Staff & Faculty

Our instructors and staff are made up of top professional minds in the transportation industry. A mix of instructors and industry executives lead classroom instruction, giving students a balanced blend of academic expertise and industry experience as part of a rigorous program that exposes them to all aspects of transportation management, supply chain management and logistics.  

Explore the people of the Transportation and Supply Chain Institute and learn how they each contribute to our community.

• Mike Shawn Batty, Adjunct Faculty
  

  Michael Batty is the Director of Academic Operations Technology Infrastructure. He has over 30 years of experience in the telecommunications industry and more than six years in education and banking consulting. During his more than 30 years in the telecommunications industry, Michael held many positions, including Systems Programmer, Software Engineering Manager, and Director of Central Office Collocation Planning. Michael worked on many exciting projects including migrating an old data center to a new data center, installing the first in-house Ethernet network for Unix minicomputers in one US West Data Center, implementing a software configuration management solution, and leading a team to solve a collocation planning problem in Central Offices at US West. After retiring from US West, Michael returned to school to receive a doctorate and worked as project and process consultant in the education, telecommunications, and banking industries. During one of his consulting engagements, Michael was asked to be the Interim Chief Information Officer for a bank that was undergoing change.

  Michael holds a PhD in Education from the University of Colorado at Denver.

  Contact: Michael.Batty@du.edu

• Jack Raymond Buffington, Faculty, Academic Director
  

  Jack Buffington (Ph.D., Lulea Tekniska Universitet) is a professor of the practice and Academic Director of the Transportation and Supply Chain Institute.  Jack formed the Master of Science in Supply Chain Management program and the Graduate Certificate in Supply Chain Management. His current research is focused in the following areas: the world's first closed loop system for plastic bottles and clean water, and how transformation in supply chain systems will resolve today's crises in healthcare and transportation. In the program, there are several streams of research focused on improving profitability in companies and solving big problems in policy through a structured problem solving approach.

  Contact: John.Buffington@du.edu 

• Jerry Ceja, Program Manager
  

  Jerry Ceja Jr. is the Program Manager at the Transportation & Supply Chain Institute at the University of Denver. He brings together internal and external partners to ensure the experience of the students in the executive education program is excellent from onboarding to commencement.

  In addition, he is a licensed FAA remote pilot and understands the regulations, technology, and operations of unmanned aircraft.

  J. Ceja Jr. (MS ’18) is an alumnus of the University of Denver. He was born in Denver, raised in the metro area, and currently resides in the Mile High City. He also has ties to the Pacific Northwest, where he spent four successful years as a student-athlete at Eastern Washington University.

  He spends his free time supporting local businesses, visiting local/state/national parks, walking neighborhoods, flying drones, and enjoying the great outdoors with fellow Coloradans. In addition, he enjoys chess, cooking, reading, spending time with family and friends and is a licensed real estate broker in Colorado.

  Contact: Jerry.Ceja@du.edu

• David Fisher, Executive Director
  

  David Fisher is an accomplished Supply Chain and Logistics leader with 30 years of practice in the field.  He has led increasingly complex initiatives and organizations both on the service provider and manufacturing sides.  In the last twenty years he has focused in particular on the strategic management of global supply chain and logistics within manufacturing environments.
  
  David received his education at CU-Denver/Metropolitan State College in Denver and received advanced certifications from Thunderbird Graduate School, Michigan State University.  David is professionally certified by American Society of Transportation and Logistics (ASTL).

  Contact: David.Fisher@du.edu

• Don Germano, Adjunct Faculty
  

  Don Germano currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of FeraDyne Outdoors.  Previously, he was the Executive Vice President of Supply Chain and Store Operations at Dicks Sporting Goods, a position he held from May, 2022 - November, 2022. Prior to this role, Don was responsible for managing the Company’s store leadership and operations starting in May 2017.   Prior to rejoining DICK’S Sporting Goods, he was President of Follett Higher Education Group, Inc. from 2013 to 2016. Before working at Follett, he served as Senior Vice President - Operations at DICK’S Sporting Goods from 2010 to 2013. Throughout his career, he held leadership positions at notable companies like Sears Holdings, Kmart Corporation, Kozmo.com, Nabisco, North American Van Lines, and UPS.  Don also served as an officer in the United States Marine Corps.

  Contact: Donald.Germano@du.edu

• RJ Graham, Adjunct Faculty
  

  Dr. RJ Graham specializes in leadership development, executive coaching, teamwork, organizational communication, conflict management and strategy design to optimize organizational success. She has an extensive background to assist organizations with practical, effective strategies and techniques that successfully address business challenges. Dr. Graham’s work experience includes over a decade in leadership positions for Fortune 100 companies, and extensive consulting experience working with industries such as: transportation, telecommunications, IT, banking, and credit card services. Some of her transportation clients include CSX, APL and UTA. She has provided executive coaching to over 300 executives in the transportation industry. Clients in other industries include Microsoft, L’Oreal, and AT&T. She has also consulted with government agencies at the federal, state, city, and county levels.

  Dr. Graham has provided program design, facilitation, and keynote addresses for over 70 organizations, including international corporations, small businesses, family-owned and operated firms, and not-for-profit foundations. She also holds an adjunct faculty position at the University of Denver, teaching in both graduate and undergraduate programs since 1987, where she was selected Professor of the Year for the Women’s College in 1993.

  Academic credentials for Dr. Graham include a BA degree in Psychology from Dana College; Blair, Nebraska; an MBA, a Master’s degree in Counseling, and a PhD in Psychology, all from the University of Denver; Denver, Colorado. She is a licensed clinical psychologist (CO #1812) and a credentialed neuropsychologist. She is a member of APA and NAN. She has co-authored, articles and conference papers on teamwork and effective leadership behaviors. Her current research is in applying knowledge of the brain to enhance one’s leadership skills, and how happiness contributes to profitable business outcomes.

  Contact: RJ.Graham@du.edu

• Felix Kasiske, Adjunct Faculty
  

  Dr. Felix Kasiske is the Executive Vice President of RPX Optimization Group and has over 20 years of industry experience in the global intermodal and marine logistics sector. Prior to joining RPX in 2022, he held leadership roles at HPC Hamburg Port Consulting GmbH in Germany for 17 years. With his expertise, he has contributed to and led more than 80 projects for intermodal rail, marine terminals, and ports around the globe.
  
  He served as an expert advisor to multiple government and transportation authorities, including as a consultant to the corporate strategy department of DB German Rail. He has led various consultancy assignments associated with his teaching and research activities.
  
  Dr. Kasiske received his doctoral degree at the Technical University of Berlin.

  Contact: Felix.Kasiske@du.edu

• Michelle Kruse-Crocker, Director of Academic Projects
  

  Michelle Kruse-Crocker (Ph.D. in Higher Education, University of Denver) is a 25-year higher education professional. She is the Director of Academic Projects, Academic Director of the Bachelor of Arts Completion Program, and a teaching professor at University College. Her academic interests are adult learning, teaching strategies, curriculum design, faculty and program development, neuroscience of learning, experiential/travel education, and resilience. She is certified by the Online Learning Consortium and Quality Matters, holds a Master Teacher status, and Gold status for Teaching Excellence. Her teaching includes the pinnacle courses for graduate and undergraduate education - global seminars, capstones, portfolios, and integrative projects.

  Contact: Michelle.Kruse-Crocker@du.edu

• Yannick Landry, Adjunct Faculty
  

  Yannick Landry is an alum of the Transportation & Supply Chain Institute (TSCI) (Cohort 17) and is currently the Vice President - Litigation at CN.  Prior to this role, he served as Vice-President, Legal Affairs and Corporate Secretary at the Port of Quebec. Yannick is also a member of the Faculty and is teaching the Law of Transportation at the TSCI. Before joining the Port of Quebec, Yannick served as CN’s Director of the Montreal Intermodal Terminal Yard, where he managed the day to day operations of the container yard.  Previously, he was CN in-house counsel, where he handled regulatory/commercial and contractual matters, as well as litigations. Prior to that, he was with an international law firm that specialized in commercial, administrative, and constitutional litigation where he was involved in defending a number of class action lawsuits, including price fixation cartels.

  Yannick has appeared before federal and provincial courts, commissions, and governmental boards. From 2003-2010 he worked in the Federal Department of Justice and represented the federal government before two Royal Commissions of Inquiries. Additionally, Yannick worked with the Privy Council Office from 2010-2011, where he provided legal, strategic, policy, and governance advice to the Prime Minister of Canada.

  Contact: Yannick.Landry@du.edu

• Craig Lentzsch, Adjunct Faculty | Board Member
  

  Craig Lentzsch is a member of Transportation and Supply Chain Institute's Advisory Board.  He also maintains a seat on the board as an advisor at Wanderu, Inc. Board Member and Advisor.  Craig is Advisor at Vonlane, Inc. and former Commissioner, National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission.  He is the former President and CEO of Greyhound Lines, Inc., Coach America Holdings, Inc., former Executive Chairman of All Aboard America! Holdings, Inc and former Board member, Dynamex, Inc.

  Contact: Craig.Lentzsch@du.edu

• Michelle Livingstone, Adjunct Faculty | Board Member
  

  Michelle Livingstone has been actively engaged in the supply chain for 30 years and her passion is the transportation industry.  She gained experience and honed her leadership skills at Kraft Foods, J.C. Penney, and C & S Wholesale Grocers, before joining The Home Depot where she served as Vice President of Transportation and was an officer for over thirteen years.  She led a fantastic team of associates focused on ensuring all domestic and international shipments arrived on-time and within budget to distribution centers and stores.  She also has experience in direct-to-consumer final mile deliveries.   

  While at Home Depot, Michelle served as the founder and champion for Women in Supply Chain and was the Vice President advisor for Women’s Link, an associate resource group open to all women at the Store Support Center (corporate headquarters), and the Velvet Hammers, supporting female directors and above. 

  Michelle chose to retire from The Home Depot in March 2021 to focus on public and non-profit board activity.  Michelle serves on the board of directors for Werner Enterprises and Mastery Logistics Systems.  She also serves on the board of the Transportation & Supply Chain Institute of the University of Denver, the Transportation Executive Board of Indiana University, the AWESOME (Achieving Women’s Excellence in Supply Chain Operations, Management, and Education) Advisory Board, in addition to serving as Vice Chair of the Rainbow Village board, a non-profit focused on ending homelessness and poverty, primarily for women with children.

  Michelle earned her M.B.A. from the Lake Forest Graduate School of Management and her B.S. in Business, with a concentration in Transportation, from Indiana University.  Michelle now serves as an adjunct professor at the Transportation and Supply Chain Institute at the University of Denver. 

  Contact: Michelledlivingstone@gmail.com

• Ioana Mazare, Adjunct Faculty
  

  Ioana Mazare (Ph.D. in Economics, Western Michigan University) is Vice President Enterprise Data Strategy at UPS, where she is responsible for the company’s global strategic imperatives powered by innovative business models that leverage digital and data tools. Dr. Mazare has 15 years of extensive practice within the transportation industry as a professional data scientist and economic researcher at TTX Company and Roadie, in addition to UPS. She brings a host of project management skills, cross-functional experience in marketing, economics, finance, and technology.

  Ioana has a Ph.D. in Economics from Western Michigan University, and she has years of teaching experience at Western Michigan University, University of Utah, Weber State University, and Mercer University.

  Contact: Ioana.Mazare@du.edu

• Michael McGuire, Dean of University College

  Contact: Michael.McGuire@du.edu

• Shelly Nirvelli, Adjunct Faculty
  

  Inspired by helping clients achieve their goals, Shelly Nirvelli has been in Business Development since 2006.   She currently serves as the Vice President of Business Development for DHL's Packaging Solutions in North America.  Over more than two decades of experience at DHL Supply Chain, her career spanned Operations, Customer Service, Business Process Engineering, Project Management, Global Key Account Management, and Business Development for services including transportation, warehousing, materials management and contract packaging.    

  Shelly is a member of DHL Supply Chain's North American Steering Committee for Diversity, Equity, Inclusiveness & Belonging. 

  Shelly earned an undergraduate degree in Industrial Engineering from Bradley University, followed by an MBA from DU’s Executive MBA Program.   In addition to teaching Marketing, Sales, Procurement & the Customer Experience at the University of Denver's Transportation and Supply Chain Institute, she has also taught Supply Chain in DU’s Executive MBA Program.

  Outside of work, Shelly enjoys spending time with her family, which includes her husband (who we can all thank for her memorable rhyming name), stepdaughter, and dog. She lives just outside of Denver, Colorado.  

  Contact: Shelly.Nirvelli@du.edu

• Mike O'Malley, Adjunct Faculty | Board Member
  

  Mike O’Malley serves as Senior Vice President, Government & Public Relations and Human Resources for Direct ChassisLink, Inc. (DCLI). He is the company’s primary point of contact with external stakeholders and also has responsibility for recruiting, retaining and developing employees to enable the company’s continued growth.

  His career includes more than two decades in public affairs, transportation, and supply chain-related leadership positions, including roles at the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), CSX, and as President of the Railway Supply Institute (RSI).

  Mr. O’Malley holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, and a Master of Science in European Studies from the London School of Economics.

  Contact: Mike.Omalley@du.edu

• Andy Otterman, Adjunct Faculty
  

  Andy Otterman serves at the Chief Information Officer at Loadsmith. In this role, he is accountable for all aspects of Information Technology at the firm. Previous to working at Loadsmith, Mr. Otterman led IT organizations at Tallgrass Energy, Whirlpool Corporation, and DISH Network. Mr. Otterman graduated from the University of Denver with a Bachelor’s in Business Administration and the University of Chicago Booth School of Business with an MBA.

  Loadsmith is a leading third-party logistics platform headquartered in Denver, Colorado, with additional locations in Chattanooga, Tennessee and Phoenix, Arizona. Founded in 2019, Loadsmith was built by industry professionals who have worked with America's greatest carriers, large and small, to deliver top of the line business management and transportation services. Using the latest in transportation technology, Loadsmith creates a seamless transportation logistics experience, providing innovative solutions to our customers and partners.

• Heather Saleh, Marketing Consultant
  

  Heather Saleh is a Marketing and Branding Strategist, with a journey that spans over a decade in the dynamic field of marketing. Heather's capabilities extend to crafting and executing strategic marketing mixes, including SEO, social media, and email marketing, all aimed at generating demand and achieving desired outcomes. With an intuitive grasp of market dynamics and consumer behavior, she excels at identifying opportunities and creating innovative solutions.

  Currently contracted with the Transportation and Supply Chain Institute, Heather drives the organic social media marketing strategy, with the goal of expanding reach and awareness. Her role at Vizibility, LLC as a Freelance Marketing Consultant has seen her producing and implementing innovative marketing and communication strategies.

  Heather obtained her Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Central Connecticut State University in 2021, building on her Associate of Arts Degree in Marketing from Tunxis Community College, achieved in 2013.

  Heather lives in Connecticut with her husband, two daughters, and two energy-filled huskies. When she’s not working you can find her chauffeuring her daughters to gymnastics practices and dance classes, volunteering at the ballet studio during their annual winter Nutcracker rehearsals and performance, and cheering them on at gymnastics competitions.

  Contact: Heather.Saleh@du.edu

• Jared Stedl, Adjunct Faculty
  

  Jared Stedl is the Chief Commercial Officer for Paper Transport and PTI Logistics. Prior to this role, he served as Regional Vice President of Van Truckload South at Schneider. He is a transportation professional with 25+ years of experience in a wide variety of responsibilities. He spent ten years as an adjunct Finance professor for Concordia College and has a dedication to sharing how Finance and Accounting can be used to improve business.  Jared has an accounting degree from the University of Wisconsin Whitewater, MBA from UW Oshkosh, and a Master of Science in Transportation Management from TSCI at University of Denver.

  Contact: Jared.Stedl@du.edu