Speakers

Dr. Stacy Bibelhauser, WKU Associate Professor of Accounting, specializes in the area of taxation. Her current research focuses primarily on individual tax compliance, tax policy implications, and ethical issues in tax and accounting. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in financial accounting and taxation. She is an active participant in the activities of the Department of Accounting, the Gordon Ford College of Business, and Western Kentucky University.   Dr. Bibelhauser is a CPA and a member of the American Accounting Association, the American Taxation Association, and the Kentucky Society of Certified Public Accountants. She has presented her research at the American Accounting Association's national meeting and has served as a reviewer for both the American Accounting Association and the American Taxation Association. In addition, she has served on several committees at the national and regional level for AAA and ATA. She has published in a number of journals including Tax Advisor, CPA Journal, and the Journal of Business and Behavioral Sciences. She has performed tax-consulting services for a number of individuals in the Bowling Green area and developed supplemental textbook materials for McGraw-Hill in the area of managerial accounting and taxation. She has a total of fourteen years of professional business experience with Touche Ross in public accounting, First National Bank as a Commercial Credit Analyst and Trainer, and spent eight years as co-owner of a farm supply business.

Dr. Mark Ciampa, WKU Professor of Information Systems, has authored over 25 technology textbooks covering areas such as computer security, computer networking, wireless data technologies, and health information technology.  His recent book Security+ Guide to Network Security Fundamentals 5e is the number one best seller in computer network security worldwide.  He has published over 20 articles in peer-reviewed journals and is a reviewer for security journals. Dr. Ciampa is a frequent speaker at regional and national publisher events, and recently conducted workshops for the National Security Agency (NSA) National Centers of Academic Excellence (CAE) in Cyber Defense as well as “Train-the-Trainer” instruction for the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA), a non-profit trade association that issues professional certifications for the IT industry.  He also writes a weekly blog on security that currently has a readership of over ten thousand followers.  Dr. Ciampa serves as a consultant for schools around the country on security and technology curriculum.  Prior to coming to WKU Dr. Ciampa was an Associate Professor and served as the Director of Academic Computing at Volunteer State Community College in Gallatin, Tennessee for 20 years, managing academic technology over five campuses spanning several different counties across Middle Tennessee.  Dr. Ciampa has worked in the IT industry as a computer consultant for various businesses and government agencies.  He serves on different boards and holds certifications in Security+ and HIT.

Dr. Dana Cosby, WKU MBA Program Director and Associate Professor, studies and presents guest lectures on Workplace Incivility with a special interest in the impact of human resource practices on the phenomenon. In addition, she has studied and published in the area of sustainability.  She has presented papers at the Academy for Human Resource Development and the Academic Business World International Conference.

In addition to her Ph. D., Dr. Cosby holds the designations of SHRM-SCP, SPHR (Senior Professional in Human Resources designations through the national Society for Human Resource Management), GPHR (Global Professional in Human Resources) and CCP (Certified Compensation Professional – designation earned through the national World at Work organization).  Her experience includes leadership roles in both private and public sectors. She held an executive role with a billion dollar multi-national organization with oversight for a number of corporate functions, including strategic planning, change management, risk management, compensation and benefits, training and organizational development, employee communications, and governmental affairs.  She has consulted and lectured on international management, most specifically, competency attainment, for programs serving organizations in Japan, Mexico, Canada, Russia, Austria, and Germany. Her consulting practice includes executive recruiting, coaching, and human resource development program design.

Dr. Melloney Simerly, who recently completed the requirements for CPA licensing, earned her Ph.D. in accounting at Virginia Commonwealth University after spending 10 years in industry. Her MBA and Bachelor of Science in Psychology are from Colorado State University. Dr. Simerly joined the faculty at Western Kentucky University in the fall of 2015 and currently holds the rank of Assistant Professor. Courses taught by Dr. Simerly include financial accounting principles and managerial cost accounting.

Dr. Simerly’s research interests involve the importance that firms place on the non-financial aspects of conducting business. She has conducted studies that investigate the link between corporate social responsibility and outcomes that are external to the organization, such as auditing results and investor reaction. In addition, Dr. Simerly conducts research examining the antecedents of using non-financial performance measures in compensation contracts. She also has interests in educational research for accounting courses. Dr. Simerly is a member of the American Accounting Association and regularly participates in the managerial section conferences. She is also member of Beta Alpha Psi and Beta Gamma Sigma.