Christie joins Pamplin as director of Center for Business Analytics

As Virginia Tech welcomes its students back to campus following a year of online classes, Linda Christie joins Hokie Nation as director of the Center for Business Analytics (CBA) in the Pamplin School of Business. Christie’s seven years at Marymount University as the associate professor of Management and director of the MBA program made her the perfect person to fill Mike Flint’s shoes in his retirement.

Before Christie followed her passion for teaching, she gained a vast amount of knowledge and experience working in financial services that jump-started her academic career. She received her Master of Science and Ph.D. in industrial administration (organizational behavior and theory) from the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University. She also holds a B.S. in accounting from Indiana University. Her knowledge in this industry will provide a strong foundation for teaching the business analytics capstone course at the graduate level.

With 25 years working in the world of academia following her financial services background, Christie is thrilled to add Virginia Tech, proudly ranked among the “50 Best Colleges for Business in America” by U.S. News & World Report, to her long list of experience. Her career has left her with a remarkable resumé, as Christie has held faculty positions at several impressive institutions, including Marymount University, George Mason University, George Washington University, and Grove City College.

At Marymount, Christie was a part of a team that launched Upskilling for the What’s Next Economy: a range of modular graduate certificates to provide students with technical, management, entrepreneurial, and leadership skills. Her research explores workplace engagement, leveraging employee strengths, and factors contributing to successful team formation and outcomes.

Christie has the passion to see beyond the classroom and transcend her teaching from the textbook to real-life experiences.

“Alongside my formal teaching responsibilities, I enjoy creating distinctive experiential learning opportunities for students to participate with businesses to solve ‘real world’ problems,” Christie said.

Over the years and across institutions, her students have worked together to explore new business opportunities and to alleviate poverty at home and abroad. Her devotion to providing her students with all the tools necessary to excel in the work world is a fantastic indicator of how Christie will enhance the classroom experience for her Virginia Tech students.

Christie’s vast knowledge of this field has come from more than just workplace experience, however. She understands the importance of networking and strives to make connections across campus with all colleagues. She is always looking to learn how the world is changing and how she can incorporate the change into the design of her innovative course material.

Serving as director of the CBA, Christie’s new position perfectly meshes together all of her strengths. She thrives in a collegial academic environment where she can build relationships, learn new content, and help students grow. 

Christie is most enthusiastic about contributing her best efforts to develop and provide excellent educational opportunities for Virginia Tech students.

“What I enjoy most is helping students develop the skills and abilities they need to get from where they are to where they want to be in their careers,” she added.

“The most exciting part of my career is designing learning experiences both inside and outside the classroom that facilitate student growth.”

- Written by Liz Plum