Leadership

Email: [email protected] | Phone: 215-951-0252

Awards & Honors

• Mayor's Appointee to the Philadelphia Manufacturing Task Force Advisory Committee
• Governor’s Appointee to the Virginia New College Planning Commission
• Governor’s Appointee to the Virginia Hydrogen Economy Roundtable
• Governor’s Appointee to the Virginia Geographic Information Network Advisory Board
• Invited speaker at three different Gordon Conference on Engineering Education, Thermoset Polymers and Composite Materials
• Recipient of the Virginia Tech Diggs Teaching Scholar Award
• Inductee into the VT Academy of Teaching Excellence
• Recipient of the VT William E. Wine Award for Teaching Excellence
• Recipient of the VT Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching
• Recipient of the VT College of Engineering "Sporn Award" for Excellence in Teaching
• Recipient of the DuPont Director's Award for outstanding contribution to the Textile Fibers Department
  

Teaching Statement

I absolutely love teaching. In fact, it is the single most satisfying part of my job. My goal as a teacher is to encourage innovation and creative problem solving in my classroom. I have an active, collaborative teaching style and have always felt that my job is to coach students to be lifelong self-learners, as opposed to relying on a teacher to walk them through the learning process. Ultimately, helping students learn how to learn is the best outcome I can achieve in my classroom.

Background

Before joining Thomas Jefferson University in 2011, Dr. Kander was founding Director of the School of Engineering at James Madison University (JMU), Department Head of Integrated Science & Technology (ISAT) at JMU, and a faculty member in the Materials Science & Engineering Department (MSE) at Virginia Tech (VT). While at VT, he was also the Director of the College of Engineering’s interdisciplinary “Green Engineering” program. Before joining academia, he was employed by E. I. DuPont in Wilmington, Delaware as a Senior Engineer in the Advanced Composites Division of the Fibers Department and in the Polymer Physics Group of the Central Research Department.

Courses Taught

At Thomas Jefferson University:

• Materials Selection & Design
• Integrative Design Processes

At Previous Institutions:

• Aesthetics of Visualizing Information
• Godel, Escher, Bach
• Modeling and Simulation
• Instrumentation and Measurement
• Engineering Mathematics
• Polymer Deformation and Fracture
• Polymer Engineering
• Environmental Life Cycle assessment
• Analytical Methods
• Materials Science and Engineering
• Engineering Fundamentals
  

Research Statement

Dr. Kander's research is in the areas of materials selection & design, systems dynamics, modeling and simulation, composite materials characterization and manufacturing, polymer characterization and processing, and sustainable manufacturing processes.

He has supervised more than 30 graduate students (PhD and MS), published more than 50 articles, book chapters, and refereed conference papers, and presented more than 75 invited lectures and conference presentations (including two invited Gordon Conference presentations). His work has been cited in the literature more than 200 times. Dr. Kander has secured in excess of $6 million dollars in funded research, approximately half of which was from industrial sources. In addition to these research activities, I also remain active in industrial consulting and in teaching industry short courses.

Recent Publications

"A New Model For Interdisciplinary Education", Dr. Ronald Kander & Maribeth Kradel-Weitzel, 2013 AIGA Design Conference, Minneapolis, MN.

"An Adventure in Extreme Curriculum Integration to Stimulate Innovation and Collaboration", Dr. R. G. Kander, 2012 American Society of Engineering Education Conference, San Antonio, TX."

Not all problems are created equal: From problem-based learning theory to research on complex problem solving and implications for the engineering classroom", Pierrakos, O. , Watson, H., Kander, R., Russell, J. & Anderson, R., 2010 Frontiers in Education Conference, Arlington, VA.

Email: [email protected] | Phone: 215-951-2814

Awards & Honors

• Nexus learning grant (2013)
• Teaching Excellence Award, School of Business Administration (2006)
• Lindback Research Grant (2003)
• Summer Research Grant (2002)
• Team-Member, NTC grant (2001, 2002)
  

Teaching Statement

I am passionate about teaching! My teaching is learner centered, and my pedagogy reflects my attempts to provide an environment for students to actively learn through multiple mediums and from one another. I strive for students to not only understand and integrate the core concepts but also learn to appreciate its significance in the business world and in their own personal lives.

Primary Courses Taught

• Financial Management
• Intermediate Financial Management
  
• International Finance
  
• Seminar in Finance
  
• Financial Policy and Planning

Background

Prior to joining Thomas Jefferson University, Dr. Russel taught accounting and finance courses at Morgan State University, Thompson Rivers University (Canada), Beijing Concord College of Sino-Canada (China), University of New Brunswick (Canada) and University of Massachusetts. He has served as academic consultant for leading publishers and conducted customized workshops for the World Bank, Certified Financial Planner program, and Canadian Securities Course.

Research Statement

Dr. Russel's research has focused primarily on corporate bankruptcy, managed portfolios, and international finance.

Recent Scholarly Works

Co-authored with Bhargava, V., Malhotra, D. K. and M. Singh. “An Empirical Investigation of Volatility Spilover between the Indian and the US markets” International Journal of Emerging Markets, 2012, Volume 7, 3:289-304.

Co-authored with Malhotra,D.K., and R. Poteau, “An Empirical Examination of the Relationship between Audit Fee and Firm Performance,” International Journal of Business, Accounting, and Finance, Volume 9, 2015, 2: 112-122

Education Background

PhD - University of Massachusetts, Amherst
MBA - Morgan State University
BCom(honors) and MBE - University of Delhi, India

Email: [email protected]

Dave has been in higher education administration since 1994. He has worked in several areas in student affairs, including leadership development, service learning, diversity & inclusion, Greek Life, event management, & student engagement. He heads up the School of Business’ efforts with co-curricular programming, career preparation, retention and recruitment efforts, and alumni engagement. In addition, Dave serves as the day-to-day ombudsman for School of Business student concerns/issues.

Education Background

MLA, International & Cross-Cultural Studies, Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania
Master Thesis Works, Liverpool (UK) Hope University College
B.S., Secondary Education, Social science, Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania

Email: [email protected]

Awards & Honors

Recipient, 2020, Thomas Jefferson University Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching

Teaching Statement

Our role as educators is to assist our students in identifying the thing (or things) they love to do, so that they may make a living pursuing their passions. 

Background

Marcia Weiss is the Interim Dean of the School of Design & Engineering, and Professor of Textile Design at Thomas Jefferson University. A specialist in woven design, she teaches studio courses at the graduate level, as well as to audiences at conferences and symposia. She brings to the classroom decades of industry experience, including 19 years with Burlington Industries; culminating in the role of Vice President of Design for the House Fabrics Division. Marcia’s current consulting practice spans color/trend research, multi-layer textiles and advanced woven structural solutions for a range of applications.  

Research Statement

Marcia’s research interests include culturally significant textile practices in West Africa and Central Asia. An exhibited artist, Marcia has been honored to have her work displayed in Asia, Europe and throughout North America. Her current practice involves the joy of multi-layer ikats, celebrating a rich family history of artisanal craft.  

Recent Exhibitions

• Lesser Known Ikat Traditions; Textile Museum webinar, Washington DC - 2024
• Abstract Harmonies; Newark Arts Alliance, Newark DE - 2023
• 34^th Textile Study Group of New York Spring 2023 Gallery; New York NY - 2023
• From the Studio: Spring 2023; Studio 203; Los Angeles CA - 2023

Education Background

MFA, Fibers, Savannah College of Art & Design, GA
BS, Textile Design, Philadelphia College of Textiles & Science, PA

Email: [email protected]

Awards & Honors

• Mom’s Choice Award, Gold Award | 2023 (Industry Award)
• TTPM, Best of Baby Award, Best Diaper Bag for Fathers| 2018 (Industry Award)
• To date, more than 320 of Dr. Kramer’s designs have been produced and brought to market. A few of the retailers where his products have sold include Apple, Best Buy, BuyBuy Baby, Costco, Office Depot, Staples, Target, and Wal-Mart.

Teaching Statement

As an educator, I strive to infuse industry best practices with active learning principles to ensure that our students have the essential skill sets to obtain good jobs upon graduating and the knowledge and resourcefulness to sustain a career in their chosen professional fields.

Primary Courses Taught

• Senior Capstone Design Studio 1  (Industrial Design)
• Senior Capstone Design Studio 2  (Industrial Design)
• Soft Goods Development
• Soft Goods Applied Fabrication

Background

• Founder & President | Bluekiwi Designs LLC. | Hamilton, NJ | 2014-Present
• Director of Design & Product Development | Avenues in Leather, Inc. (Wenger and SwissGear brands) | 2007-2014
• Senior Industrial Designer | Zenith Products Corp. | New Castle, DE | 2005-2007
• Industrial Designer | Scrambled Eggz Productions | Marlton, NJ | 2004-2005

Research Statement

Dr. Kramer’s research has focused on understanding how Design Thinking models are successfully implemented in professional practice and exploring thematic coding approaches within qualitative research scenarios.

Recent Scholarly Works

“Understanding the Perception of Design Thinking Consultants on the Barriers Involved with Implementing the School’s Design Thinking Model with Manufacturing Companies.” (Submitted for acceptance, International Management Review Journal, Volume 20, 2024)

Education Background

DBA | Doctor of Business Administration - Thomas Edison State University

MS   | Interactive Design & Media - Philadelphia University

BS    | Industrial Design - Philadelphia University

Email: [email protected] | Phone: 215-951-2951

Background

Mr. O'Pella has been working in higher education administration at Thomas Jefferson University since 2008 and has experience in enrollment management, academic affairs, and teaching. He manages information across the college and contributes to initiatives that enhance the experience for both students and faculty at Thomas Jefferson University.

Mr. O'Pella’s background spans a wide range of applied and theoretical mathematics, consisting of mathematical modeling and discrete mathematics. Recent research includes using graph theory for data compression and for the design of locally recoverable codes (LRCs) with application to distributed data storage.

Mr. O’Pella teaches Introduction to Business Statistics and Applied Business Statistics for the School of Business. 

Recent Publications

“Horizontal Visibility Graphs are Uniquely Determined by their Directed Degree Sequence.” Physica A: Journal of Statistical Mechanics and its Applications. (2019).

Education

MA, Mathematics, Villanova University

MBA, Thomas Jefferson University

BA, Communication, University of Scranton

Email: [email protected] | Phone: 215-951-2751

Background

Ms. Loftus joined Thomas Jefferson University in the School Textiles and Materials Technology in 1999. She was also Coordinator for the Philadelphia University Research Center. Prior to joining Thomas Jefferson University, she was employed by FMC Corporation for 16 years. She held progressively responsible positions in Public Affairs and Information Technology, before leaving her position of Marketing Assistant in the Specialty Products Group.

Education

Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA