Donor spotlight: Julie Felker
Julie Felker has worn many hats in many places. But, no matter where she goes or what she does, her passion for teaching and her commitment to students always shines thought.
Prior to retiring from the University of Michigan-Dearborn in 2013, Felker (M.B.A. ’82) served in a number of positions in the College of Business, including senior associate dean and assistant professor of organizational behavior, teaching at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Felker continues to work with the University of Michigan’s William Davidson Institute, where she is a faculty affiliate in the executive education program and a senior consultant in the institute’s Development Consulting Services unit, delivering management lectures on three continents. She also continues to serve on the faculty of the Zagreb School of Economics and Management in Croatia.
Teaching management globally
When asked about some of her most memorable teaching experiences, Felker is quick to mention a series of trips she took to Rwanda through the Davidson Institute.
"I taught management to women who were starting their own businesses through a program funded by Goldman Sachs," she recalled. "It was a six-month program for 30 women and offered twice a year. It was a program for micro-businesses. These were not high-tech ventures. Rather, they involved ventures such as farming, brick making and building furniture."
While the industries involved were very traditional, Felker and her colleagues were determined to provide her students with the latest best practices.
"My goal was to teach them about organizational behavior, how to setup a human resource structure and how to develop people skills, working with a translator who would explain the concepts in Kinyarwandan."
Next stop: Peru
Such fascinating experiences continue to encourage Felker to keep a dizzying schedule delivering lectures on various management topics across Europe, Africa and South America.
"In July, I’ll be flying to the ESAN Graduate School of Business in Lima, Peru, and joining with faculty from all over the world," she said. "We’ll gather to teach M.B.A. students during an intense five-day session. Specifically, I’ll be teaching strategic talent management and developing a culture of employee engagement during the school’s annual International Week."
In addition to ESAN, Felker also is a visiting faculty member at the University of Mentouri in Algeria, the University of Padova, in Italy, and the Stockholm School of Economics campus in Riga, Latvia.
As if teaching and travelling on several continents weren’t enough, Felker also is an active researcher, with her current work focusing on geographic mobility in Eastern Europe, specifically the issue of young professionals moving to Western Europe.
Giving Back
Through all her work at universities around the world, Felker has always stated connected to Wayne State University and the WSU School of Business, where she earned her M.B.A. Over the years, she has served as a member of the business school’s alumni board and Women of Wayne. She has been extremely generous with her time, talent, and financial contributions in support of WSU faculty, staff and students.
"I am extremely proud to be an alumna of Wayne State’s business school," she said. "The school provided me with the foundation to pursue the many wonderful adventures in my career. As a native Detroiter, Wayne’s contributions to the city are very important to me, as is its reputation and impact on a global scale. Supporting the business school allows me to play a small role in helping to achieve its vision to be recognized as a top business school in the country, and to give back to an institution that has given me so much."
To make a contribution to the Wayne State University School of Business, please contact Steve Moore, SBA director of development, at 313-577-9212 or smoore@wayne.edu.
