Meet the Faculty

Karen Druffel is an Associate Professor at Framingham State University in the Department of Management and Business & IT. Before joining Framingham State in 2003, she worked as a technology consultant and project manager for clients including Chase and Wells Fargo banks, eTrade, and GE.

She earned a BA from the University of Illinois, an MS from Northwestern University McCormack College of Engineering, and a JD from DePaul University.

Her areas of research include team dissensus in student teams, the effect of technology on moral disengagement, and corporate social responsibility in global supply chains.

Dick has decades of experience in strategic marketing, product management, and operations. He is currently a Director at Joppa Global Marketing. Prior to Joppa, he was the President and COO of NextChoice where he was responsible for the overall direction and day-to-day operations of the company. Prior to NextChoice, Dick held executive positions at technology companies in the New England Area, including VP level positions at TotalView Technologies, HighStreet Networks, and NetSilicon. He also spent over 20 years at Compaq/Digital, rising to Director level, where he developed and led marketing programs for several industries, and led teams that delivered a complete portfolio of software, networking, Information Technology and management products. Dick holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from Northeastern University and a Masters of Business Administration from Suffolk University.
 

Dr. Percy Chinoy is a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Graduate and Continuing Education where he has taught courses such as Marketing Principles and Analytical Tools for Managers for the past ten years. 

Percy holds a full-time position as Senior Director, Business Development at XG Sciences where he is responsible for driving business strategy, partner alliances, new business opportunities, and sales pipeline for graphene nanotechnology across a broad range of markets.

Percy has over 25 years of experience in companies such as American Superconductor, Parker Hannifin, Rohm and Haas, and Tyco Electronics, developing new markets, commercializing new technologies and products, growing revenue, and building cross-cultural business relationships across the US, Europe and Asia.  Percy is passionate about teaching and using his extensive work experience to enrich his students’ learnings.    

Percy earned his Ph.D. in Chemical and Electrical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, NY and MBA from Boston College.

Percy is a huge fan of the Red Sox, Patriots, Bruins and Celtics.  Percy loves tennis and has played competitively on several Boston-area club teams.  He has enjoyed travelling across the US, Europe and Asia and getting to know the local people, culture, food and of course, the business environment. 

Damon J. Borrelli is an assistant clerk magistrate at Stoughton District Court.  A graduate of Boston College (B.S. cum laude), Suffolk University (J.D. cum laude), and Framingham State University (M.B.A.), he has taught at Framingham since 2015.  Mr. Borrelli’s courses, which study the intersection of law and business, are informed by his expertise as a practitioner and as a published author. 

A practicing attorney for over twenty years, his legal work has included international and domestic asset management.  As an assistant clerk magistrate, he coordinates civil and criminal court sessions, designs and implements information technology systems, and participates in district court committees.  He works to provide all the court’s clients with access to the information and expertise that ensures justice.  He has also held elective and appointed offices, in local and in state government, as well as professional associations, which have centered on financial management, economic development, and judicial reform. 

Mr. Borrelli’s publications have addressed issues in international law; criminal law; and patent and trademark law.  In 2012, the Bar Association of Norfolk County recognized his contributions with their lifetime achievement award for pro bono work.

Kenneth W. Kerber is an organizational psychologist, educator and the founder of Kerber & Associates, a consulting and training business focused on delivering powerful human resource development solution for individuals, teams and organizations. In addition to Framingham State University, he is also part-time faculty member in the D'Amore-McKim Graduate School of Business at Northeastern University in Boston and the McCallum Graduate School of Business at Bentley University in Waltham, Massachusetts.  His specialties include facilitating organizational change, increasing organizational change capacity, developing leaderful organizations, enhancing management capability, building high performance co-located and virtual teams, strengthening emotional intelligence, improving interpersonal communication, and implementing executive coaching. 

Experience

Kenneth W. Kerber started Kerber & Associates in 2003 and has consulted with more than 60 corporations in a variety of industries, including high technology, education, transportation and environmental consulting, biotechnology, medical instruments, insurance, and banking. Prior to starting his business, Ken was the director of training and development at 3Com Corporation in the computer networking industry. Before 3Com, he was the director of training and organizational development at Chipcom Corporation, also in the computer industry.

Education

Kenneth W. Kerber holds a PhD and an MA in psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is a member of the American Psychological Association (APA), the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP), and the Association for Talent Development (ATD). He has published more than 20 articles and book chapters, most recently focused on the rhythm of change leadership.

As CEO of a mid-sized international industrial firm, Bill Carroll managed through nearly every internal and external challenge a commercial enterprise can face. The abrupt exit of the company founder and the sale of the company to a German shareholder set the stage for his assumption of the company’s leadership – a situation made fortuitous by Carroll’s having managed every major function in the company.  A subsequent joint venture merged the company with its industry rival, spurring a host of integration and culture issues to be managed. Although most mergers fail to achieve their intended ends, Carroll’s company increased both market share and profitability.  The economic crisis of 2008 slashed the top line by 35% and forced Carroll’s parent company into receivership, but notwithstanding multiple crises, no debt was incurred and profitability was still attained.

As a beneficiary of management experience ranging from a Fortune 100 to an Inc. 500 firm, Carroll underpins his instruction with perspective gained from 20+ years of international experience, including foreign assignments in Hong Kong, Japan, and Latin America.

Bill Carroll Business Coaching LLC has since its inception three years ago been supporting multiple company leadership teams here and in the United Kingdom with core challenges spanning strategy, operations, new business development, innovation and finance.

In addition to his regular and widely read Leadership and business management blog on LinkedIn, Carroll has developed and taught MBA and undergraduate Leadership courses at Framingham State University and Tufts University. His other MBA work at Hult International Business School involves coaching student teams in solving real world business issues presented by some of the world’s most influential enterprises. In 2015 his teams’ solutions were selected by Philips and IBM from among dozens of alternative worldwide competitors.

An alumnus of Framingham State University, Carroll holds an M.A. from the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy at Tufts University. He is presently developing a virtual business coaching book draft entitled “The Business in Your Life, Your Life in Business”.

Al has a long career in accounting and business management working in diverse industries including high technology, medical devices, electrical generation, non-profit organizations, shoe manufacturing and jewelry manufacturing and distribution.   As a specialist in managerial accounting he has advanced through accounting and administrative fields holding such positions as Business Manager, Vice President of Finance and Administration and Operations Controller. He serves as an adjunct professor on the faculty of Assumption College in Worcester, MA where he instructs Finance and Accounting courses. He is also a Consultant with AdaptivePro, helping businesses improve financial planning efficiency and productivity using cloud-based corporate performance measurement and business intelligence systems. Al has a BA from The College of the Holy Cross and an MBA from Babson College.

Ivan Fernandez has been a visiting lecturer of Economics and Finance at Framingham State University since 2002, as well as other institutions in the area. Originally from Spain, he is a graduate of 1999 from Framingham State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics with a minor in Mathematics. Upon graduating from FSU Ivan directly consulted for the Spanish Under Secretary of Education.  Ivan then attended Brandeis University International Business School where he graduated with a degree in International Economics and Finance.

After graduating from Brandeis, Ivan joined Fidelity Investments as an Analyst in their Defined Benefit Implementation division, where he had the opportunity to work with large corporations such as PepsiCo, Ford Motor Company, and Colt Firearms. In 2004, Ivan returned to Spain to head up a series of projects for Pullmans Llaneza, a leading transit and logistics company located in Northern Spain with operations across the European Union and northern Africa.

In 2006, Ivan returned to Boston and joined Blue Cross Blue Shield of MA to lead a team of analysts which assessed the impact of the Massachusetts Health Care Reform on existing products.  After completion of the assessment, Ivan has since been working as a Research Analyst for the Market Planning and Product Innovation group where he currently focuses on quantitative analysis, competitive intelligence, and strategic planning.

Ivan has taught undergraduate macroeconomics and microeconomics and currently teaches FINA 929 Financial Management and QUAN 905 Managerial Science.

Mr. Fong is an experienced marketing professional and educator.  He teaches strategic marketing for Framingham State.  In addition to his teaching role, Mr. Fong is the Founding Director for the University Professional and Continuing Education Association's Center for Research and Consulting.  In past roles, he has served as Director of Marketing, Planning and Research for a major university; Director of Research for an advertising and marketing firm and worked for a variety of consulting and research firms.  Mr. Fong has taught graduate and undergraduate courses in marketing, research and the competitive environment.  He has authored many articles on marketing continuing and online education for a number of academic journals including the International Handbook of Distance Education, the Continuing and Higher Education Review, ACHE Journal and Continuing Education in Colleges and Universities.

Bruce is currently the North American Sales Manager at QED Technologies, responsible for business development and product sales into commercial and government markets.  QED Technologies designs and builds high precision CNC systems for the manufacturing of high precision optics that are required in semiconductor fabrication, laser energy systems and space and airborne imaging.  

Bruce has developed his teaching credentials over the past several years as a guest entrepreneurship-business instructor/lecturer at the University of Rochester and Emerson College. In addition, he has worked with the National Science Foundation's I-Corp and SBIR/STTR programs as well as VentureWell.  From his professional experience as an Optical Engineer and Sales Executive, Bruce has focused on "Effective Entrepreneurship Sales" or simply said, why is it so hard to sell something new and how to get there quickly.   Bruce has had the good fortune of having outstanding mentors  from his early days at Texas Instruments through start-up opportunities at Cognex, Genuity and Advanced Electron Beams.  When people ask him what he does,  his simply replies, "I am a professional problem solver with a keen eye for economics and revenue".

Bruce spent his formative years working for Texas Instruments - Electro Optics Division as an Optical Engineer and Manufacturing Manager, where he developed a strong foundation for both the design and manufacturer of electro-optics imaging systems.  He  received his BS in Optical Engineering from the University of Rochester where he was a  DIVIII NCAA intercollegiate football athlete.   Bruce also received his MBA  from the University of Dallas Braniff School of Management.

Jake Gerstein has over 20 years of experience as a senior executive and IT leader in the financial, aviation, and professional services sectors.  He obtained a Master's of Science in Software Engineering from DePaul University and studied history at Johns Hopkins University, writing his thesis on Black Republican political power in post-Reconstruction Mississippi.  He is a member of the Society for Information Management (SIM) and holds certifications in cloud solution architecture, Scrum methodology, and the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL).
 
Jake has presented on cloud computing solutions, and their financial and business applications, at industry conferences and community events. When not working, he practices Thai kickboxing, mentors Chicago high school students through the Chicago Scholars program, and exhibits highly mercurial reading habits.  He is currently undertaking his most important project: starting a family with his wife, AnJelique, in the Chicago area. 

Dr. Jorge Riveras is an Assistant Professor teaching Strategic Management and International Business courses.  Dr. Riveras became interested in Academia after working for more than two decades in global business and is a true believer of bringing real-world experience to the classroom.
Prior to Framingham State University, Dr. Riveras served as an adjunct professor and visiting assistant professor at Suffolk University, an Instructor in Harvard Summer School as well as a Teaching Fellow and a guest lecturer in Boston College, UMASS Boston, Framingham State University, Plymouth State University, and Southern New Hampshire University. Dr. Riveras is particularly interested in the areas of globalization, strategic alliances, sales management, and the political impact on business. He founded a company in Venezuela, which represented global manufacturers of analytical instruments for QC and research fields. He has also served as International Sales Manager and Vice President – Director of Sales and Marketing for a Massachusetts-based technology firm.  Dr. Riveras has developed strategic alliances, negotiated contracts, created promotional material, and conducted market research. Dr. Riveras has experience with training a global sales force and has presented seminars on business and technology in more than 30 countries. Dr. Riveras is bilingual in English and Spanish, has a working knowledge of Portuguese, and has traveled to more than 60 countries.

Dr. Riveras earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the Universidad Central de Venezuela, an MBA from Suffolk University, and his PhD in International Business from Southern New Hampshire University. Dr. Riveras teaches MGMT 968 Managing in a Global Environment.

Fahlino Sjuib is a Professor of Economics and the Chair of the Department of Economics at Framingham State University (FSU).  He is also currently served as the Co-Director of MetroWest Economic Research Center (MERC) at FSU.  He received his Ph.D. in Economics from Kansas State University.  His research is focusing on empirical macroeconomics and financial economics.  His recent works have appeared in Journal of Business and Economics Research, International Research Journal of Finance and Economics, and Empirical Economics Letter.  He had served as a Senior Macroeconomic Advisor for the Australia Indonesia Partnership for Economic Governance (AIPEG).  In his role at AIPEG, he provided technical support and analyses on fiscal policy and financial development issues in Indonesia.  Prior to that, he served as a member of Indonesia-Japan Economic Cooperation Working Team, funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).  As a member of the team, he prepared a policy study on monetary and macroeconomic policies in Indonesia.  Dr. Sjuib teaches Economic Analysis course. 

Jamie received his earliest business education at Weiss Instruments, a family-owned manufacturer of temperature and pressure equipment sine 1882, where he learned everything from manufacturing to inventory to quality control to accounting. More recently, he served as vice president of New Product Development of Weiss Controls, the company’s international joint venture, directing the launch of new nine consumer products and medical devices in three years. He founded and co-managed The Task Group • Boston and has served clients as diverse as the Harris Corporation, Rainin Instruments, Stromberg-Carlson, The Boston Globe, and New York Newsday.

Dr. Weiss was a Senior Consultant for Kepner-Tregoe, Inc. from 1992 until 2012, where he worked in all of he company’s practices, from Financial Services to Manufacturing to IT to Life Sciences. At KT, as both a senior technical consultant and a client relationship manager, he worked with clients on turning around their operations and transforming their organizations, whether through strategy formulation, innovation, process and performance improvement, or cultural transformation. His work has ranged across optimal product portfolio development, strategic project and program management, strategy development and implementation, complexity reduction, and building a culture of innovation and service. He has worked with all levels of organizations, from the shop-floor to the boardroom, and while his strategic focus has been on Life Sciences clients like Pfizer, Merck, Becton-Dickinson, and Covidien, he also works with clients as diverse as FedEx, Navistar Trucks, TVA, BJC Hospital Corporation, and JP Morgan Chase.

A frequent contributor to business publications and on-line journals, Jamie often writes on human performance, advanced issue resolution, and organization development issues. Jamie has been Six Sigma Black Belt trained, and was KT’s primary resource for complex root-cause and decision analysis facilitation. On top of his field responsibilities, Jamie was also Co-Managing Director of KT / North America. He was named KT’s worldwide Basic Beliefs Award Winner in 2003.

He is currently managing The Task Group Boston, contracting with a wide array of clients, and writing.

Jamie attended Colgate University, received his bachelor of arts degree from Vassar College, and received a doctorate of philosophy in experimental cognitive psychology and psycholinguistics from the University of Chicago. He resides in Massachusetts with his wife, Diane, a labor and delivery nurse, and their two children.