Dr. Peter V. Bias is Professor of Business and Economics.  He has the B.A. and Ph.D. in economics from the University of Cincinnati and his areas of specialty include monetary macroeconomics and econometrics although he often also teaches microeconomics at both graduate and undergraduate levels.  Dr. Bias is the current director of the economics program and has served in the position since 2001.  He has taught in the FSC graduate and undergraduate programs for the past 21 years and has been an economic education consultant to Polk County Public Schools for the past three years.  Dr. Bias has served as an economic and/or statistical expert witness on a number of court cases in Polk County Florida and has given several invited lectures locally.  His research interests are eclectic and include small sample inference for Poisson distributions, regionally heterogeneous impacts of national monetary policies, optimal inventory safety stocks, game theory, and the theoretical underpinnings and empirical estimation of the Phillips Curve.  In Dec. 2005 Dr. Bias published a popular science book on meteors and meteor showers, having worked closely with several of the premier meteoricists in the world.  In addition to academic journal articles and conference presentations, he has written workbooks and study guides for statistics and has edited a graduate level readings compendium on monetary macroeconomics.

Dr. Craig Bythewood, a native of Tampa, Florida, earned his Bachelor of Business Administration at Howard University in Washington, D.C. He received his Ph.D. in Finance at the University of Florida at the age of 26. Upon graduation, in an effort to gain practical experience, he worked as a Chief Financial Officer for a south Florida healthcare facility. At Florida Southern, he teaches both Finance. He has served as a consultant for several organizations, including JPMorgan Chase, Hewlett-Packard and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He is also a personal financial planner and provides countless speeches on personal finance, economic empowerment and community issues. For the past four years, Craig has served as a co-host of ABC television’s coverage of the Martin Luther King Parade in St. Petersburg, the largest in the nation.  He also serves as Associate Pastor of Young Adults and the Couples Ministry for New Dawn Restoration Center. His hobbies include flag football and basketball. He is married to Lisa and they are the parents of seven children ranging in age between 23 and 3.

Dr. Carl C. Brown is Professor of Economics. He has the BS in Business Administration from Florida Southern College, MA in Economics from University of South Florida, and Ph.D. in Economics from Oklahoma State University. Dr. Brown is the William F. Chatlos Professor of Business and Economics at Florida Southern College where he served as Chair of the Department of Business and Economics for seven years.  He has taught in the graduate program for 28 years, and has published the Polk Progress Economic Report on the local economy each quarter for the past 25 years. He has served as an expert witness in legal proceedings concerning estimates of economic loss due to death or injury, and as a witness before such bodies as the Florida Public Utilities Commission.  He has also served as an economic consultant to such private entities as the Lakeland Mall and other local enterprises. 

Dr. Brown has served on a number of boards of directors for nonprofit institutions and civic organizations, including the Lakeland YMCA, South Lakeland Little League, Highland Youth Soccer Association, and the Chautaugua Institution (New York).  He also served as past president of the Spring Valley Civic Association (Ohio) and the Chautauqua Institution Property Owners Association, and is a current member of the Chautauqua Foundation.  Dr. Brown is a member of Beta Gamma Sigma (honor society in business administration), Omicron Delta Epsilon (honor society in economics), and the Southern Economic Association.

Dr. Joan Buccino is Professor of Economics and chair of Business and Economics Program. She has the BA from Wellesley College, MEd from Boston State College, Graduate Harvard-Radcliffe Program in Business Administration, and Ph.D. from the University of South Florida. She was appointed in 1994 to the Dorotha C. Tanner Chair in Ethics in Business and Economics. Dr. Buccino has 29 years teaching experience at FSC and is a member of Phi Kappa Phi, Omicron Delta Kappa, National Association of Corporate Directors and the American Economic Association. She served FSC as Chair of the Social Science Division and interim Interim Vice President and Dean of the College. Dr. Buccino also served on the Board of Directors of Publix Super Markets, Inc.

Dr. Lynn H. Clements, Professor of Accounting at Florida Southern College, began as an adjunct instructor in 1984, and as a full-time instructor in 1990. After earning her Bachelor of Science degree at Florida Southern College, she practiced public accounting for 6 years, and then earned the Master of Business Administration degree at FSC. She has been certified as a Florida CPA since 1980, as a CMA (Certified Management Accountant) since 1992, as a CFM (Certified in Financial Management) since 1997, as a Cr.FA (Certified Forensic Accountant) since 2002, and as a CFE (Certified Fraud Examiner) since 2004. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA), the American Accounting Association, and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. Lynn earned her Doctor of Business Administration degree from Nova Southeastern University in March 2002. Her interests include family activities, reading, travel, and music.

Gary Cook, Associate Professor of Business Administration, brings over twenty years of teaching experience to FSC. Cook received his B.S. and M.B.A. from California State University and his Ph.D. in Management Information Systems from Arizona State University. Since receiving his Ph.D., Cook has taught at Michigan State University, the University of South Florida, the University of Dubuque, and Governors State University. His research interests include decision support systems, information technology management, electronic commerce, and human computer interactions. He is the recipient of the Faculty Excellence Award from Governors State and is a Certified Wireless Security Professional. In addition to his own publications, Cook is a reviewer for several journals and is on the editorial board of The Journal of Information Systems.

Dr. Paul Eberle is Professor of Finance and Economics. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1990. Dr. Eberle holds a B.S. in Economics and an M.S. in Finance from Texas A&M University. Dr. Eberle has taught business and economics classes at universities and colleges in Shanghai, Tianjin, Dezhou, Baoding, Kunming, Qiqihar, Shijiazhuang, Wuhan, Wenzhou, Xiamen, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, and Copenhagen. At Florida Southern he teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in finance, and economics.

Dr. David Grossman is Assistant Professor of International Business and Marketing. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Hotel Management and Marketing, Master of Science in Business Education and Master of Science International Business, and Doctorate in Business Administration in International Business from Southern New Hampshire University. His teaching interests including market entry strategies, marketing research, development of international educational programs, and sport and entertainment marketing. Dr. Grossman is a member of several professional and academic organizations and consults for several schools in their quest to venture into the various overseas markets. Professionally, Dr. Grossman has worked for a variety of organizations ranging from hotel chains and chemical distributors to public school systems and non-governmental organizations.

Dr. Cindy Hardin is Professor of Business Administration. She received the BS degree magna cum laude from Florida Southern College in 1982. She then received her Juris Doctorate degree from Stetson University College of Law in 1984. Upon graduating from law school, Dr. Hardin began practicing law in Lakeland, in the areas of business law and commercial transactions, real estate, probate and family law until joining the staff of Florida Southern College in the fall of 1988. Although still engaged in the practice of law, Dr. Hardin focuses her energies on the classroom, teaching primarily Business Law I and II, Legal Research and Writing, Legal Document Drafting and Freshmen Year Experience. Dr. Hardin is the faculty advisor of Delta Sigma Pi, National Business Fraternity, and the Honors Student Association. She is on the Board of Directors for Pied Piper Players Community Theater, Santa Fe Catholic High School Board of Education, a member of the Lakeland Bar Association, Florida Bar Association Law Related Education Committee, Delta Sigma Pi, Sigma Beta Delta, Phi Eta Sigma and Omicron Delta Kappa. In her spare time she enjoys visiting elementary school classes to speak about the legal system, volunteering at her church and her children's school, performing in community theater productions, and spending time with her husband and two sons.

Mike’s business background includes five years managing a construction and remodeling business as well as several years investing in real estate. He also does business and personal coaching. His outside interests include playing basketball, windsurfing, listening to rock and roll, and doing Christian studies. (He played intercollegiate football and basketball at Kalamazoo.) He coaches various sports teams for his three daughters. Mary, his wife of twenty years, is a pediatric intensive care nurse.

Professor Nugent has traveled extensively and has worked and lectured in Germany and Dubai, UAE. He has guest lectured at Boston College, Plymouth State University, and the NordAkademie in Hamburg, Germany. His current research includes marketing strategy, international sport marketing, and business strategy. Although he was born in Daytona Beach, Nick has lived most of his life in New Hampshire and recently joined the FSC faculty. He enjoys all sports and played varsity baseball and hockey at SNHU, and served as team captain in both sports.

Dr. Larry Ross is the Anne and Bill France Distinguished Professor of Business and the Coordinator of the Graduate Program. Dr. Ross joined the faculty in 1993. He received both his MBA and Ph.D. in business/marketing from Georgia State University and his Bachelors degree in business from Florida State University. His teaching interests are in the areas of marketing, hospitality, and strategic planning. He has received several awards for teaching excellence. Dr. Ross is an officer serving on the board of the Leadership Lakeland Alumni Association, the United Way of Central Florida, and is the Chairman of the Board of the McKeel Academy of Technology. Until recently, Dr. Ross was active as a business owner and operator of a dozen restaurants. He still serves as a consultant to the food service industry in the areas of marketing and operations. He works as a facilitator in the area of strategic planning for a diverse range of clients. Dr. Ross is frequently invited to give presentations and seminars ranging from the need for business etiquette, to the role of internal marketing, and the impact of effective strategic planning. Office phone, 680-4285. Room 237 Rogers Building.

Dr. John L. Stancil is Professor of Accounting. Dr. Stancil received the Bachelor of Science from Mars Hill College, the MBA from the University of Georgia, and the DBA from the University of Memphis. He holds the professional certifications of CPA, CMA, CFM, and CIA. At Florida Southern, Dr. Stancil teaches Tax, Managerial/Cost, and Principles of Accounting classes. Prior to teaching, he worked in various accounting positions in public and private accounting. Dr. Stancil is a member of the Institute of Management Accountants, the Florida Institute of CPA's, the American Institute of CPA’s, the National Association of Tax Professionals, the South East Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences, and the South East Decision Sciences Institute. He maintains an active tax practice and is a writes a monthly tax column for the Polk County Business Journal. He is on the editorial review board of Strategic Finance magazine. Dr. Stancil authored the Instructor’s manual for the 13th edition of Horngren’s Cost Accounting.  He also maintains an active research agenda with several presentations and publications to his credit. In 2005, Dr. Stancil was named the Florida Institute of CPA’s Outstanding CPA in Public Service.   Dr. Stancil is a member of Legacy Christian Church where he is head of the Finance Team. He currently serves as Treasurer of His Nets, an international not-for-profit organization seeking to reduce deaths in Africa from malaria.