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Department: Management

Whitney Traylor

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Whitney Traylor, J.D., is an retired associate professor in the Department of Management at Metropolitan State University of Denver. His areas of expertise include corporate law (employment, civil rights, business, litigation), race issues, work/life balance and workplace issues. Traylor taught Legal Environment of Business and Employment Law during his time as an MSU Denver professor.

He has taught numerous other courses at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, including Race and the Law, Employment Discrimination and Higher Education and the Law. Traylor in 2003 founded his practice, the Traylor Law Group, where he works as the managing principal. His experience includes a diverse spectrum of civil litigation, specializing in civil rights and employment matters. Traylor has earned a high success rate at trials, winning more than 95% of his cases. In 2007, the Traylor Law Group secured one of the largest non-class-action employment-discrimination verdicts in the history of Colorado when the jury awarded his two clients $3,225,000.

He is often called on by local and national media to provide commentary on various legal matters in Colorado and throughout the nation. During the past 10 years, Traylor has been featured over 100 times locally, nationally and internationally in print and on radio and television to provide legal, political and social commentary on a wide variety of topics. He is also the author of the parenting book “Dad Under Construction.”

Traylor earned his Doctor of Law degree from Emory School of Law in 1996 and his bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Morehouse College in 1993.

Elizabeth McVicker

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Elizabeth McVicker, Ph.D., J.D., is a professor in the Department of Management at Metropolitan State University of Denver.

She serves as an advisor for student internships, independent studies, individualized degree program majors; and provides academic advice to management majors, MBA students and students interested in pursuing a study of law. McVicker was instrumental in the creation of MSU Denver’s One World One Water Center (OWOW) and the Water Studies curriculum. She also has her own practice.

Her service to the community includes serving on the boards of a water conservancy district, a water enterprise authority, a nation-wide water consortium serving coalitions and collaborations focused on water quality and restoration after major fires and floods and a state-wide basin roundtable. In 2011, McVicker received the Outstanding Women Award from the Institute of Women’s Studies and Services at MSU Denver, as well as the College of Business Dean’s Award for Overall Faculty Excellence.

Her research interests include legal issues surrounding constitutional law, employment and labor law; and water law within the context of regional, national and international perspectives.

McVicker received her juris doctorate from University of Denver, doctorate in Spanish language and literature from New York University, master’s from Johns Hopkins University and bachelor’s from University of Texas. She is a licensed attorney in the state of Colorado in good standing and is current with all required continuing legal education classes.

Lynn Hoffman

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Lynn Hoffman, Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Management at Metropolitan State University of Denver. He developed the course Organizational Management and Consulting, which prepares student teams to form a partnership with local companies. Additionally, Hoffman helped developed the entrepreneurship curriculum for the College of Business at MSU Denver and is the recipient of the College of Business Dean’s Excellence in Scholarship Award. In addition to teaching, he has served in a variety of officer positions for the Westminster Rotary Club and is an active member of the Small Business Institute. Hoffman’s areas of interest are in human resources, entrepreneurial business planning, social entrepreneurial management consulting and strategic management.

Hoffman received his Ph.D. in industrial relations and human resource management from the University of Iowa.

Debbie Gilliard

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Debbie Gilliard, Ph.D., is chair and professor in the Department of Management at Metropolitan State University of Denver.

Gilliard has served as department chair since 2008 and is involved in many school and university committees. She is a faculty advisor for the International Business program, spearheaded the development of the global business programs at MSU Denver and serves on the MSU Denver Strategic Planning Task Force. Gilliard received the College of Business, Dean’s Special Award “Unsung Hero Scholarly Activity.” She is active in the community serving as representative to the Aurora Chamber of Commerce, participates in the Aurora Business and Professional Women’s Organization and is on the Board of the Western Decision Sciences Institute.

Gilliard has presented her scholarly work at regional and national conferences. Her case studies have been published in strategic management textbooks and used in the strategic management course at MSU Denver. She conducts research on strategic management and international business.

Gilliard received her doctorate in management from Arizona State University, a master’s in management from University of Colorado, Denver and a bachelor’s in management from University of Northern Colorado.

Apryl Brodersen

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David Bechtold

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David Bechtold is an associate professor of business management, Kemper Family Foundation Endowed Chair in Entrepreneurship and the Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship at Metropolitan State University of Denver. His areas of expertise include sustainability, strategic management and entrepreneurship.

Bechtold’s business experience includes owning a management-consulting firm and a real-estate development company. He also was part of the development team for a community re-entry program serving adults with traumatic brain injury as well as the business director for a medical-research facility.