Dr. Naeem Bajwa holds a Ph.D. in Operations and Management from the University of Alabama. He has been at UA Little Rock since 2013. He worked in the industry in a variety of roles including senior leadership positions in supply chain planning and consulting for small and medium business enterprises. He brings with him a breadth of professional experience in planning, manufacturing, and customer service. His research focuses on cross-functional interfaces between Operations and Marketing functions within an organization. His teaching interests include Production and Operations Management, Supply Chain Management, Negotiation Skills, and Business Strategy.
anbajwa@ualr.edu, 501-916-6759
Associate Professor of Management
Dr. April Chatham-Carpenter (Ph.D., University of Oklahoma) is a Professor of Applied Communication at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, where she serves as Department Chair of the Department of Applied Communication. Previous to coming to UA Little Rock, she served as Professor of Communication Studies and Interim Associate Provost for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Graduate College at the University of Northern Iowa. She researches issues such as innovation and change, use of communication to manage difficult dialogues, transformations in online teaching, and assessment of the impact of initiatives to effect change within the higher education industry.
axchathamca@ualr.edu, 501-916-6026
Department of Applied Communications
Dr. Gerald W. C. Driskill is Professor of Applied Communication at U.A.- Little Rock where he serves as the Graduate Coordinator for the M.A. in Applied Communication Studies. He teaches courses in Organizational Communication and Intercultural Communication. He has conducted training for Heifer International, ADEQ, U.S.A.I.D., and Global Ties- Arkansas. He has publications on organizational and intercultural communication and has engaged students in over 250 cultural analysis projects based on his book, “Organizational Cultural in Action.
gwdriskill@ualr.edu, 501-916-6020
Department of Applied Communications
Dr. Kristen A. McIntyre (PhD, North Dakota State University) is full professor in the Department of Applied Communication at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She directs the ACOM 1300: Introduction to Communication program as well as the UA Little Rock Communication Skill Center. Her co-authored publications in communication education can be found in Communication Quarterly, Communication Teacher, The Communication Centers Movement in Higher Education, Best Practices in Experiential and Service Learning in Communication, and The Handbook of Communication Training: A Best Practices Framework for Assessing and Developing Competence.
kagullicksm@ualr.edu, 501-916-6024
Department of Applied Communications
Dr. Julien C. Mirivel (Ph.D., the University of Colorado at Boulder) is a Professor of Applied Communication at the University of Arkansas, Little Rock. He is “among the founding scholars in the emerging field of positive communication” and an award-winning teacher and scholar. Mirivel is the author of two books on positive communication: The Art of Positive Communication: Theory and Practice and How Communication Scholars Think and Act: A Lifespan Perspective. Dr. Mirivel has delivered hundreds of programs on how to communicate effectively across contexts.
jcmirivel@ualr.edu, 501-916-6030
Department of Applied Communications
Dr. Bailey M. Blackburn (Ph.D., Arizona State University) is an assistant professor in the Department of Applied Communication at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, where she teaches conflict management, negotiation, and family communication courses. She holds a Ph.D. in Human Communication, with a focus on restructured family communication. She is a published researcher, professor, and certified group facilitator in the fields of conflict transformation and family resilience.
bmoliver1@ualr.edu, 501-916-6027
Department of Applied Communications
Dr. Otmar Varela earned a Ph.D. with a concentration in organizational behaviour from Tulane University. He is currently a professor of management with the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Dr. Varela’s research deals with the development of managerial skills, the effectiveness of pedagogical interventions, and professional careers in academe. Dr. Varela’s teaching involves distinct aspects of organizational behaviour (e.g., leadership, teams). His passion for teaching has been recognized via teaching awards at his current post and at schools abroad. Of note, Dr. Varela has served as visiting faculty in nine business schools located in South America, North America, and Europe.
oxvarela@ualr.edu, 501-916-6766
Department of Management