Faculty

Heather is a firm believer in fostering success by creating a nurturing work environment where individuals are empowered to bring their whole selves to their professional roles. As a mentor, she is renowned for her empathetic guidance, helping others recognize their strengths and empowering them to achieve their full potential.

Dr. Rapert serves as the Director of the Walton College of Business Center for Teaching Effectiveness and served as a member of the Board of Directors for the Arkansas Alumni Association and the Walton College Alumni Society, among many other service activities.

Kim received her J.D. from Northwestern Pritzker School of Law before practicing law in Dallas, TX. Presently, she is course coordinator for more than 20 sections of Legal Environment of Business and teaches online Commercial Transactions for graduate students. She joined the Walton College of Business in 2014 and is presently an Assistant Teaching Professor. Kim's research examines litigation of consumer debt. Kim has developed three online courses and spoken about online course development at university and academy gatherings. In 2016, she was a national finalist in the Charles M. Hewitt Master Teacher Competition, Academy of Legal Studies in Business.

Educating and Training: Extensive experience planning and leading workshops for adult learners, as well as teaching traditional and non-traditional University students in multiple modalities. Learners leave my classes with a stronger awareness of how to construct and launch their personal brand and strategies to enhance their business acumen as they enter the workplace. I use experiential learning heavily in my classes.

Professor Welch's research interests are in Latin poetry, particularly of the Augustan age; the city of Rome; and Roman mythology. Her publications include a book on the late poetry of the elegiac poet Propertius, The Elegiac Cityscape: Propertius and the Meaning of Roman Monuments (Ohio State University Press 2005) and articles on Propertius, Roman elegiac poetry, Horatian satire, and Vergil.

I combine curriculum design theory, tech tools, and classroom engagement techniques to create memorable student learning experiences. Simply put, I love teaching, and I geek out over ways to make learning experiences better. I’ve taught college for over fifteen years and bring corporate experience into the classroom.

20 Years of Experience managing operations and helping companies grow. 

Favorite CIMBA Memory: The possibility of engaging the students in out-of-class activities, like playing basketball or enjoying a meal, creates a unique experience worth remembering because it is about sharing.

Adjunct Instructor University of Iowa; Professor Emeritus Kirkwood Community College 

Favorite CIMBAMemory: My fondest memories of CIMBA are to watch the students grow and prosper during their time at CIMBA. They come in a bit timid and unsure and leave with the confidence they can do anything they dream. CIMBA truly changes the lives of the students who attend.

Research in management and entrepreneurship 

Fav CIMBA Memory: Watching the new friendships and pure joy on students' faces during the formal dinner the last week of class.

I am interested in bringing marketing to life for my students. This field is rapidly changing and it's critical we properly prepare students - we must teach them the foundations of marketing strategy and train them in relevant marketing skills needed for today's marketing roles.  

Favorite CIMBA Memory: I love my time with CIMBA! It is such a unique experience as you have the opportunity to really get to know the students. One of my favorite memories is treating students to gelato and all of us sitting around discussing all the pros and cons of the different flavors.

My career spans 31 years in finance, alongside teaching in Italy, Austria, Czechia, Lithuania, and the UK. 

Favorite CIMBA Memory: Leading student hikes to Monte Grappa and meeting my now-wife at CIMBA.

Author and college finance educator, focusing on innovative ways to teach the Time Value of Money. 

Favorite CIMBA Memory: Knowing that I have friends who feel like family in Italy!

My research focuses on sustainable consumption and cultural marketing strategy. 

Favorite CIMBA Memory: Hiking in the Dolomites! Next summer, I hope to try paragliding.

My legal practice includes commercial transactions and healthcare law. 

Favorite CIMBA Memory: Connecting with so many students and hearing about their unique journeys.

With 20+ years of marketing experience, I now teach Marketing Principles, International Marketing, and Sustainable Business Strategy, focusing on purpose-driven brands and their impact. 

Favorite CIMBA Memory: "Come to Italy for the pasta. Stay for the aperitivo!"

My research emphasizes practical approaches to investing, portfolio diversification, and trading strategies. 

Favorite CIMBA Memory: I always remember how Anna Fiumicetti and her team efficiently solved any problem that came up!

My research focuses on media representation and international organizational psychology, particularly parasocial relationships and gender dynamics. 

Favorite CIMBAMemory: A visit to Alpinestars in Asolo, where students engaged with the Head of Media & Outreach and received an exclusive tour.

An assistant professor at theUniversity of Kansas, I research social perception and its organizational impacts. Before my Ph.D., I was a college football sideline reporter and now host the podcast Meikles and Dimes.

Favorite CIMBA Memory: My friend Clint recommended CIMBA, calling it the greatest experience of his life. Now, being here myself, I wholeheartedly agree.

My research focuses on computational mechanics, including high-speed phenomena in space vehicles and hypersonic flight. I design systems for high temperature and pressure environments.

Favorite CIMBA Memory: Running around Paderno and Crespano and ending up at Gambasin to work off the benefits of the run—especially on rainy days with fog on the Grappa mountains. 

As an Italian language professor at the introductory level, I do not publish research. Instead, I focus on language content and local connections for students, both for field trips and language practice.

Favorite CIMBA Memory: Each semester, I love seeing the excitement on my students' faces on the first day of class.

I teach Italian as a Second Language at CLA - Università di Ferrara and advanced courses in Italian Language and Culture with Indiana University. My academic path includes previous teaching roles at Boston University in Padova and UCEAP- University of California.

Favorite CIMBA Memory: My first faculty dinner, sharing ideas and experiences with professors and wonderful people over local food and red wine—it felt like family.

I specialize in financial economics and time-series econometrics, with over 35 academic publications. My research explores the interaction between politics, international trade, and economics, always with a global view inspired by my exchange studies in Wales. 

Favorite CIMBA Memory: Taking students whitewater rafting down the Brenta River! Fun fact: I scuba dive in the Jenks Aquarium to help keep the tanks clean. 

My research focuses on risk and the environment. I wrote a book Venice in Environmental Peril? Myth and Reality and have published six chapters in books. I am currently writing a chapter on the management of tourism in Venice. 

Fun Fact: Even though students might be young, they do not need to fear studying abroad. I know this from experience, having studied in the USA at 11 years old. Students in Italy always have experiences from which they learn.