On the move
October 28, 2019
RAJESH BAGCHI has been appointed head of the Department of Marketing. Bagchi joined Virginia Tech in 2008. His research interests focus on the psychological processes that underlie consumer and managerial decision making. Bagchi’s honors and awards include the Young Scholar Award from the Marketing Science Institute, the Early Career Award from the Society for Consumer Psychology, and the Outstanding Reviewer Award from the Journal of Consumer Research. He was recognized by the American Marketing Association as being among the Top 30 scholars worldwide in terms of productivity in premier marketing journals over the past 10 years. Bagchi, who had been serving as the department’s interim head, succeeds Paul Herr, who is returning to full-time teaching and research after leading the department since 2014.
NADIA A. ROGERS, an associate professor of practice in the Department of Accounting and Information Systems, has been appointed by Gov. Ralph Northam to serve on the Virginia Board of Accountancy. Rogers is the educator member of the seven-member board, which provides consumer protection and regulates certified public accountants in Virginia.
Before joining Virginia Tech in 2015, Rogers was a partner with Creedle, Jones & Alga, and a senior manager at KPMG’s audit practice. Her professional contributions include chairing the Virginia Board of Accountancy’s peer review oversight committee and conducting peer reviews of firms.
JAY WINKELER, former Leidos executive, has been appointed executive director of the Center for Business Intelligence and Analytics. Winkeler will lead the Center as it enters a new phase of growth and contributes more broadly to the university’s critical data and decisions initiative.
Winkeler started his career at the Central Intelligence Agency and spent more than 15 years each at TRW and Lockheed Martin. In 2016, Winkeler joined Leidos, where he most recently served as the vice president of the company’s enforcement and public safety solutions division. He has been a member of the advisory board for Pamplin’s Department of Business Information Technology since 2016.
JOSEPH J. SIMPSON has been appointed collegiate assistant professor in the Department of Management in the Pamplin College of Business and director of Virginia Tech’s Integrated Security Education and Research Center (ISERC).
He will provide leadership for the center’s activities in education, research, and outreach to industry and other organizations. He will also help develop scenario simulations in the center and teach courses in the department.
ISERC is a collaborative, multidisciplinary venture to promote experiential learning, research, and outreach in integrated security, one of the university’s Destination Areas.
BECKY FREEMAL has joined the Pamplin College of Business as director of communication and creative services. Freemal will lead an integrated communication and marketing program to accelerate progress on building the Global Business and Analytics Complex and secure Virginia Tech as an international leader in data analytics and decision sciences. Freemal comes to the Pamplin College of Business after two years as the director of communication and creative services at the Biocomplexity Institute of Virginia Tech.
TOMMY AMAL has been appointed assistant director of development for leadership gifts. Amal will engage with Pamplin alumni, with a focus on fundraising for Beyond Boundaries Scholarships and the Global Business and Analytics Complex.
Previously assistant director of the Student Success Center, Amal helped establish the Ujima living-learning community for students interested in understanding, supporting, and learning about the African-American experience. He also coordinated the center’s support services for underrepresented students and those on academic probation.
Amal is a member of the Christiansburg-Blacksburg Rotary Club, trustee of the board of the American College Personnel Association Foundation, and co-chairman of the Virginia Tech Black Alumni Reunion.
He received a bachelor’s degree in agriculture leadership education at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and a master’s degree in agriculture, leadership, and community education at Virginia Tech.
Amal began his career at Virginia Tech as the student advocacy coordinator in the Office of the Dean of Students. He is an avid weightlifter and Hokie football fan.
KENT NAKAMOTO, retired professor of marketing, has been conferred the title of professor emeritus by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors. Nakamoto joined Virginia Tech in 1997. He served as head of the Department of Marketing from 1999 to 2013, as associate dean for research from 2008 to 2013, and as associate dean for research and faculty affairs from 2014 to 2017.
JOHN BROZOVSKY, a retired associate professor of accounting and information systems, has been conferred the title of associate professor emeritus by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors. Brozovsky joined Virginia Tech in 1989. He published more than 20 peer-reviewed journal articles, more than a dozen other articles, one book, and two book chapters. He was the primary advisor to more than 600 undergraduates and more than 60 master’s degree students annually.