Download Podcasts as MP3
Search for a podcast, browse episodes, and download MP3 files directly from the publisher's website. Transcripts included when available.
Episodes from DBA Chronicles
Episode 055: Global Doctoral Leadership: The GEM DBA, Multicultural Networks & The Practitioner-Scholar Journey
What does it take to build a globally recognized DBA programthat stands the test of time?In this truly international episode of DBA Chronicles, we welcome the full leadership team from GEM Alpine Business School, one of Europe’s most established and globally respected DBA programs. With over 35 years of excellence and 700+ graduates worldwide, GEM’s DBA offers a compelling model of what it means to bridge academic rigor and real-world impact.Together, this dynamic panel explores the evolving landscapeof doctoral education and what today’s practitioner-scholars are really seeking. They share insights on what has su...
Episode 054: From Practice to Scholarship: Doing Timely, High-Impact Research Through the DBA with Kimberly Bright
Kimberly Bright is a Doctor of Business Administration candidate at the University of Rhode Island and a seasoned leader whose career spans public service, higher education leadership, strategic planning, and organizational change. Her work sits at the intersection of practice, policy, and scholarship, demonstrating the powerful role DBA research can play in addressing real-world challenges as they unfold. Holding a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, Kimberlybrings a deeply practitioner-oriented lens to her doctoral research. Her study examines the lived experiences of Black Chief Diversity Officers in higher education, focusing on ho...
Episode 053: Reinventing Purpose: Energy Transition, Academic Rigor & the Freedom to Learn with Dr. Helen Croskell
Dr. Helen Croskell is a seasoned global energy executiveturned scholar-practitioner. She is a 2024 graduate of the University of Rhode Island’s Doctor of BusinessAdministration program, recipient of the inaugural Dean’s Excellence Award. Her research bridges economics, policy, and sustainable development, focusing on innovative contract structures that support renewable energy in developingnations.With more than 30 years of global executive experienceacross companies such ExxonMobil, Amerada Hess, Marathon Oil, Equinor/Statoil, and Ecopetrol, Helen made a bold decision: to step away from a high-powered energy career and reinvent herself through academic rigor, intellectualcuriosity, and purposeful contribution to the global energ...
Episode 052: Leadership with Heart: Insights from Disney with Dr. Katie Gottsch
With over 15 years at Disney, Dr. Katie Gottsch shares howher practitioner background shaped her DBA journey at Rollins College and how she transformed real-world organizational challenges into meaningful research.Her dissertation explored how customer feedback influences employees’ ability to deliver on the brand promise, using social media data as a longitudinal research source long before it became mainstream.Listeners will hear how Katie:Turned frontline operational challenges into a rigorous, practice-driven dissertationUsed customer feedback as a development and motivation tool, not a punitive oneIdentified critical gaps between marketing promises and employee experienceDesigned employee engagement strategies that me...
Episode 051: Launching a New DBA Program & Rethinking Innovation Education with Dr. Sebastian Fixson
With decades of experience spanning engineering, innovation research, and academic leadership, Dr. Sebastian Fixson shares what inspired him to launch Babson College’s first-everDoctor of Business Administration (DBA) program and why the DBA is uniquely positioned to bridge the long-standing gap between academic rigor and real-world relevance.An internationally recognized scholar and founding Faculty Director of the Babson DBA, Sebastian reflects onhow applied research, entrepreneurial leadership, and learning facilitation come together to create a doctoral experience designed for impact. Drawing on his background as a mechanical engineer trained in Germany and his PhD from MIT, he brings a...
Episode 050: Leading with Purpose: Transformative Partnerships and Veteran Reintegration through Entrepreneurship with Dr. Jason Phillips
In this powerful episode of DBA Chronicles, we welcome Dr. Jason Phillips, retired U.S. Navy Commander, educator, and social innovator whose work bridges military service, scholarship, and community transformation.After a 22-year Navy career with deployments to Afghanistan, Jason witnessed firsthand the challenges veterans face after service, particularly the loss of mission, community, and purpose. That realization became the foundation of his DBA research and the Veteran Urban Farm: Live–Work–Grow Model.In this episode, we explore:The hidden gaps in veteran transition and reintegrationWhy community and purpose matter as much as empl...
Episode 049: Bridging Purpose and Practice: Marketing Career Readiness Through the DBA Lens with Abby Brannon
In this uplifting episode of DBA Chronicles, we welcome AbbyBrannon, career coach, marketing educator, and rising scholar in the UNC Charlotte Doctor of Business Administration program.Abby may be early in her professional journey, but shebrings wisdom, intentionality, and heart far beyond her years. As a career coach in the Walker College of Business at Appalachian State University, a marketing adjunct faculty member, and now a first-year DBA student, Abby isbuilding a path defined by purpose, growth, and service.Together, we explore what it means to start a doctoraljourney early in your career, and the...
Episode 048: Bridging Worlds: From Business Leadership to Ethical AI in Academia
Dr. Amber Yoo joins DBA Chronicles to move the AI conversation from policy warnings to pragmatic curriculum design. Amber explains how her clinical and entrepreneurial background shaped a practical approach to academicleadership and shares a clear curriculum blueprint: Intro → Ethics → Applied (domain-specific). She argues universities must empower non-technical students to critically evaluate AI outputs, protect core learning tasks from misuse, and partneracross units (instructional design, IT, industry) to create meaningful, employer-aligned outcomes. Packed with classroom examples, task-mapping tactics, and steps for convening cross-campus collaborators, this episode is ahands-on guide for faculty, program leads, and instructional designers who want to inte...
Episode 047: Leading with Love: Practical Tools for People-First Leadership Dr. Robert “Navy Bob” Roncska
Dr. Robert “Navy Bob” Roncska joins DBA Chronicles totranslate high-stakes military leadership lessons into every day, evidence-based practices for people-first leaders. From commanding nuclear-powered submarines (and carrying the nuclear football) to leading high-reliability teams in healthcare, Navy Bob explains why lead with loveis not soft — it’s strategic. We bridge lived experience and scholarship (Leader–Member Exchange / LMX), discuss measurable indicators of relationship-based leadership, and walk through concrete rituals, and accountability practices that leaders can apply starting tomorrow.Bonus: Dr. Katie Gottsch from the Leading with Love teamjoins us in studio and shares insights throughout the episode.Highl...
Episode 046: Walking Alone, Leading Together with Dr. B
Dr. Chaka Blackman-Lee joins DBA Chronicles to trace a lifeand career shaped by resilience, service, and purpose — from Panama and Brooklyn to nonprofit leadership, consulting, and a DBA at Fox School of Business, Temple University. Chaka explains why entrepreneurship for Black communities is far more than commerce: it’s social action, communitypreservation, and intergenerational legacy. She discusses the values that guided her research, the power of storytelling (and “excavating” hidden histories like Black Wall Streets), her move into teaching and public-facing scholarship, and practical advice for first-generation scholars and leaders. Key takeawaysEntrepreneurship in Black communities function...
Episode 045: Building Resilience: A DBA Journey Through Construction, Leadership, and Mental Health with Dr. Vince Hafeli
In this powerful episode Dr. Vince Hafeli takes us from thejobsite to the boardroom — and into the hard, honest work of healing. Vince shares a 40-year career in construction (starting 1985), his long journey to formal education (a bachelor’s completed after 16 years), rapid leadershipgrowth at Ajax (General Manager within a year of joining in 2002; VP in 2007; President in 2019), and why he pursued a DBA at the University of South Florida — the joke is partly so his kids would call him “Doctor,” but really to reinvigorate his thinking and use research to make a difference.The heart of the conver...
Episode 044: The ROI of a DBA with Dr. Alan Turovlin
In this episode of DBA Chronicles, we welcomed and sat down with Dr. Alan Turovlin—Program Director of the UNC Charlotte DBA program to unpack the true return oninvestment of earning a Doctor of Business Administration. Whether you’re weighing the DBA against a PhD, considering a mid-career shift, or aiming to maximize the impact of your doctoral journey, Dr. Turovlin shares practical insights, real-world anecdotes, and actionable advice straight from the front lines of academia and industry. We explore:How a DBA differs from an MBA and a PhD, and why the “why?” question m...