Jackie Jacobs, distinguished lecturer in the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s Haslam College of Business, is now the director of the department’s Master of Science in Management and Human Resources program. Jacobs takes over from Cheryl Barksdale, who directed the program for five years.
Anne Smith, Rogers Professor in Business and head of the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship, says Jacobs is a natural fit for the role.
“Jackie Jacobs has been a leader in many departmental initiatives and activities, such as the new management major with tracks, the Management Society at UT (MSUT) student organization, and recruiting events and case competitions for our management majors,” Smith said. “I expect her to bring this same enthusiasm, energy and eye to external stakeholders to the MSMHR, and to bring national visibility to this program.”
Jacobs received her Ph.D. in industrial/organizational psychology from UT in 1997 and has served the university in a variety of roles since then. At the undergraduate level, she has taught numerous courses and served as the Management 201 and 202 course coordinator for 10 years. She was on the faculty of the Professional MBA program from 1999 to 2004, has served as a core faculty member in the full-time MBA program and currently teaches in the MSMHR program. Jacobs has received many accolades for her work in the classroom, including Haslam’s Allen Keally Outstanding Teaching Award and the Richard Reizenstein Outstanding Commitment to Students Award.
Her research has been published in several journals, including Research in Organizational Behavior, Journal of Organizational Behavior, Journal of Vocational Behavior, Leadership Quarterly, Training Research Journal, Journal of Quality Management and the American Compensation Journal. She has co-authored four book chapters and has presented more than 15 papers at professional conferences.
Jacobs says she is excited to work with the MSMHR team. “The outstanding work of the two former directors, Debbie Mackey and Cheryl Barksdale, has provided a solid foundation on which to build, and I see great opportunities for growth,” Jacobs said. “We have already made a few changes that will enhance the professional opportunities of our students, including coursework and opportunities for certification in Project Management, and I see the potential to continue to grow our focus on workforce analytics, as well as business and professional skills.”
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CONTACT:
Stacy Estep, writer/publicist, sestep3@utk.edu
