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.

Thomas Alan-Livernois, Short Course Faculty

Throughout Dr. Thomas Alan-Livernois' career, he has consistently demonstrated his unique approach to leading successful business initiatives, driving organizational excellence, and transforming business processes to maintain a competitive edge. With over three decades of leadership experience in manufacturing, supply chain management, and business administration, Dr. Alan has held executive roles across diverse industries. His unique problem-solving skills have marked his responsibility for driving significant operational improvements. He has directed large-scale manufacturing mergers, marshaled crisis management for global production, managed large-scale supply chain processes, launched new companies and divisions, and led strategic initiatives that fostered business growth and innovation. He is also a Grow with Google Partner dedicated to building more technology impact from underserved communities.
Career highlights include improving processes, programs, and strategy with customized and proven business tools to improve production, packaging, supply chain, I.T. transitions, crisis management, strategic communication, and operational efficiency for top global companies. The outcomes culminated in a stellar track record of enhancing organizational performance, measured by KPIs, while raising employee retention and satisfaction scores. His educational background consists of a doctorate and master's in organizational leadership from Grand Canyon University, a master's in digital marketing from Full Sail University, a bachelor's in mass communications from CSU Fullerton, a certification from MIT Business School in A.I. for Business Strategy, from PROSCI for Change Management, from Google and PMI for Project Management, Google Analytics, and Google cybersecurity, Google and Kaggle for AI, Microsoft for cloud infrastructure, Defender, Azure, Microsoft 365, Sentinel, Power BI and IBM data science certifications. This solid academic foundation has been pivotal in guiding his strategic approach to complex business challenges.
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
Casey Jenkins, Short Course Faculty

Casey Jenkins (CJ), the Owner of Eight Twenty-Eight Consulting LLC, stands out as a results-oriented business professional specializing in supply chain and process improvement. With a rich background encompassing over a decade of diverse supply chain experience, Casey holds dual master’s degrees in Supply Chain Management and Project Management, accompanied by a Black Belt in Lean Six Sigma. She combines her educational prowess and hands-on experience to navigate and resolve intricate supply chain challenges, consistently achieving maximum results and operational excellence.
A demonstrated track record in the strategic execution of various project types across numerous industries highlights Casey’s expertise. She has generated approximately $20 million through key initiatives and completed over 20 projects throughout her career.
In the ever-evolving landscape of the supply chain industry, Casey remains committed to staying ahead of emerging trends and technologies. Her pursuit of a Doctor of Business Administration in Supply Chain Management and Logistics, beginning in January 2024, exemplifies her commitment to lifelong learning. Casey thrives on collaboration and actively engages in networking to enhance her knowledge.
Casey is known for her unwavering worth ethic, motivation, and passion for contributing to personal and professional growth. She thrives on challenges and approaches them with full-on dedication. She leads through serving, prioritizing the growth and success of those around her. She fosters a transformative, collaborative, and high-achieving work environment by promoting others before herself.
Kelly Kinnebrew, Short Course Faculty

Dr. Kelly Kinnebrew is an organizational psychologist and founder of Minerva, an AI startup in conversation analytics and coaching. With 30 years of experience in leadership and team development, her career includes roles with Center for Creative Leadership, Oracle Consulting, Forum Corporation, PwC, KPMG, Accenture, and Dartmouth Health.
In addition to leading Minerva, Kelly is one of two US faculty and executive coaches for Macquarie Group and is active in state AI legislation. Her expertise includes cross-border organizational design, managing Gen Z, clinical disorders in leadership, and cognitive technology. She has worked across industries, including manufacturing, financial services, tech, healthcare, pharma, energy, oil and gas, the US military, and many others. She has served as a grant-awarder for the US National Science Foundation and is a published expert, speaker, and podcast guest.
Kelly holds a PhD in Counseling Psychology with an organizational focus from the University of Denver, a Master's in Psychology, and a BA in Business Administration and Marketing. She lives in Boulder, CO.
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
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 College of Professional Studies

Contact: Michael.McGuire@du.edu
Ana Loor, Assistant Director

Contact: ana.loormendoza@du.edu
Ana received her Bachelor of Arts in Leadership and Organization Studies at the University of Denver as a Hornbeck and Daniels Fund Scholar.
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

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.
Jared Stedl, Adjunct Faculty| Board Member

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
Paul Will, Adjunct Faculty

Paul Will has more than 20 years of experience in accounting and finance.
He started his career at KPMG. He began work at Celadon in 1993 and he ultimately became CEO. He is currently a principal at Advantage Global.
He is a certified public accountant and served on the American Trucking Associations' National Accounting and Finance Council board and the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce.
Contact Paul: paul.will@du.edu