Shepherd University’s Master of Business Administration program coordinator, Dr. William “Chip” Zimmer, has announced the formation of an advisory council.

“The advisory council was formed to help develop and grow relationships between the business community, M.B.A. alums, current M.B.A. students and faculty,” Zimmer said. “We’ve been fortunate to attract an impressive cross section of the region’s business leaders to help us guide the Shepherd M.B.A. program to become a foundational cornerstone in the economic growth of the region.”

The council is composed of 14 members including seven leaders in business and industry. Members include Monica Lockett, executive director of the Canterbury Center in Shepherdstown; Randy Collins, executive director of the Top of Virginia Chamber of Commerce in Winchester, Va.; Jack Deuterman, CEO of Corporate Research Inc., Jamestown, N.C; Kelley Everetts, senior vice president of First Data in Hagerstown, Md.; Kathy Klein, chief contractor, U.S. Coast Guard Operations, Shepherdstown; Steve Lynch, president of McShea Residential Services in Frederick, Md.; Tony Price, partner with CoxHollidaPrice accountants in Martinsburg; alumni representative Amanda Kepko, of the Office of Management and Budget; and Bob Adams, student representative.

Faculty representatives include Dr. Caroline Glackin, Department of Business Administration and Dr. Joey Xie, Department of Economics and Finance. Dr. Scott Beard, dean of Graduate Studies and Monica Ligenfelter, executive vice president of the Shepherd University Foundation are ex officio members.

“As a business professional in the health care field, I am interested in the quality and availability of advanced education in our local area,” said Lockett. “It is also a unique opportunity for me to interact with some true business experts.”

Council members met with nearly 100 potential and current M.B.A. students and alumni at a “Meet and Greet” held in conjunction with Shepherd’s annual Professional Connections Day.

The M.B.A. program, which began in 2005, is the largest graduate program at Shepherd with nearly 100 students and offers a general M.B.A. degree as well as degrees with emphasis in health care administration and accounting. The council has endorsed the creation of an annual M.B.A./Shepherd University political debate to be held each fall as well as the investigation of the creation of a Shepherd University poll.

For additional information about Shepherd’s M.B.A. program, call Shepherd’s Division of Graduate Studies at 304-876-5313 or visit www.shepherd.edu/graduate-studies/mba.