Mehrdad Kia, Ph.D.

Associate Provost for International Programs

Brian Lofink

Brian Lofink is the International Liaison for International Programs.  He has extensive experience in the coordination and implementation of local, national, and international visitations, conferences and programs.

Merle Farrier, Ed.D.

Dr. Merle Farrier is the program director for the Educational Leadership unit at The University of Montana. His areas of teaching and research focus on statistics, educational assessment, and school finance. Merle has spent 30 years in the Montana K-12 education system serving as a coach, teacher, principal, and superintendent. In addition, he has served as a school board member and district clerk.

Khaled Huthaily, Ed.D.

Dr. Khaled Huthaily is a native speaker of Arabic and Fulbright scholar. He is an adjunt assistant professor of Arabic language and linguistics. He received an M.A. in Linguistics in 2003 and an Ed.D. in curriculum and instruction in 2008 from The University in Montana. His field of research focuses on second language instruction and curriculum development.

Dr. Huthaily is in the process of writing a textbook and a teacher's manual on the sound system of Arabic. This is a three-year project sponsored by the US Department of Education and ending in 2010. He has been actively involved in several international teacher training and curriculum development projects. He is also an expert in computer technology, including audio/video editing, web/graphic design, and computer assisted learning.

William P. McCaw, Ed.D.

Dr. Bill McCaw has been a student of leadership and its effect on individual performance for the majority of his adult life. Bill’s scholarship activities reflect his fascination with the leadership construct and specifically the role that followers play within that construct. His 27 years of working in public education includes classroom teaching, building principal, Director of Curriculum and Professional Development, and higher education teaching at the masters and doctoral levels.

Since 1999, Bill has been a faculty member in the Department of Educational Leadership and Counseling at The University of Montana.  He now holds the academic rank of Associate Professor.  Bill has demonstrated the ability to blend the academic with the practical components of leadership.  Skilled in both quantitative and qualitative research methodology, he has taught all of the leadership and curriculum and assessment courses offered in a nationally accredited masters program in educational leadership as well as courses at the doctoral level.  He also is active as chair and committee member on numerous doctoral dissertations.  Bill continues to work with administrators, teachers, and schools throughout Montana in the areas of conflict resolution, curriculum development, assessment, and leader and follower actions.

Bill came to the Department of Educational Leadership at The University of Montana after 20 successful years in education as a teacher, coach, principal, and central office administrator.  After ten successful years as a high school teacher and coach, Bill moved into administration.  His administrative experience spanned another ten years and included experience at the building and district levels.  As an elementary principal, he has experience with the daily operations of a school as well as the implementation of curricula, student and program assessment, budget development and oversight, adherence to district policies, community relations, and student safety.  As the Director of Curriculum and Professional Development, Bill worked with a multitude of committees and facilitated the development, implementation, and assessment of the District’s P-12 articulated curricula for all subject matters.  He also facilitated and organized all district professional development activities which were aligned with the school district’s goals for classified and certified employees.

Arnie Sherman, M.A.

Arnold E. Sherman was appointed as the Executive Director of the Montana World Trade Center and Adjunct Professor of the School of Business Administration at The University of Montana in March of 1997. He is an internationally recognized expert in new market strategies and has worked and traveled in more than 70 countries. Since 1990, Sherman has served as president of Global Development Services, Inc., an international representational and advisory firm. Sherman is the founder and former chairman of the American Center for International Leadership, the premier organization for introducing emerging leaders of the world to their counterparts, particularly in developing democracies. He is the former founder and president of Sherman, Goelz & Bergfalk public affairs firm. Sherman holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Cincinnati and a master’s degree from Xavier University. He is a frequent lecturer and author of professional articles on business development and public affairs.

Jeff Shay, Ph.D.

Dr. Jeff Shay is an Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship, Strategic Management, and International Business at The University of Montana’s School of Business Administration. Dr. Shay has also served for the past six years as a Visiting Professor for the London School of Economics at its campus in London and at Peking University. In addition, he has taught courses, seminars, and/or guest lectures for Cornell University, Babson Graduate School of Management, Pennsylvania State University’s Executive MBA Program, University of Nevada-Las Vegas, Swedish Trade Council, Centre International de Glion (Bulle, Switzerland), and the Australian International Hotel School (Canberra,
Australia). He has also provided executive education seminars for Hyundai Corporation, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, and American Express. Dr. Shay earned his B.S. in Finance and Entrepreneurial Studies from Babson College (1987), his MBA in strategic management from the F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College (1991), and his Ph.D. in international business from Cornell University (1999).

Dr. Shay’s research has been published in Journal of International Business Studies, Long Range Planning, Case Research Journal, Journal of Management Education, the Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, and the International Journal of Organizational Analysis. His research has been presented at the Academy of Management, the Eastern and Western Academy of Management, and the North American Case Research Association Conferences.

Dr. Shay continues to provide strategic planning, international business planning, and new venture development consulting services through Montana Business Capital Corporation and the Montana World Trade Center. His most recent clients include: Hi-Noon Petroleum, Big Sky Brewing Company, Precision Partners, and the Inland Northwest Space Alliance (NASA). Dr. Shay has over 17 years of consulting experience in these areas. He has worked in more than twenty different countries either as a consultant or educator.

Nader Shooshtari, Ph.D.

Nader Shooshtari is a Professor of Marketing and International Business and Chair of the Department of Management and Marketing in the School of Business Administration. His research interests include Marketing Channels, International Business, Customer Service and Complaining Behavior, Marketing Education and Curriculum Internationalization. He has over seventy publications in refereed journals and conference proceedings in the areas of marketing, international business, and curriculum
internationalization.

Professor Shooshtari holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration (Ph.D.) and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Arizona State University. He also holds a Master of International Management (MIM) from the American Graduate School of International Management.

Dennis O'Donnell, Ph.D.

Dr. Dennis O’Donnell, Professor of Economics, has played a key role in creating and implementing innovative funded research and curriculum development projects at UM. O’Donnell served as co-director of the Central Asia and Caspian Basin Project and he served as the principal investigator for the Sino-American Negotiation and Conflict Management Project. In addition, O’Donnell served as co-director of the UM/London School of Economics Advanced Executive Training Program during 1996-97.

Professor O’Donnell‘s expertise lies in market analysis in the areas of labor, finance, agriculture, recreation and natural resources, public utilities and retail. His clients include the U.S.
Department of Justice and numerous law firms and corporations. He has served on several campus, local and state boards, most recently as a Montana Ambassador in economic development through the Montana governor’s office.

Mary Ellen Campbell, M.A.

Mary Ellen Campbell, Professor of Marketing, teaches courses in integrated marketing communications, management communications, and nonprofit marketing. She has received several
teaching awards at UM including the Most Inspirational Teacher for The University of Montana and, most recently, The John Ruffatto Award.

In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Professor Campbell
serves as a management consultant for businesses and government agencies throughout the United States. She has published numerous articles on marketing communications in major national journals and is the recipient of four distinguished research awards. Professor Campbell is often a featured convention speaker for national organizations.

Megan Harrington, M.B.A.

Megan Harrington is the Montana World Trade Center’s primary liaison to member companies, overseeing work completed for all member accounts. As Project Manager, she is also responsible for new member development and implementation of special projects and events. Before joining the MWTC, Harrington worked in marketing domestically and international sales. Harrington holds a bachelor’s in business communications and a master’s of business administration from The University of Montana.

David Aronofsky J. D., Ph.D.

David Aronofsky is the UM Legal Counsel, as well as an adjunct faculty member in the Schools of Law and Education. As UM Legal Counsel, he oversees all legal work for the University's several campuses located throughout western Montana. David received his J. D. and B. S. in Education from the University of Texas at Austin; a Ph.D. in Higher Education from Florida State University; and an M. Ed. in Counseling from Southern Methodist University. He is licensed to practice law in Montana, Texas and the District of Columbia. In addition, he is admitted to practice in the U.S. Supreme Court plus a number of federal appellate and district courts. He is an elected American Law Institute member.

Before coming to The University of Montana in 1994, David was an attorney at a large Washington, D.C. law firm for 12 years. His legal specialty areas included education law; most aspects of private and public international law with emphasis on Latin America and on developing countries generally, including in-depth involvement with international trade organizations and multilateral development banks; and commercial and civil rights litigation. He received a 1990 Fulbright Scholar award to serve as a legal advisor to Chile's Congress during the country's first year of post-dictatorship democratic rule and to design a Chilean law school legislation course/clinical program. For the past 20 years he has continuously lectured and consulted with emerging democracy governments on economic and political law reforms. He worked with all 50 U.S. state legislatures as coordinator of his firm's state government relations practice; and with most U.S. Congressional committees on numerous substantive law matters including international trade and finance. Prior to becoming a lawyer, he was a higher education consultant in the Peace Corps and privately in Chile, where he designed the reorganization of two universities. He also worked on various education and human resources training projects elsewhere throughout Latin America. He speaks and writes Spanish fluently.

David's UM teaching includes Technology Law, International Business & Trade Law, Public International Law, International Criminal Law and Advanced Legislation (requiring students to draft bills for the Montana Legislature) in the Law School; plus Advanced Education Law and Higher Education Law for graduate education and law students. He has prepared numerous bills enacted into law by Montana's Legislature, including several related to Montana University System administrative matters; a research and development law; and the 1995 law restructuring the Montana University System. He also authored higher education governance and tax reform white papers on proposed state constitutional amendments. He received a 2001 Fulbright Scholar award to teach U.S. law on a continuing year basis each summer in Uruguay, where several other UM Law School faculty and Montana's Supreme Court Chief Justice have joined him as instructors. David's broad range of scholarly international and education legal publications include two co-authored Montana Education Law books. He participates in UM international law and education projects involving Latin America, China and Taiwan, the Middle East and Central Asia, including a Rule of Law teaching program for military cadets from Kyrgyzstan.

Gregory S. Munro, J. D.

Greg Munro is a Professor and Director of Professional Skills at The University of Montana School of Law. His areas of specialized knowledge include the American civil justice system, tort and insurance law, and legal education.

Professor Munro took part in a State Department Exchange at Osh State University in Kyrgyzstan in May and June 2005 in which he helped law faculty develop their legal education system and taught law students about torts, insurance and the American civil justice system. As part of the project, he and Professor Jeff Renz regularly met with government officials to compare governmental systems and promote rule of law.

He teaches Insurance law, Trial Practice, and Pretrial Advocacy courses in a school known nationally for its innovative curriculum. He has also taught Torts and Remedies as well as courses and seminars for state trial judges and lawyers. Greg Munro is the author of a book entitled OUTCOMES ASSESSMENT FOR LAW SCHOOLS as well as numerous articles on insurance law recently published in a compendium by the Montana Trial Lawyers Association. He regularly writes on legal education, insurance, and medical/legal issues.

He is a past president and long-time board member of the Montana Trial Lawyers Association and has been editor and a regular writer for Montana Trial Trends, the quarterly journal of that association. He was a civil trial lawyer for thirteen years in Billings , Montana before joining the law faculty in 1988.

He is a member of the Advisory Committee to the Institute for Law School Teaching at Gonzaga University School of Law and a regular presenter at faculty colloquia and symposia on legal education around the United States.

Jeffrey T. Renz, J. D.

Professor Jeffrey T. Renz is the Director of the Criminal Defense Clinic. He brings over twenty-five years of practice experience in which he emphasized criminal, civil rights and environmental law, to his position. Professor Renz received both his B.A. (1971) and J.D. (1979) degrees from The University of Montana.  He served on active duty from 1971-1975 and graduated from the United States Army’s elite Airborne and Ranger Schools.

Admitted to practice in the States of Montana and Illinois, Professor Renz has extensive trial experience and has argued before the U.S. Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals, and the Montana Supreme Court.  He has served as a Special Judge for the Crow Tribal Appellate Court in Montana.

In 2007 Prof. Renz received the Jeanette Rankin Civil Liberties Award.  He has been listed in Who’s Who in American Law.

Professor Renz has been a regular visitor to Central Asia and the Caucasus Region.  He was the principal investigator for a three-year United States State Department-funded exchange with Osh State University, in southern Kyrgyzstan.  He conducted a legal education needs survey of Kyrgyz Republic universities in 2004.  He organized and conducted a national conference on legal education and clinical legal education in Bishkek in 2007.  He presided over the Russian translation of the United States’ Clinical Legal Education Association’s 2007 treatise, “Best Practices in Legal Education,” provided copies to law professors in the Kyrgyz Republic, and made copies available on the web.  He founded the Central Asia Legal Initiative, (www.umt.umt/cali) a web-based source of constitutions and codes of the nations of Central Asia and the Caucasus.  He conducts rule of law and law of war training for officer cadets from the Kyrgyz Republic.  On behalf of The University of Montana, he has conducted contract negotiations with officials from the Kyrgyz Republic’s Ministry of Education and officials from several universities in Kyrgyzstan.

In Georgia, Professor Renz has taught at Kutaisi State University and at the Tbilisi Institute for Asia and Africa.  Professor Renz has been a moderator or panelist on the following:

Rule of Law in Emerging Democracies:  Lessons from American History, in Georgia-U.S.A. Relations:  A Dialogue Between Georgian and American Scholars (Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia, June 1, 2004).

Legal Education in the Kyrgyz Republic, October 15, 2003.

Rule of Law, presented to U.S. Telecommunications Training Initiative–Central Asia Telecommunications Training Initiative, September 15, 2003.

Fritz Snyder, J. D.

Associate Dean Snyder teaches Legal Research and Advanced Legal Research and is Director of the Law Library. He joined the faculty of The University of Montana School of Law in 1994 following twenty years of law library experience at the University of Hawaii and the University of Kansas.

He has a strong interest in the 1972 Montana Constitution and has co-authored a book and written two articles about it. In addition, he has a serious interest in the Japanese Constitution and has visited Japan several times.

He enjoys hiking in western Montana and playing handball.

A law graduate of Washburn School of Law, Professor Snyder holds masters degrees from both the University of Hawaii and Oregon State University.

Otto Koester

Dr. Otto Koester is the Director of Grantwriting and Project Development for The University of Montana International Development Program.  His previous experience includes working as a Program Officer at United States Institute of Peace and as Deputy Director of Salzburg Seminar, a global forum for dialogue between high-level policymakers and academic experts from around the world.

Otto is the editor of the first training manual in international negotiation for Chinese and American diplomats and has served a consultant for numerous international education and research projects in the areas of leadership, dispute resolution, rule of law, legal education, non-profit management, and teacher training.  He has lectured widely on problems of negotiation and conflict management at universities and research institutes in Central Asia, Eastern and Western Europe, the Middle East, and the United States.