed the hotel management company’s human resources in the China region, including the training and development needs of their 17 properties in China, Hong Kong and Macau then. During the course of her tenure, she also had the opportunity to be involved in the business development of the company and had participated in the various stages of marketing hotel management contracts to hotel/business owners in Asia.

While working on her doctorate degree, Dr. Wee co-founded an online business offering unique Chinese and Tibetan handmade arts and craft items. Her China-based business offered her the opportunity to deal with international businesses/customers throughout southeast and north Asia, Australia, Europe and also in the United States. Another entrepreneurial endeavor of Dr Wee’s is an outfit that provides automotive consultation and services that she co-founded with her husband. Dr Wee credits this business for having deepened her insight and understanding of the issues that surround business operators/owners here in America. Just before joining Husson University, Dr. Wee worked full time for the State of Maine.

Dr. Wee’s research interests are in the areas of expatriation, career development, motivation, mentoring, managing and optimizing organizational talent, international human resource management and development, organization development, amongst other topics. She keeps current on trends and best employer practices in the business arenas and actively participates in attending and presenting papers at conferences. She also serves as a peer reviewer for papers submitted to refereed journals and professional conferences.

Being involved in community service is Dr. Wee’s personal expression of “giving back” to the community. She actively volunteers and serves at her church’s outreach activities. She was also a volunteer supervisor at the Youth Activities & Drop-In (The YARD) in Hartland, Maine.

I passionately believe that my role in teaching is to be that of not just a facilitator, but also a coach, a manager, and a mentor to my students. People construct meanings and knowledge through their interactions with each other and with texts, carried through by reflective and critical thinking. An effective teacher is one who plays an important part in this construction stage of the learning process.

We often hear that knowledge is power. One of the responsibilities of a teacher is to prepare students for a productive and effective role in the society and I believe that the consequence of learning is the acquisition of not only knowledge, but of skills and attitudes too. People learn either because they are genuinely interested to know or they have to know in order to survive. The goal of instruction therefore, is to impart and provide knowledge or skills required by the students.

I truly believe that teachers can contribute positively to society through their students. Learning takes place both formally and informally. An energetic and motivated teacher is capable of bringing life to the students’ minds and imparting attitudes that have long lasting influence on lives. In my personal experience, I credit my undergraduate academic advisor, Professor Ray Dault, for having made significant impact on my adoption of the philosophy to always give my best effort in all my undertakings. He had also challenged me to go beyond efficiency and to become an effective person. Likewise, I would like to impart some of these values to my students by requiring them to always give their very best effort in their class assignments so that this practice will eventually become an integral part of them as they walk into their future. And I hope that they will find that the consistent giving of their personal best is one factor that contributes significantly towards their achievement of the success, in whatever form, that they seek.

Active learning can only take place when learning is literally seen as a verb and not a noun. As much as it is the responsibility of the teacher to teach, the onus to learn is on the students and they must have the desire to learn before learning can take place. My responsibility as a teacher would be to use a variety of teaching methods in my classes to cater to the diverse learning styles of students and to motivate their learning. I would take the class through the theoretical concepts and this would be followed by examples of application, as far as it is possible. My classrooms would be a place where there is commitment to dialogue so as to exchange ideas. Questions from students are earnestly encouraged because their questions represent inquisitive, engaged and interested minds. It is a fact that questions posed by learners show that reasoning or thinking is taking place, and therefore there is learning. I will attempt to answer questions posed by my students as completely and as accurately as I can. I will also stage my classes by posing questions to my students to check their understanding of the materials being taught.

Finally, it will be my responsibility as a teacher to ensure that although they will need to work hard, they may be surprised at how enjoyable the learning journey can turn out to be!

Gerald received his B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Cincinnati and worked as a Systems Engineer for a number of years in the paper industry. While there, he oversaw the applications development efforts and established a number of standards and guidelines for improving the quality of the software produced. He has been at Husson since 2001, originally as an adjunct faculty, sharing his passion for Information Technology. Several years ago, Gerald started his own computer consulting company where he was recognized as an Independent Software Vendor for his development work on a Windows Certified commercially available application. In addition, Microsoft recently presented him with two awards: the Microsoft Front Runner award, and the Microsoft Certified Partner award.

No other thing has done more to shape our lives over the last quarter century than computers. Data and technology are everywhere, and how we interact with it and use it continues to change at an unbelievable pace. I share my passion for Technology with my students and stress the importance of becoming lifetime learners. Teaching them to effectively leverage the current hardware and software helps prepare them for an I.T. job. Teaching them those skills that transcend technology; such as logic, critical thinking, problem solving, and most importantly communication; is equally if not more meaningful. It is these skills that will prepare them for an I.T. career.