Officers and Board
President
Raj Mahto, University of New Mexico
rmahto@unm.edu
Raj V. Mahto is a Professor of entrepreneurship and Creative Enterprise Endowed Professor in the Anderson School of Management at the University of New Mexico. He is also Department Chair of Finance and Innovation Department in the school. His research has been published in top academic journals such as Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, Journal of Applied Psychology, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Small Business Management, and Family Business Review, etc. Raj serves on editorial review boards of Family Business Review and International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal. He is also an associate editor of the Journal of Small Business Strategy, Technological Forecasting & Social Change, and Journal of Small Business Management
President Elect
Scott Cox, Georgia College & State University
scott.cox@gcsu.edu
Dr. Scott R. Cox is an Associate Professor of Logistics in the College of Business and Technology at Georgia College & State University teaching courses in operations management and supply chain management at both the graduate and undergraduate level. He also serves as the Coordinator of the Master of Logistics and Supply Chain Management program. His research focuses on small business and supply chain management, along with the student evaluation of teaching. Dr. Cox holds a PhD in Logistics and Supply Chain Management from Georgia Southern University.
Treasurer
.jpg)
Joshua Aaron, East Carolina University
Dr. Joshua R. Aaron is the Director of the 29th ranked, $20.5 million Miller School of Entrepreneurship at East Carolina University. He also holds the J. Fielding Miller Distinguished Professorship. Prior to returning to ECU in 2025, Aaron was the Pam Wright Chair of Entrepreneurship and a Professor of Management at Middle Tennessee State University. Under his leadership, the Business Innovation and Entrepreneurship program experienced record setting growth in number of majors and amount of external financial support. Dr. Aaron is originally from Lenoir City, TN. He holds a PhD in Strategic Management (2008), an MBA in Strategic Management (2003) and a BS in Accounting (2001), all from the University of Alabama. He has held academic positions at Georgia State University (2007-2008), East Carolina University (2008-2014) and Middle Tennessee State University (2014-2025). Prior to academia, he was an auditor at Ernst and Young, LLP in Birmingham, AL. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Small Business Institute, Sacred Selections and In Light Media. His research focuses on executive compensation for large and small firms, leadership, strategic issues facing small and medium enterprises and corporate reputation. He has published 31 peer-reviewed articles in journals such as Journal of Business Research, Journal of Management Education, Journal of Small Business Strategy, Journal of Business & Entrepreneurship, International Journal of Organizational Analysis, Journal of Business Strategies, Journal of Education for Business, Nonprofit Voluntary Sector Quarterly and Corporate Reputation Review.
Secretary
Mariah Yates, Western Kentucky University
Dr. Mariah Yates is an Associate Professor in the Gordon Ford College of Business at Western Kentucky University, where she teaches courses in leadership, organizational behavior, business ethics, and critical thinking. Her research focuses on corporate social responsibility, authenticity, equity, and the intersection of popular culture and leadership. Her work has been published in journals such as the Entrepreneurs & Innovation Exchange, Industrial & Organizational Psychology, Global Journal of Management and Marketing, and Journal of Small Business Strategy, and she serves on the editorial boards of the latter two. She is the co-author of Swift Leadership: A Taylor-made Approach to Influence and Decision Making (Emerald Publishing, 2025). Dr. Yates earned her PhD in Business Administration from the University of Cincinnati and her MBA and BA from WKU.
Vice President of Programs
Steve Childers, Radford University
J. Stephen Childers, Jr., Ph.D., is a Professor of Management in the Davis College of Business and Economics at Radford University. With a research stream focused on the sustainable growth of firms, Dr. Childers has contributed to leading academic journals, including the Small Business Institute Journal, Journal of Small Business Strategy, Group & Organization Management, Journal of Organizational Change Management, and the Journal of Management Education. His scholarship has been recognized with the prestigious RU Dalton Eminent Scholar Award. Before joining Radford University, Dr. Childers was the Director of the Small Business Institute program at East Carolina University and he earned his PhD. in Strategic Studies from Virginia Tech.
Vice President of Programs - Elect
Sara MacSween, UNC Greensboro
Dr. Sara MacSween is a Lecturer in the Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Hospitality and Tourism Department in the Joseph M. Bryan School of Business and Economics at The University of North Carolina Greensboro (UNCG). She earned her Master of Business Administration from the University of Strathclyde and her Ph.D. at the University of Liverpool. Dr. MacSween teaches Principles of Marketing, Consumer Behavior and Advanced Marketing Management. Students in Dr. MacSween's Professional Selling class sell a real product and role play different sales scenarios. Projects in Consumer Behavior include the in-depth analysis of market trends, primary research and promotional pricing pieces. Students in Advanced Marketing Management create a full marketing plan, which includes email blasts, social media posts, customer lists and promotional ideas. A project from this class won first place in the national 2022 Small Business Institute competition. Her dedication to teaching is evident through student comments and awards. Dr. MacSween won the Bryan School Professional Track Teaching Excellence Award in 2019 She won the Eloise McCain Hassel Teaching Excellence Award in 2022. She was the 2023 recipient of the UNCG Anna Marie Gove Teaching Excellence Award. Dr. MacSween serves as the faculty advisor for the NCSI Student Business Group and American Marketing Association. She also serves as a coach for students participating in the National Sales Competition.
With 26 years of industry experience, Dr. MacSween shares real-world experiences with her students. She has run The Marketing Boutique since 2007, where she works with small to mid size companies in a variety of industries. Prior to this, she held a variety of marketing and sales roles in the United States (US) and United Kingdom (UK). In the US, she was Marketing Manager for an educational publisher and a Program Manager for a large telecommunications company. Dr. MacSween was the Marketing Manager for a 260+ store retail chain in the UK. She has also held various journalism roles in the UK and US. She is a frequent contributor to media outlets.
Vice President of Marketing and Membership
Timothy Dunne, Boise State University
Dr. Timothy C. Dunne is an assistant professor of management at Boise State University. He has extensive experience teaching leadership and conflict management at the undergraduate, graduate, as well executive levels. Dr. Dunne’s research focuses on leadership and negotiation, with an emphasis on entrepreneurship and small businesses. His work has been published in numerous academic journals including Group and Organization Management, Conflict Resolution Quarterly, and Group Decision and Negotiation. Timothy holds a PhD in Management, an MBA, and a BA in Business Administration all from the University of Missouri.
Vice President of Research & Publications
Phil Harris, University of Arkansas Little Rock
pwharris@ualr.edu
Phil Harris is an Instructor of Management at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock where he teaches courses in human resource management, organizational behavior, principles of management, entrepreneurship, business planning, and business consulting at both the graduate and undergraduate level. He also serves as the faculty advisor to the UA Little Rock Management & HR Society Student Chapter. For over 9+ years Harris served as a Business Consultant with the Arkansas Small Business & Technology Development Center and continues to support business development and growth in the state of Arkansas. Areas of expertise include financial analysis, market research, capital acquisition, and business growth strategies.
Harris holds a B.A. degree in Business from Philander Smith College and earned an MBA from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Harris is also a Certified Business Advisor® from Ohio University, as well as a Certified Executive Coach from the Hudson Institute of Santa Barbara. Phil is passionate about helping and supporting student success. Phil not only teaches, but spends time mentoring students as well.
Dean of Fellows
.png)
Whitney Peake, Western Kentucky University
whitney.peake@wku.edu
Dr. Whitney Peake is the Vitale Professor of Entrepreneurship, Department Chair, and Professor of Management. She researches and teaches in the areas of entrepreneurship, small business management, and family business management, and has approximately 30 peer reviewed articles published in and accepted to such outlets as Journal of Business Research, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, Journal of Business Ethics, and Journal of Small Business Management. Whitney is an associate editor for the Journal of Small Business Strategy, and on the editorial review boards for the Small Business Institute Journal and Entrepreneurship Education and Pedagogy. Dr. Peake holds a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from Purdue University.
© 2025 Small Business Institute Directors' Association. All rights reserved. | | Follow Us on Socials! |
