Mercer Experts
For the Media
Mercer University faculty are a rich source of expertise on a wide range of topics. Please follow the link below to search the database. If you cannot locate an expert in the field, contact Mark Vanderhoek, director of media relations, at vanderhoek_m@mercer.edu or (478) 301-4037.
Faculty and staff submit your expertise.
Experts
Jody Blanke
Profess of Computer Information Systems and Law
Eugene W. Stetson School of Business and Economics
Areas of Expertise: privacy; web privacy; physician assisted suicide
Professor Blanke has published recent scholarly articles in such issues as web privacy and e-mail spam regulations. He graduated with distinction from Emory University School of Law with his Juris Doctorate and holds bachelor’s in computer science and psychology, and a master’s of computer science from State University of New York at Stony Brook.
Contact Information:
(678) 547-6313
blanke_j@mercer.edu
Dr. Linda L. Brennan
Professor of Management
Eugene W. Stetson School of Stetson of Business and Economics
Areas of Expertise: strategic planning and management, operations management, particularly: performance measurement, process analysis, and lean operations; project definition; project and process management, particularly in knowledge-intensive organizations and professional services firms; impact assessments of information and instructional technologies; quality practices in higher education; and social entrepreneurship.
Dr. Brennan earned her Bachelor’s of Industrial Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, her MBA from the University of Chicago with concentrations in policy studies and marketing and her Ph.D. in industrial engineering/management science from Northwestern University. She is a licensed Professional Engineer in the state of Georgia.
Books:
Computer Mediated Communications and Trust: Organizational and Managerial Effects, Linda Brennan, and Victoria Johnson, editors. Hershey, Pa.: IGP Press, 2008.
Contact Information:
(478) 301-2199
Brennan_LL@Mercer.edu
Dr. Tammy Crutchfield
Professor of Marketing and Director of Undergraduate Programs
Eugene W. Stetson School of Business and
Areas of Expertise: relationship marketing, professional services marketing, marketing research and strategy, building student relationships and loyalty
Dr. Crutchfield has published recent articles on nonprofit marketing, business student retention and relationship marketing. She earned her Ph.D. in marketing from the University of Alabama.
Contact Information:
(478) 301-5652
crutchfie_tn@mercer.edu
Jim Fleissner
Professor of Law
Walter F. George School of Law
Areas of Expertise: criminal law and procedure, especially federal criminal investigations, trials and appeals.
Professor Fleissner’s research and speaking focuses on aspects of federal criminal investigations and prosecutions and the Department of Justice, among many other legal topics and he has made numerous presentations on First Amendment or other legal protection for confidential sources of the media. His most recent publication was an editorial I authored on behalf of the editorial board of the American Judicature Society entitled “A Rescue Plan for the Justice Department.”
Professor Fleissner have served 10 years as a full-time federal prosecutor, with six of those years in supervisory positions and he has served an additional five years in part-time federal prosecution appointments as a senior associate independent counsel and a special assistant U.S. Attorney. He has extensive experience in federal criminal investigations, trials and appeals. Professor Fleissner has often served as media expert, for example, serving as a regular guest for coverage of the Oklahoma City bombing prosecutions on the “Newshour with Jim Lehrer.”
He earned his bachelor’s, summa cum laude from Marquette University and his Juris Doctorate from the University of Chicago Law School, where he was associate editor of the University of Chicago Law Review.
Contact Information:
(478) 301-2637
fleissner_jp@law.mercer.edu
Dr. Chris Grant
Associate Professor
Department of Political Science, College of Liberal Arts
Areas of Expertise: U.S. elections, congress, Georgia politics, public policy and European politics
Dr. Grant’s has published numerous articles on Georgia politics and congressional elections and recently served as president of the Georgia Political Science Association. He was a Fulbright Scholar in Moldova and has served as a Congressional Fellow. He earned his bachelor’s from Birmingham-Southern College and his master’s and Ph.D. in political science from the University of Georgia.
Contact Information:
(478) 301-5519
grant_jc@mercer.edu (preferred)
Dr. David Gushee
Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics
McAfee School of Theology
Areas of Expertise: Christian faith, politics, public policy evangelicals and public life; human rights issues, especially torture; Christian social ethics: focus on issues such as marriage, sexuality, environment and economics.
Dr. David P. Gushee earned his Bachelor of Arts at the College of William and Mary, Master of Divinity at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and both the Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy at Union Theological Seminary in New York. Dr. Gushee came to Mercer from Union University where he served for 11 years, where he served as Graves Professor of Moral Philosophy.
As University Professor, Dr. Gushee teaches at McAfee School of Theology and throughout Mercer University in his specialty, Christian ethics. Beyond his work at Mercer, he is the president of Evangelicals for Human Rights, a columnist for Associated Baptist Press, and a contributing editor for Christianity Today. Dr. Gushee also currently serves as co-chair of the Biblical/Contextual Ethics Group of the American Academy of Religion and on the Christian Ethics Commission of the Baptist World Alliance.
He has published eleven books, more than 80 scholarly essays, book chapters, articles, and reviews, and hundreds of magazine articles and opinion pieces. His books include the award-winning Kingdom Ethics, as well as Righteous Gentiles of the Holocaust and Only Human. He was the principal drafter of both the Evangelical Climate Initiative and the Evangelical Declaration against Torture.
He published two books in 2008, The Future of Faith in American Politics (Baylor University Press) and The Scholarly Vocation and the Baptist Academy (Mercer University Press). His next book project, with Eerdmans Press, explores the theological and ethical roots of, and implications of, belief in the sanctity of human life.
Books:
The Sanctity of Life: A Christian Exploration. Eerdmans, forthcoming 2010.
Religious Faith, Torture, and Our National Soul. Mercer, forthcoming 2009.
The Future of Faith in American Politics: The Public Witness of the Evangelical Center. Waco: Baylor, 2008.
Only Human: Christian Reflections on the Journey Toward Wholeness. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2005.
Getting Marriage Right: Realistic Counsel for Saving and Strengthening Marriages. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2004.
Righteous Gentiles of the Holocaust: Genocide and Moral Obligation. 2nd edition, revised. St. Paul, Paragon House, 2003.
Kingdom Ethics: Following Jesus in Contemporary Context, with Glen H. Stassen. Downers Grove, IL : Intervarsity, 2003. Translations current and forthcoming: Japanese, Bulgarian, Spanish, Indonesian, Chinese, Korean, Arabic.
Christians and Politics Beyond the Culture Wars: From Despair to Mission. Editor/Contributor. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2000.
Contact Information:
(678) 547-6457
gushee_dp@mercer.edu
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Dr. George Hayhoe
Professor and Director of the Master of Science in Technical Communication Management
Department of Technical Communication, School of Engineering
Areas of Expertise: Technical communication; research methods in technical communication; journal and magazine editing; usability of products and their documentation; distance learning; international standards for technical communication
Dr. Hayhoe has conducted research and published articles in numerous areas of the emerging field of technical communication. He earned his Ph.D. in southern literature from the University of South Carolina, his master’s in American literature from the Catholic University of America and his bachelor’s in English from LaSalle College.
Books
A Research Primer for Technical Communication: Methods, Exemplars, and Analyses. Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2008. (With M.A. Hughes)
Edited Texts
Connecting People with Technology: Issues in Professional Communication. Amityville, N.Y.: Baywood Publishing, 2009. (With Helen Grady)
Contact Information:
(478) 301-2299
hayhoe_g@mercer.edu
David Hricik
Professor of Law
Walter F. George School of Law
Areas of Expertise: Legal ethics; intellectual property (patents, trademarks, copyrights); federal civil procedure.
Professor Hricik has published numerous scholarly articles in a variety of areas of the law. He is also deeply involved in the leadership of several professional organizations and is the author of several books, including Ethical Issues in Patent Prosecution and Ethical Issues in Patent Litigation, published in 2009 by Oxford University Press. He earned his bachelor's, with high honors from the University of Arizona and his Juris Doctorate, cum laude, from Northwestern University School of Law.
Books:
Ethical Issues in Patent Prosecution. Oxford University Press. (2009) with Mercedes Meyer.
Ethical Issues in Patent Litigation. Oxford University Press. (2009)
Mastering Civil Procedure. Carolina Academic Press (2008).
Modern Statutory Interpretation: Problems, Theories, and Lawyering Strategies. Carolina Academic Press (2006; second edition 2009) with Linda Jellum.
Teachers Manual for Modern Statutory Interpretation. Carolina Academic Press (2006; second edition 2009) with Linda Jellum.
Property: Cases, Documents, and Lawyering Strategies. Lexis/Nexis (2004; second edition 2008) with Professors Crump and Caudill.
Contact Information:
(478) 301-4154
hricik_d@law.mercer.edu
W. Klugh Kennedy, Pharm.D.
Clinical Associate Professor of Pharmacy and Psychiatry
Department of Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
Mercer School of Medicine
Areas of Expertise: psychopharmacology, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, substance abuse-dependence, clinical teaching, professionalism, interdisciplinary teaching
Kennedy conducts research and publishes papers in the areas of psychopharmacology, substance abuse and mental illness, as well as areas of related to professionalism and teaching. He earned his Doctor of Pharmacy from Idaho State University and bachelor’s in pharmacy from the University of Georgia.
Contact Information:
(912) 350-2664
kennedy_wk@mercer.edu
Dr. Laura Lackey
Professor and Chair of Environmental Engineering
School of Engineering
Areas of Expertise: biological and chemical remediation of organic contaminants; remediation of contaminated air, soil and water
Dr. Lackey has published numerous articles in scholarly publications related to environmental engineering and with fellow Mercer environmental engineering professor Richard O. Mines Jr. is the author of the textbooks Introduction to Environmental Engineering (2009) and, forthcoming in 2010, Essential Concepts in Environmental Engineering. She earned her bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of Tennessee.
Patents:
J.L. Boles, J.R. Gamble, and L.W. Lackey, High-Efficiency Processes for Destruction of
Contaminants, US 6,461,510 B1, Granted on October 8, 2002.
J.L. Boles, J.R. Gamble, and L.W. Lackey, High-Efficiency Processes for Destruction of
Contaminants, US 6,599,423 B2, Granted on July 29, 2003
L.W. Lackey, K. Bellman, and T. Wood, Knee Flexion Device for Patient Rehabilitation,
submitted 8/2008, patent pending.
Books:
Introduction to Environmental Engineering, Prentice Hall. 2009, with Richard O. Mines.
Essential Concepts in Environmental Engineering, John Wiley. Forthcoming 2010 with Richard O. Mines.
Contact Information:
(478) 301-4106
lackey_l@mercer.edu
Patrick E. Longan
W.A. Bootle Chair in Ethics and Professionalism in the Practice of Law
Walter F. George School of Law
Area of Expertise: Legal Ethics
Professor Longan researches and writes in the areas of professional responsibility and legal ethics. He earned his bachelor’s from Washington University in St. Louis, his master’s from the University of Sussex and his Juris Doctorate from the University of Chicago Law School.
Contact Information:
(478) 301-2639
longan_p@law.mercer.edu
Scot J. Mann
Assistant Professor and Director of Theatre
Communication and Theatre Arts Department, College of Liberal Arts
Areas of Expertise: film, television, and stage acting; stunts; theatrical combat; classical acting; directing and playwriting.
Mann has more than 20 years experience in the professional entertainment industry as a p actor, director, fight director, stunt performer and instructor. He serves as an instructor in theatrical combat around the world and has been selected as Certified Fight Director by the Society of American Fight Directors and named a Certified Teacher by the British Academy of Stage and Screen Combat and. He earned his bachelor’s from Mercer University and his Master of Fine Arts in acting from the University of Alabama. He is a member of the Screen Actor’s Guild and Actor’s Equity unions.
Contact Information:
(478) 301-2978
mann_sj@mercer.edu
Dr. Steven McClung
Associate Professor of Marketing
Eugene W. Stetson School of Business and Economics
Areas of Expertise: sports marketing, Internet marketing, advertising, television and radio.
Dr. McClung has published numerous articles in scholarly journals on topics ranging from newspaper Web site features to spectator satisfaction in minor league baseball. Prior to becoming a professor he spent 10 years as a television and radio reporter in such markets as Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Pa. and Charleston, S.C. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Marshall University and his Ph.D. in marketing from the University of Tennessee.
Contact Information:
(478) 301-5597
mcclung_sr@mercer.edu
Dr. Richard O. Mines Jr., P.E.
Professor of Environmental Engineering and Director of Master of Science and Master of Science in Engineering Programs
School of Engineering
Areas of Expertise: Design of wastewater treatment systems, design of potable water treatment systems, Biological nutrient removal systems
Dr. Mines has conducted research and published scholarly articles on activated sludge processes, biological nutrient removal systems and the ozonation of sludge. He is the author of two textbooks on environmental engineering with fellow Mercer environmental engineering professor Laura Lackey, Introduction to Environmental Engineering (2009) and Essential Concepts in Environmental Engineering (forthcoming 2010). He earned his bachelor’s in civil engineering from the Virginia Military Institute, his master’s in civil engineering from the University of Virginia and his Ph.D. in civil engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He is a licensed Professional Engineer.
Books:
Introduction to Environmental Engineering, Prentice Hall. 2009, with Laura Lackey
Essential Concepts in Environmental Engineering, John Wiley. Forthcoming 2010 with Laura Lackey.
Contact Information:
mines_ro@mercer.edu
Dr. Nader H. Moniri
Assistant Professor
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
Areas of Expertise: pharmacology, particularly the mechanism of drug action, medicinal chemistry, drug design and development
Dr. Moniri’s research focuses in receptor pharmacology, reactive oxygen species, diabetes, cardiovascular and nervous systems. He earned his bachelor’s from Georgia State University, his Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Duke University.
Contact Information:
(678) 547-6246
moniri_nh@mercer.,edu
David Oedel
Professor of Law
Walter F. George School of Law
Areas of Expertise: constitutional law, U.S. Supreme Court and financial services
Professor Oedel has published numerous scholarly and opinion pieces, including the recent financial crisis, in such publications as National Law Journal, Philadelphia Inquirer, Christian Science Monitor and the American Banker. He graduated with his Juris Doctorate, magna cum laude from Boston University Law School and earned his bachelor’s from Haverford College.
Contact Information:
(478) 301-2629
oedel_dg@law.mercer.edu
Dr. Penelope B. Prime
Professor of Economics and Director of the China Research Center (www.chinacenter.net)
Department of Economics, Eugene W. Stetson School of Business and Economics
Areas of Expertise: China’s economy; comparative economic development; international trade; globalization trends; India and China comparisons; agglomeration/industrial clusters
Dr. Prime has studied China her entire career and has done extensive research on the country as it has emerged as an economic and political power, she has published numerous scholarly articles on China and comparisons between China and other emerging economic powers. She is the editor of two books on China and is the director of the China Research Center. Dr. Prime earned her bachelor’s in Chinese studies from the University of Denver and her master’s Ph.D. in economics from the University of Michigan, where her dissertation focused on growth and productivity in China.
Edited books
Global Giant: Is China Changing the Rules of the Game? Palgrave Macmillan, 2009. Edited with Eva Paus and Jon Western.
Economic Development in India and China: New Perspectives on Progress and Change. New Delhi: Serials Publications, 2007. Edited with Kishore G. Kulkarni.
Contact Information:
(678) 547-6235
prime_pb@mercer.edu
Dr. Brian E. Rood
Associate Professor of Chemistry and Earth and Environmental Science
College of Liberal Arts
Areas of Expertise: Environmental issues, including water quality, environmental impact assessments, alternative fuel technologies such as biofuels, biodiesel and environmental justice and policy, as well as community outreach programs; biogeochemistry; paleoecology
Dr. Rood has a diverse background in research and outreach in such areas as water quality, environmental impact assessments, environmental justice and policy, biogeochemistry; paleoecology and alternative fuel technologies such as biofuels and biodiesel. He earned his bachelor’s in chemistry and biology from the University of Connecticut, his master’s in zoology and Ph.D. in environmental engineering from the University of Florida.
Contact Information:
(478) 301-2885
rood_be@mercer.edu
Jack L. Sammons
Griffin B. Bell Professor of Law
Walter George School of Law
Areas of Expertise: free speech, free exercise of religion, establishment of religion, trial evidence
Professor Sammons has written numerous scholarly articles and opinion pieces on a wide range of legal topics, the legal profession and the practice of law. He is also active in numerous professional organizations. He earned his bachelor’s from Duke University, his Juris Doctorate from the University of Georgia School of Law and his Master of from Antioch School of Law.
Professor Sammons’ essay on Rebellious Ethics has been recently republished in several business ethics texts and in a book collection of articles on professional ethics. An earlier article co-authored with Dr. Russell Cort, “The Search for Good Lawyering: A Concept and Model of Lawyering Competencies,” has been translated into several languages and was serialized by the ABA. An earlier book, Lawyer Professionalism published by Carolina Academic Press, was adopted at numerous law schools as required reading for legal ethics courses and was distributed to all members of several commissions on professionalism around the country.
Contact Information:
(478) 301-2323
jlsjr@aol.com
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Dr. Wade H. Shaw, P.E.
Dean and Kaolin Chair of Engineering
School of Engineering
Areas of Expertise: simulation modeling, systems engineering, engineering education
The dean of Mercer’s School of Engineering, Dr. Shaw’s research focuses in modeling of communications networks, design of engineering experiments, response surface methodology in system design and the role of management in engineering education. He is the editor of IEEE Engineering Management Review. Dr. Shaw earned his bachelor’s in electrical engineering, his master’s in systems engineering and his Ph.D. in engineering management from Clemson University. He is a certified Professional Engineer.
Contact Information:
(478) 301-2459
shaw_wh@mercer.edu
Dr. J. Michael Weber
Associate Professor of Marketing
Eugene W. Stetson School of Business and Economics
Areas of Expertise: small business consulting, business development, business plan development, marketing strategy and teaching pedagogy
Dr. Weber has more than 15 years of active consulting experience as the CEO or managing partner of a marketing consulting firm that provides business and marketing services to a wide variety of firms, organizations and government institutions. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida, his MBA from the University of West Florida and his Ph.D from Louisiana State University.
Contact Information:
(678) 547-6056
weber_jm@mercer.edu
Dr. John C. Wright, CAAB
Professor of Psychology
Department of Psychology, College of Liberal Arts
Areas of Expertise: dog behavior: such as dog bites and other serious behavior problems in dogs; cat behavior such as inappropriate elimination; storm phobias; separation anxiety; as well as the effects of spay/neuter on behavior.
Dr. Wright has written several books on cat and dog behavior and is a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, a fellow in the Association for Psychological Science and is the current chairman of the Animal Behavior Societies’ Board of Professional Certification. He earned his master’s and Ph.D. from Miami University of Ohio in experimental psychology and a bachelor’s in psychology from Wittenberg University. He is an ABS Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, and a Charter Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science.
As a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, Dr. Wright has a successful veterinary referral house-calls practice since 1980. He offers dog and cat behavior seminars and workshops across the nation. He has spoken internationally to the National Dog Warden's Association (UK), and in the U.S. to several organizations, including The American Veterinary Medical Association, and the National Animal Control Association.
Dr. Wright He has published numerous scholarly articles on animal behavior, and has written three books, including the award-winning Is Your Cat Crazy? Solutions from the Casebook of a Cat Therapist. He has twice served as chairman of the Animal Behavior Society's Board of Professional Certification, has been on the Council of Directors for The Cat Writer’s Association. Dr. Wright is co-founder and organizer of the Interdisciplinary Forum for Applied Animal Behavior, and is on the editorial board for the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science.
Books:
Ain't Misbehavin': The Groundbreaking Program for Happy, Well-Behaved Pets and Their People, (with Judy Wright Lashnits) (2001)
The Dog Who Would Be King, (with Judi Wright Lashnits) 1999
Is Your Cat Crazy? Solutions from the Casebook of a Cat Therapist, (1996)
Contact Information:
wright_jc@mercer.edu
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