About Me

I joined the Marist College faculty in August 2004, following a 25-year career in the U. S. Navy and four years of doctoral study at the University of Maryland. I like to say that after my first career I'm finally getting a chance to do what I wanted to do when I grow up: teach! The lesson for students is never give up on achieving your goals. Some of us just take more time than others to reach those goals.

Raised in Middleburgh, N.Y., I graduated in 1975 from the U. S. Naval Academy, where I earned a bachelor's degree (English Literature) and a commission as an Ensign. I began my naval career aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS DECATUR (DDG-31) in San Diego, Ca. In 1979, I was designated as a special duty public affairs officer -- the Navy's equivalent of a public relations specialist.

I served the remainder of my Navy career in public affairs, including assignments throughout the United States, Europe, the Pacific region, and the Middle East. I retired from the Navy in 2000 following tours of duty as chief of public information for NATO's peace implementation operations in Bosnia-Herzegovina and as the Department of the Navy's Deputy Chief of Public Information in the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.

Navy Lieutenant Commander Mark Van Dyke (extreme right),
1988, Persian Gulf, aboard USS Jack Williams, with officers
and journalists following combat operations against
the Iranian Navy and Air Force.

During my military career, I witnessed how public relations and communication can contribute to combat operations that often take lives and peace operations that can save lives. Through teaching and research, I hope to draw upon these experiences and convey to my students, colleagues, and other audiences the importance of public relations and communication excellence in today's global society.

Following my retirement from the Navy, I began doctoral studies at the University of Maryland, College Park. I successfully defended my doctoral dissertation in May 2005. I am also a Syracuse University alumnus (M.S., Public Relations, 1989). As a result of my professional experience and education, I focus my teaching and research on public relations management, organizational communication, leadership, conflict resolution, and intercultural communication.

I left Marist and teaching in the spring of 2016.

You can learn more about my career and qualifications clicking on the links to my curriculum vitae and teaching philosophy.