Belle Marie
Belle Marie is an Associate Professor of Accounting and the Chair of the Business, Accounting, and Economics Department at Carroll College. She received undergraduate degrees in French and Business Administration with an emphasis in accounting and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Montana. Belle is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Management Accountant (CMA), Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), and Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) and holds memberships in the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Institute of Management Accountants, Institute of Internal Auditors, Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, and Society for Human Resource Management. She has taught a variety of accounting and business-related courses at the undergraduate and graduate college level in Idaho and Montana for the past twenty-two years. Her research focus is in the areas of fraud, ethics, internal controls, and accounting/auditing standards. Belle has published and presented various professional seminars and was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to India. Her professional experience also includes accounting as a sole practitioner and employment in the banking industry. In her free time she enjoys traveling, biking, hiking, kayaking, reading, and family.
Melvin L. McFetridge
Melvin L. McFetridge is an Associate Professor of Accounting in the Business, Accounting, and Economics Department at Carroll College. Mel earned his Master of Arts from Western State College in Gunnison, Colorado and completed Post Graduate studies at the University of Wyoming. He has been a college educator since 1973 teaching a variety of accounting courses at Central Wyoming College, University of Wyoming, Montana State University, and Zayed University before coming to Carroll College. He has served in various administrative positions including Department Head, Associate Dean and Interim Dean, and Assistant Dean. Professional service has included serving as a board member and President of the Montana Society of CPAs and Council Member for the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He has published several articles in business education journals and the Montana CPA along with presentations at international conferences. His current research interest focuses on financial reporting transparency in developing markets and accounting pedagogy in undergraduate accounting courses. Hobbies include hiking, fishing, hunting and family.
Dr. Jerry Pohlman
Jerry Pohlman is Professor of Economics and chair of the Business, Accounting, and Economics Department at Carroll College. Dr. Pohlman's career in economics has included academic, government, and business positions in Buffalo, New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and Seattle. He earned his B.A. and M.A. degrees in economics from the University of Iowa and his Ph.D. from Cornell University. In addition to academic degrees, Dr. Pohlman has earned NASD Series 7, 24, 27, 63, and 65 securities licenses.
Dr. Pohlman was a professor of economics at St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York prior to joining the State University of New York in Buffalo. He then served as an economist with the Cost of Living Council in Washington, D.C. and a Principal with Arthur Young & Co. in New York City. He later served as Chief Economist of three major banks in California before moving to Seattle to become Chairman and CEO of Pacific First Bancorp.
Under his management, Pacific First grew from a $2.5 billion institution to a $9 billion savings bank with 150 branches throughout Washington, Oregon, California, and Nevada. Following the sale of the bank to Royal Trust Co. of Toronto, CA, Dr. Pohlman has focused his academic and business interests on economic analysis and investment management.
Jerry's academic interests are macro and international economics, money and banking, and financial markets. Outside of his work, he is an avid photographer, enjoys hiking and horseback riding, and visiting his children and grandchildren as much as possible. Jerry and his wife Betty recently relocated to Montana and reside in Helena.
Ann Spehar
Ann Spehar is an Economics instructor in the Business, Accounting, and Economics Department at Carroll College. She has earned two Masters one in Economics and the other in Education from Seattle University and Montana State University respectively. She is currently working on her PhD in Economics at Washington State University. Her two undergraduate degrees are in mathematics and economics both from the University of Washington-Seattle. In addition, she has over 700 hours of technical computer training from The Boeing Company. Ann has taught in a variety of environments and a variety of subjects. She has taught computer science at St Martins University at McChord Air Force Base Branch, at Evergreen State College in Washington and Boeing’s Education and Training Division. She has also taught mathematics at the high school level. Her professional experience includes over 21 years in the computer industry, 15 of those as a Computer Consultant for Boeing Computer Services with areas of expertise in statistical and mathematical modeling, software engineering and project management where she supported such companies as Bell Laboratories in New Jersey; AT&T in New York and Atlanta; MacDonald Douglas in Pamona California; and The Hanford Nuclear Facility in Washington State.
Bethalee Wilson
Bethalee Wilson joined Carroll College’s faculty in 1987 and is an Associate Professor of Business in the Business, Accounting, and Economics Department. She has earned three master’s degrees in Political Science, Personnel and Labor Relations and Business Administration. With this background, Beth teaches a variety of courses in the management and international areas as well as in public administration. She also provides consulting outreach to the community along with teaching a 60 hour real estate course that meets licensure qualifications in the State of Montana. Beth served as the department chairperson for over 8 years and as Faculty Dean for 3 years. She has been very active in the study abroad program, taking students on some 15 trips to over 9 different countries. Hobbies include travel, reading, handgun shooting, and taking care of her pets.
John Doubek
Adjunct Professor, Business Law. Graduated from Carroll in 1973, then the University of Montana Law School in 1976.
John was hired to try all of the utility and transportation cases of the Montana Consumer Counsel during the next three years. He had about 80 trials during those years before the Montana PSC,FERC,IIC,CAB and several other federal courts around the country, and lived out of suitcases for a couple of years. Subsequently, John entered private practice in Helena, where he has remained. Doubek & Pyfer, LLC involves primarily medical malpractice, products liavility, workers comp, other personal injury and complex business litigation. John is admitted to all courts, state and federal, in Montana as well as the 6th, 9th, and 10th Circuit Courts of Appeal, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and all Interstate Commerce services. He has handled over 60 cases before the Montana Supreme Court and over 100 jury trials. In addition, John has been a lecturer before various legal groups/seminars.
Guest Lecturers
Roy F. Simperman lectured on the impacts of the economic downturn and administration policies on small businesses. Mr. Simperman is the Chairman and CEO of Semaphore Corporation in Seattle. Semaphore designs, maintains and manages secure private networks including the management of switches and routers. Prior to his experience with Semaphore, Mr. Simperman worked for Boeing in navigation, guidance and control, trajectory analysis, and nuclear warhead integration into the SRAM missile program. At Weyerhaeuser, Mr. Simperman was responsible for a simulation to analyze the forestry program including cost structure, revenue streams, and the regression equations needed to grow tress. The program also computed the optimum rotation age, internal rates of return and net present values. At that time, Mr. Simperman managed the largest entity of its kind in the world. Mr. Simperman technology expertise includes involvement in the early years of the internet with a stock photography company that sold photos over the internet.
Pamela Knous, the executive vice president and chief financial officer for SUPERVALU. Ms. Knous' presentation was a "town hall" forum where she answered questions about how the food retail industry has been affected by the economic downturn and the possibilities for women to rise to the highest level in contemporary corporate America. Getting ahead in today's business world and much more are in the offing at this interactive talk. Before joining SUPERVALU, Ms. Knous was executive vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer of The Vons Companies, Inc. Prior to merging with Safeway in April 1997, Vons was the ninth largest supermarket chain in the United States.