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Faculty Spotlight

  • Alex Sherm, DBA, MS
  • Andrea Proctor, MA
  • Bob Cañete, MBA
  • David Johnson, PhD
  • Joseph Siegmund, PhD
  • Sanaz Tehrani, PhD
  • Vahick Yedgarian, PhD

Alex Sherm

Listen to understand, not respond; lead with strategy; and recognize that life is business.

My teaching and leadership are guided by two core principles. First, “Listen to understand, not respond.” This emphasizes the importance of intentional listening, critical thinking, and informed decision-making. Second, “Life is business.” This reflects the idea that strategic thinking, accountability, and value creation extend beyond organizations into everyday life, shaping how individuals lead and make decisions.

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Andrea Proctor

If you asked my third-grade teacher, Mrs. Nelson, she’d tell you I talked way too much in class. Surprise, Mrs. Nelson, I turned that “habit” into a career!

As your Department Chair and Professor of Gen Ed here at IAU, my world revolves around my favorite subjects: people and culture. My absolute favorite part of the job? Celebrating you. I’m constantly inspired by the incredible diversity and energy our students bring to the table, and I’m so grateful for an administration that feels like a true partnership!

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Bob Cañete

My story is not about finishing quickly. It is about moving forward with clarity, faith, and determination.

To my students, I always say this: your life is not a race against others. It is a responsibility to maximize what God has entrusted to you. You may start slow. You may face setbacks. But if you stay committed, if you continue to grow, and if you refuse to give up, you will get there.

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David Johnson

I was homeless during a period of my life with no family, and I was broke, so I understand the isolation that many students may have. I can empathize.

School has NEVER been about how smart is a person, but it is about work and grinding it out. That has not changed for many, many decades. If you put in the work, you will be rewarded not just with a degree, but with a skillset that will make you successful.

Read more

 

Joseph Siegmund

It is amazing to realize the capacity of the human being and our ability to find balance in our lives.

When reflecting on the journey of the past 7 years, a journey through academics, work, family and faith, it is amazing to realize the capacity of the human being and our ability to find balance in our lives. I completed my Ph.D. in Business Administration from Northcentral University in April 2017, a journey which included many challenges of managing full time employment, raising 3 children, balancing my relationship with my wife and during my final steps, caring for and saying goodbye to my father and grandmother.

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Sanaz Tehrani

My journey is not merely a sequence of events; it is a deliberate design process.

As an engineer, management scholar, and researcher, I have learned that life, like a complex system, requires more than just technical precision. It requires the structural integrity of resilience and the guiding light of wisdom.

I believe that while life presents us with friction and resistance, these are not system failures. They are the very forces that forge our strength.

Read more

 

Vahick Yedgarian

Everything I do today is inextricably linked to my past and our family values. Everything.

I have faced revolution, war, property losses, financial disasters, and difficulties, but they all made me a “tough guy”. None of these, however, made me tough enough to face my darling wife’s unexpected life-threatening illness: cancer. Despite her health condition, she supported me to continue my studies. I vividly remember sitting in her doctor’s office while the doctor explained her findings to us. All this “tough guy” could do was cry!

Read more

 

Alex Sherm, DBA, MS

Alex Sherm Journey

Listen to understand, not respond; lead with strategy; and recognize that life is business.

My teaching and leadership are guided by two core principles. First, “Listen to understand, not respond.” This emphasizes the importance of intentional listening, critical thinking, and informed decision-making. Second, “Life is business.” This reflects the idea that strategic thinking, accountability, and value creation extend beyond organizations into everyday life, shaping how individuals lead and make decisions.

Read more

Andrea Proctor, MA

Andrea Proctor Journey

If you asked my third-grade teacher, Mrs. Nelson, she’d tell you I talked way too much in class. Surprise, Mrs. Nelson, I turned that “habit” into a career!

As your Department Chair and Professor of Gen Ed here at IAU, my world revolves around my favorite subjects: people and culture. My absolute favorite part of the job? Celebrating you. I’m constantly inspired by the incredible diversity and energy our students bring to the table, and I’m so grateful for an administration that feels like a true partnership!

Read more

Bob Cañete, MBA

Bob Cañete Journey

My story is not about finishing quickly. It is about moving forward with clarity, faith, and determination.

To my students, I always say this: your life is not a race against others. It is a responsibility to maximize what God has entrusted to you. You may start slow. You may face setbacks. But if you stay committed, if you continue to grow, and if you refuse to give up, you will get there.

Read more

David Johnson, PhD

David Johnson Journey

I was homeless during a period of my life with no family, and I was broke, so I understand the isolation that many students may have. I can empathize.

School has NEVER been about how smart is a person, but it is about work and grinding it out. That has not changed for many, many decades. If you put in the work, you will be rewarded not just with a degree, but with a skillset that will make you successful.

I was homeless during a period of my life with no family, and I was broke, so I understand the isolation that many students may have. I can empathize.

Read more

Joseph Siegmund, PhD

Joseph Siegmund Journey

It is amazing to realize the capacity of the human being and our ability to find balance in our lives.

When reflecting on the journey of the past 7 years, a journey through academics, work, family and faith, it is amazing to realize the capacity of the human being and our ability to find balance in our lives. I completed my Ph.D. in Business Administration from Northcentral University in April 2017, a journey which included many challenges of managing full time employment, raising 3 children, balancing my relationship with my wife and during my final steps, caring for and saying goodbye to my father and grandmother.

Read more

Sanaz Tehrani, PhD

Sanaz Tehrani Journey

My journey is not merely a sequence of events; it is a deliberate design process.

As an engineer, management scholar, and researcher, I have learned that life, like a complex system, requires more than just technical precision. It requires the structural integrity of resilience and the guiding light of wisdom.

I believe that while life presents us with friction and resistance, these are not system failures. They are the very forces that forge our strength.

Read more

Vahick Yedgarian, PhD

Vahick Yedgarian Journey

Everything I do today is inextricably linked to my past and our family values. Everything.

I have faced revolution, war, property losses, financial disasters, and difficulties, but they all made me a “tough guy”. None of these, however, made me tough enough to face my darling wife’s unexpected life-threatening illness: cancer. Despite her health condition, she supported me to continue my studies. I vividly remember sitting in her doctor’s office while the doctor explained her findings to us. All this “tough guy” could do was cry!

Read more

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