September 2026 Desk of the Dean
September 2026 From the Desk of the Dean
Sincerely,
Dr. Amit Ghosh
Dean
College of Business & Technology
From Curiosity to Career
What leads a student to choose accounting? For Georgia College alumnus Jamie Snider ('09), the decision came down to seeing real-world success firsthand.
From General Business to Accounting Strategy
When Jamie began his academic journey, he anticipated entering general management, manufacturing, or operations. Like many incoming business students, he recognized his interest in how organizations run, but lacked a specific focal point. His perspective changed through exposure to an experienced CFO. Watching the stability and structure of a senior financial executive's career turned accounting from a practical subject into a tangible and rewarding path.
Building the Foundation at Georgia College
A Milledgeville native, Snider chose Georgia College for both his bachelor's and master's degrees in accounting. He credits the program's small cohort and professors like Tom Moore and Catherine Whelan with a level of connection he still draws on today. "It wasn't like going into a class with 300 people you don't know," he said.
Rising Through the Ranks
After graduation, Snider spent three years at a CPA firm in Atlanta before returning home in 2009 to join Zschimmer & Schwarz, then a client of his firm. He started as accounting manager and steadily rose through controller and director of finance to his current role: Regional Director of Finance, overseeing three legal entities and three manufacturing facilities across Georgia, Kentucky, and Massachusetts.
The Skill Nobody Taught Him
Snider didn't set out to be a communicator. He came into accounting seeing it as a defined, technical trade — a specific skill you master and apply. A few years in, he realized the real value wasn't just producing a P&L or balance sheet. It was noticing operating inefficiencies buried in the numbers, then walking across the hall to explain them to colleagues in plain terms.
"If you can explain to someone what the financials are telling you, rather than what the financials say, you are way ahead of a lot of people," he said.
Key Insights for Future Leaders
Jamie's path from undecided business student to financial leader offers a few lessons for current Georgia College students:
- Inspiration comes from everywhere. Keep an eye out for professionals whose work ethic and achievements inspire you.
- Accounting is a gateway. A strong foundation in financial fundamentals opens doors across many areas of business.
- Embrace the pivot. It's completely normal to change direction once you find something that fits your long-term goals.
Path Forward
For current students, Snider's guidance is simple: picture the life you want years down the road, then get honest about what it takes to build it. By staying observant, seeking out mentors, and leaning into new opportunities, finding your calling becomes a natural part of the Georgia College experience.
Beyond the Classroom: Professor Sorovigas’s Global Journey Through Business, Law, and Education
From Nafplion to the Classroom
Professor Sorovigas was born in Nafplion, in southern Greece, where he finished high school, played semiprofessional soccer, and competed as a track and field athlete. Growing up in a small coastal farm town surrounded by citrus, pistachio, and olive groves, he never imagined the journey would one day lead him to the front of a university lecture hall in the United States. As a first-generation college graduate who arrived in the country as an international student, he built a career grounded in a truly global perspective on business, law, ethics, and finance.
A Career Built Across Disciplines
For over twenty years, Professor Sorovigas has shaped the minds of future business leaders, teaching courses in business law, international business, ethics, and finance. That academic career is matched by an unusually diverse professional background spanning multiple industries:
- Athletics: Nearly 20 years as a soccer referee and referee instructor, cultivating split-second decision-making, neutrality, and authoritative communication under pressure.
- Technology: Nearly 14 years as a software developer, mastering analytical problem-solving, project management, and systems thinking.
- Law & Entrepreneurship: Co-founding and operating a restaurant while navigating law school, then co-founding and serving as a partner in a four-member boutique law firm for over six years.
Lessons Beyond the Classroom
This blend of immigrant resilience, athletic discipline, tech savvy, entrepreneurial hustle, and legal expertise defines Professor Sorovigas's teaching philosophy. By bridging theoretical frameworks with the practical realities of the global business environment, he continues to push students to look beyond conventional boundaries.
Finding His Way to Teaching
His first taste of the classroom came in the mid-1990s, when he volunteered through his employer to teach JA Our City®, a Junior Achievement program introducing third graders to the basics of community, collaboration, and economics. Not long after, he was tapped to help train his company's employees on Windows 95 during its upgrade from DOS.
Preparing Students for a Global Marketplace
A firm believer in the value of a liberal arts education, Professor Sorovigas is dedicated to preparing students for a world where no business is purely domestic. At GCSU, he introduced Business Law, Ethics, and Sustainability in Emerging Global Marketplace, a study abroad program in Greece he originally developed and directed roughly nine years ago at his previous institution. The program gives students the international experience they need to sharpen their global business skills and pursue diverse career opportunities. He emphasizes creative, independent research in his courses — a philosophy captured in his motto:
Non est gravis scire omnium responsum — est gravis scire reperire illum.
(It is not important to know all the answers — it is important to know how to find them.)
“Google Is the Point of Entry, Not the Final Destination”
It's a favorite classroom reminder for students navigating research and unfiltered information: "Google is the point of entry, but not the final destination."
Professor Sorovigas holds an A.S. in Computers & Business Applications and a B.S. in Computer Systems Management from Johnson & Wales University; an M.B.A. in International Business from the Alan Shawn Feinstein Graduate School at Johnson & Wales University; and a J.D. with a concentration in litigation from Western Michigan University Cooley Law School. Outside the classroom, he's been an avid apiarist for nearly 20 years, an enthusiastic cyclist, and a devoted traveler who treasures time with his teenage twin boys.
Dr. Haima Abudu, Assistant Professor of Logistics and Supply Chain Management
Dr. Abudu earned her Ph.D. in Transportation and Logistics from North Dakota State University, where she developed a passion for understanding how supply chains respond to disruption. Her research explores supply chain resilience and emerging transportation issues, including autonomous maritime vessels and their implications for global trade. At GCSU, she teaches logistics and supply chain courses and works to help students connect classroom concepts to the real decisions businesses make every day.
Her decision to join GCSU came down to how welcomed she felt during her campus visit. "The faculty members I met were generous with their time and open about their experiences here," she said. "That gave me a sense that this was a community where colleagues support one another." She's looking forward to building relationships with students and colleagues as she settles into the Logistics and Supply Chain Management program.
Mr. Colin Adams, PhD Candidate, Lecturer of Finance
A GCSU alumnus, Colin Adams is returning to the university that shaped his career. As an undergraduate, he worked as a Supplemental Instruction Leader and co-published research with Dr. Brent Evans through the MURACE program. These were the early experiences that pointed him toward teaching. He's now finishing his Ph.D. in Economics at Florida State University, with research spanning labor economics, education, and crime economics. This semester he'll teach Personal Finance and Money and Banking.
"Georgia College gave me the education, mentorship, and opportunities that set my whole career in motion," he said. Milledgeville is also home — he has close friends and family in the area, and he's glad to be back near the lake. Outside the classroom, he's a devoted NASCAR and Formula One fan and enjoys video games like The Last of Us.
Mr. Peter Burnett, PhD Candidate, Lecturer of Finance
Peter Burnett earned his MBA from the University of Mississippi and is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Finance there, with a background that also includes psychology and economics. His path to academia wound through teaching swim lessons as a teenager, working with special education students, and several years as a manager, accountant, and financial analyst — experiences that ultimately drew him back to graduate school and toward teaching.
At Ole Miss, he taught Corporate Finance, Investments, and Financial Markets and Institutions, with an emphasis on critical thinking and practical, real-world application. His research centers on behavioral finance, including investor behavior and socially responsible investing. Outside of work, Peter and his wife Jessica, married since 2013, are raising four children, with the youngest just two months old, and he enjoys sharing his love of sports, reading, and video games with them.
Ms. Lauren Deen, Lecturer of Business Communications
A proud Georgia College alumna, Lauren Deen earned both her BBA in Marketing and her MBA on this campus, making her return especially meaningful. Her career spans more than 30 years in higher education, including roles in financial aid, alumni relations, university advancement, and workforce development — most recently as a Senior Financial Aid Specialist at Georgia Military College. She has taught business communications, economics, personal finance, and more.
"What I enjoy most about teaching is helping students develop the communication and professional skills they'll use throughout their careers," she said. A lifelong Milledgeville resident, Lauren has long been active in the local community, including service on the Georgia College Alumni Association Board of Directors. She lives in Milledgeville with her husband, Jeff, and their two sons, Drew and Joel.
Dr. Behzad Esmaeilian, Assistant Professor of Management
Dr. Esmaeilian earned his Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering and Management Systems from the University of Central Florida and previously taught at Tuskegee University, Western New England University, and Northern Illinois University. His research spans supply chain and operations management, artificial intelligence, sustainability, and the circular economy, and has drawn more than 3,700 citations, with several papers recognized among the most cited in their journals.
This semester, he's teaching Applied Business Statistics and Business Analytics, aiming to make quantitative methods approachable, especially for students who don't yet feel comfortable with numbers. "I enjoy bringing real business examples into the classroom and showing students how what they learn can solve actual problems," he said. He's especially interested in helping students understand how AI and analytics are reshaping business.
Dr. JD Lee, Lecturer of Management
JD Lee earned his Ph.D. from George Washington University and an MBA from the University of Rochester. Before entering academia, he worked as a financial analyst at a bank in Korea, an experience that grounds the business statistics, economics, and finance courses he now teaches. He lives in Macon and, outside of work, enjoys reading and walking.
Family brought JD to GCSU, and he's looking forward to building his place within the College of Business & Technology and the wider university community.
Dr. Gaoxiang (Shawn) Li, Assistant Professor of Computer Science
Shawn Li completed his graduate studies at Texas Tech University in May 2026, building on earlier work at Auburn University and Shandong Normal University. His research sits at the intersection of hardware security, machine learning, and artificial intelligence, focusing on Physical Unclonable Functions and their vulnerabilities to AI-driven modeling attacks — work that's been published in several high-impact journals. Last year, his dedication to teaching earned him the Graduate Part-Time Instructor of the Year award.
"It was the people," he said of his decision to come to GCSU. "From my very first interaction with the department, I felt a strong sense of community and collaboration you don't find everywhere." He and his wife are excited to settle into Milledgeville and become part of the campus community.
Dr. Cindy Lippard, Assistant Professor of Management
Dr. Lippard completed her Doctorate in Business Administration at UNC Charlotte in May 2026, studying what helps entrepreneurial ventures succeed and endure. Her background also includes an MBA from the University of South Carolina's Darla Moore School of Business and a B.S. in Biology from Winthrop University, a mix that shapes how she approaches project management, entrepreneurship, and evidence-based decision-making.
"I chose Georgia College because it's a small liberal arts institution that values close connection, meaningful teaching, and student-centered engagement," she said. Having founded and led organizations in both consulting and education, she brings a strong belief that education should prepare students not just for careers, but to think critically and lead with integrity.
AACSB
All B.B.A. majors, BS Economics, BS Finance, and all graduate programs in the College of Business & Technology are accredited by AACSB International.
ABET
