Faculty

Dr. Tim Nash

Timothy Nash joined Northwood in 1980 and received a B.B.A. from the University, an M.A. in Economics from Central Michigan University, and an Ed.D. in curriculum and instruction with cognates in economics and business administration from Wayne State University. Dr. Nash leads all graduate programs, specialty programs (including Automotive Marketing), and continuing and executive education programming for Northwood University system-wide. He is an associate professor of Economics and Business for the undergraduate program and is an associate professor of Economics and Public Policy at the DeVos Graduate School. His travels and research have taken him to over 20 countries from China and Hong Kong to Poland and Norway where he also participated in academic colloquiums. Dr. Nash is an adjunct scholar with the Mackinac Center for Public Policy in Midland and the former State Director of Economic Education for the clergy for the State of Michigan. Dr. Nash has co-authored three books and conducted research and consulting for a number of Fortune 500 companies, including GM, UAW/PEL, and the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA).  He serves on the boards of the Free Enterprise Institute (FEI) in Houston, Texas, the Midland Academy of Advanced & Creative Studies, Junior Achievement of Central Michigan, Inc., the Midland Area Chamber of Commerce, and Comerica Bank of Central Michigan.

Dr. Lisa Fairbairn

Dr. Lisa Fairbairn holds a Ph.D. in Business from the Eli Broad Graduate School of Management at Michigan State University. Her academic and professional specialty is competitive strategy. Her passion outside academe is strategy consulting in large corporations, small businesses, and non-profit entities. She has international business experience and has had ownership in a variety of small businesses: including a strategy consulting business, a real estate investment business, a hotel/condominium business,  a real estate brokerage company, and other small businesses. In addition, she is published in both academic journals and trade magazines. Dr. Fairbairn is currently Academic Dean and Professor of Business at the Richard DeVos Graduate School of  Management at Northwood University in Midland, Michigan.

Dr. William Busby

Dr. William T. Busby has 16 years of corporate experience in the packaging industry, starting with six years as an internal consultant and culminating with seven years of responsibilities as Vice President and General Manager and as Senior Vice President of Operations. He has accumulated twenty years academic experience teaching across the curriculum with an emphasis in strategy, economics, and marketing. Additionally, he was instrumental in the start-up and management of the DeVos Graduate School of Management at Northwood University. Currently, Dr. Busby is Dean Emeritus and holds The Major General William C. Lewis Endowed Chair.

Dr. Bill Bateman

Dr. Bill Bateman holds a DBA in Management from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Bill started teaching following a successful 25 year career in Banking as a Vice President of Commercial Lending for Comerica and SunTrust Bank. His teaching interests are in Leadership, Finance and Strategy. Dr. Bateman is currently an Associate Professor of Business at the Richard DeVos Graduate School of Management at Northwood University in Midland, Michigan.

Dr. Frank Morgan

Content available soon.

Dr. Cathy Bush

Dr. Cathy Bush holds a Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Central Michigan University. For the past two decades, she has studied and invested in the development of leadership in individuals and groups as a professor, a researcher, a consultant, and an executive coach. Her consulting experiences include working with a number of organizations in a wide variety of industries, providing workshops as well as consulting with leaders on several organizational issues such as team effectiveness, process improvement, employee retention, performance management systems, employee satisfaction assessment and feedback, employee assessment and selection, and change management. Dr. Bush is currently an Associate Professor of Business at the Richard DeVos Graduate School of  Management at Northwood University in Midland, Michigan.

Dr. Russel Griffin

Content available soon.

Joe Lescota

Joe Lescota is an experienced retail automotive executive with over 25 years of frontline dealership, selling, management, and training experience.  Joe has filled all management positions within the variable departments of a dealership, including that of dealer operator.  He quickly gained a reputation for developing innovative management techniques leading to reduced employee turnover and increased customer retention and satisfaction, especially in the area of used vehicle operations. Joe has held the position of Chairman of the Automotive Marketing Department at Northwood University in Midland, Mich., since 1998, where he has earned the Faculty Excellence Award for his effectiveness and innovation in the classroom. He is also the recipient of the AFIP (Association of Finance and Insurance Professionals) "Man of the Year Award" for his determination of continued contribution towards better education within the retail automotive industry. 

Joe is perhaps best known for his "Real World Approach" to improving market penetration, profitability, and inventory turn of used vehicles. Joe is a sought-after keynote speaker for many automotive industry groups including state dealer associations, NADA convention workshops, NIADA  convention workshops, management education seminars and 20 Groups. Joe can also be seen on 1998 & 1999 Chevrolet product training video tapes. He has delivered training via interactive classrooms and through computer learning systems. He is frequently published in major industry and public publications as an industry expert. Joe is the exclusive trainer/educator for the National Independent Auto Dealers Association Certified Master Dealer program (NIADA CMD). Joe has conducted numerous seminars and training sessions for major automotive manufacturers throughout the U.S. and Canada and is credited with helping dealers to achieve improved gross profits in used vehicle operations at least 31% while guiding them to improved net earnings by more than 300%  with dramatic improvements in recover and closing of lost sales by more than 30%. Joe maintains his dealership skills by working with and in dealerships frequently throughout the year.

Wendy Orthman

Content available soon.

Dr. John Passante

Content available soon.