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Dr. Vanessa M. Washington – Associate Professor

COORDINATOR – USA

I earned my Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) from Capella University with an emphasis in Organization and Management (General Business). I also hold a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Bellevue University, a Master of Science (MS) from Peru State College, and a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Business Education from Nebraska University at Omaha. I began my career in the late ‘70s as a Business Classroom Teacher on the high school level (full-time) and then moved to the community college (part-time) while still teaching on the high school level. I retired from teaching on those levels in August 2009. Since I have a passion for teaching, I decided to continue in my field of expertise on the university level (Online: Management, Leadership, or the MBA Program) to continue sharing my wealth of knowledge. I have been teaching at the university level at Ashford since November 2009. But a Teacher Assistant job came open, and I started working for Southeast Oklahoma State University in the MBA Program online in 2016. My husband considers me as an educational junkie.

I personally feel that an online Facilitator/Instructor/Professor should be courteous, professional, and encouraging at all times. It is very important for the Facilitator/Instructor/Professor to be very careful when using constructive critical feedback. It is so much harder to be an online student because this type of student should constantly be disciplined in order to satisfy the requirements of the class and earn a deserving grade. It is my belief that learning must be fun for the student to remember what was learned in any class for a lifetime.

At home, my husband and I have an empty nest. Our five children live in three different states. My daughter and son live in Texas (not far from us). My husband’s oldest daughter lives in California and his youngest daughter and son live in North Carolina. Since we have an empty nest, we enjoy traveling. We have been to several countries outside of the United States (France, England, Italy, Spain, Africa, Thailand, Jamaica, Central America, and China). In addition, we have visited most states in the United States. My favorite vacation spot is Jamaica (Montego Bay).

Fun Fact: I feel everyone must know and understand that knowledge is good, but there is a vast difference between “knowledge” (having the facts) and “wisdom” (applying those facts to life). We may amass knowledge, but without wisdom, our knowledge is useless. We must learn to apply what we learn to everyday life or our career.