Jeff Leopold 

Block 1 & 2 Visitor

Teaching BB110 Driving Impact Through Product and Project Management and BU225 International Business Management

About Jeff Leopold

Jeff Leopold teaches Project and Product Management and International Business Management. He has taught additional business courses including Strategic Management and Foundations of Commerce at the University of Virginia, University of Richmond, Virginia Commonwealth University, and the Darden School of Business at UVA. He also recently served as faculty for Semester at Sea. He has taught all years of undergraduate students, MBA, and Executive MBA students. He also served as a career advisor and Assistant Dean of the Career Development Center at Darden. Jeff has developed a reputation for being an engaged and highly committed teacher who considers his office hours to be “whenever he is not in the classroom.” He is always interested in spending time with students to discuss the course, careers, or to chat about life.

Before his time in academia, Jeff pursued a multi-decade business career in strategy, operations, marketing, and consulting with roles at Capital One, Genworth Financial, Circuit City, IBM, and CSC Index. He enjoys bringing his corporate experience into the classroom by sharing relevant stories and lessons learned. He finds that the intersection of business experience with academia creates engagement, excitement, and realism. His classroom is highly interactive and energetic.

Jeff received his B.S.E. in Economics and Finance from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and his M.B.A. in Strategy and Organizational Behavior from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

BU110: Driving Impact Through Product and Project Management

This course offers a comprehensive exploration of project and product management, emphasizing the importance of driving impact. Students across disciplines will learn the essential skills to successfully execute projects, from initiation and planning to execution, monitoring, and control. The course will delve into the critical aspects of project management methodologies, such as Agile and Waterfall, and provide practical insights into stakeholder management, risk management, quality assurance, and team collaboration. Additionally, students will gain a deep understanding of product management principles, including market research, product strategy, road mapping, and product launch. The course will highlight the significance of user-centric design, data-driven decision-making, and iterative development in creating innovative products. By focusing on impact-driven approaches, students will learn to align projects and products with strategic goals, measure success, and deliver outcomes that create lasting value and impact.

BU225: International Business Managment

Dramatic advances throughout the world are driving the globalization of business: information technology, communication, transportation, and the global supply chain, to name a few. While opportunities for international commerce have never been greater, the challenges are substantial. An understanding of international business is essential in today’s interdependent, global world. This course will provide the knowledge and ability to understand the macro (political, cultural, technological, micro (marketing, operations, human resources, and strategic elements (positioning, competition, leadership, value proposition) required for global success. The course will challenge you to develop a more comprehensive understanding of how the global environment affects management decisions.

Janet Brugger 

Block 3 Visitor

Teaching BU110: Building Economic Ecosystems for Black and Women-Owned Businesses

About Janet Brugger

Janet Brugger is CEO of JBrugger Consulting which specializes in strategic planning, organizational development and change, and leadership coaching. Janet currently is an Adjunct Instructor at Pikes Peak State College and a Lead Business Navigator with Colorado Enterprise Fund. In addition, Janet served four years as President of the board of directors of the Colorado Springs Black Chamber of Commerce.  

Janet has over 25 years’ experience in leadership positions in a wide variety of industries however her passion is giving entrepreneurs the education and guidance they need to be competitive in the current economic environment and as successful business owners. Janet’s current area of research and interest is the development of a sustainable and supportive economic ecosystem for the support of black and woman-owned small businesses.

In addition to serving on local boards, Janet has recently been named to the Leadership Council of the National Small Business Association where she will be working to promote the interests of small business to policymakers in Washington, D.C.  Her area of focus will be on economic policies that affect small and minority businesses.

Janet received her B.S. in Social and Behavioral Sciences and M.S. in Management/HR Organizational Development from University of Maryland College Park.    

BU110: Building Economic Ecosystems for Black and Women-Owned Businesses

Social entrepreneurship and business ownership—particularly among black and women-owned businesses—can be a crucial way to develop community wealth, for both business owners and the people they employ.  By examining current business ecosystems, this course will explore the systemic barriers that hinder black and women-owned businesses’ efforts to ideate, start and sustain a business. We will explore how the concept of social enterprises through partnerships with public-, private-, and social-sector stakeholders can develop a supportive economic environment for black and women-owned businesses.

Tim Nguyen

Half Block Visitor

Teaching BU111: Personal Financial Planning

About Tim Nguyen

Tim Nguyen has taught business, economics, finance, and public policy at numerous esteemed colleges and universities across the U.S., including Wesleyan University, University of Vermont, University of Chicago, Johns Hopkins University, and Middlebury College. He has worked primarily in investment management and healthcare service delivery for the past two decades.

BU111: Personal Financial Planning

The study of the development and implementation of a personal financial and investment program. Includes analysis of budgeting and tax planning, managing liquidity, financing large purchases, protecting assets and income, analyzing investment information, examining alternative investment types, and investing money for retirement. There is no enrollment limit to this course and it is graded Pass/Fail only.

Paul Hurt 

Block 7 & 8 Visitor

Teaching BU225: Interm. Topics: The Business of Conservation

About Paul Hurt

Paul Hurt 75' served as the Deputy General Counsel for The Conservation Fund since 2001. The Conservation Fund is in the business of conservation, creating innovative solutions that drive nature-based action for climate protection, sustainable economies and vibrant communities. As Deputy General Counsel, Paul proveded legal and business support to the full range of program's including the Working Forest Fund and Natural Capital Investment Fund (a Treasury regulated Community Development Financial Institution providing capital to small businesses engaged in the sustainable use of natural resources, primarily in rural communities). He has extensive experience with real property acquistions, conservation dispositions to federal, state, and local government agencies and local land trusts, conservation easements, and federal income taxation. 

BU225: Interm. Topics: The Business of Conservation

This course explores topics in conservation, including what to conserve and how to accomplish it, techniques and strategies, legal structures, economic and business opportunities and constraints, and wider impacts on communities. Emphasis on discussion and both actual and hypothetical case studies.

BU110: Sustainable Agriculture and Business

A primary focus on the sustainability of industrial agricultural practices that dominate U.S. food production, with an opportunity also to examine the impact of agricultural practices on social issues such as public health, nutrition and food insecurity. The course will focus on such topics as: What makes an agricultural system sustainable or unsustainable; characteristics of American (and, increasingly, world wide) “industrial” agriculture; environmental impacts of industrial agriculture; social impacts of industrial farming, apart from environmental impacts; and models of more sustainable agriculture / agroecology

Melanie Auguste 

Half Block Visitor

Teaching BU110: Intro Topics: The Economics of Women in Sports

About Melanie Auguste

Auguste, who was a four-year starter on the women’s basketball team and received the Josten’s Award for Most Outstanding Player in DIII in her senior year, is now Vice President of Global Brand Narrative, Purpose, and Athlete Marketing for Nike. As such, she is responsible for driving Nike’s brand strategy and advertising with Nike’s most iconic athletes.

BU110: Introductory Topics: The Economics of Women in Sports

This is a course that explores the principles of sports economics through the lens of Women’s Sports to understand the impact that changing dynamics in society, technology, and media can have on business models. We will start by looking at the historical economics and growth of women’s sports landscape and then dissect what has happened over the last couple of years – Women’s World Cup, Women’s March Madness, etc. – to identify what has driven the change in tide and where do we think it will go. Additionally, the format of the course would be designed to reflect being in modern day business environments – digesting shifting information, developing a point-of-view, and communicating a recommendation