Featured Graduate Faculty
Our faculty bring real-world relevance to the classroom, thanks to their industry experience combined with academic credentials.
Meet Graduate Faculty Members
Denise N. Baken
Associate Professor of Biotechnology, The Graduate School
Denise Baken is a biodefense national security consultant and president of Shield Analysis Technology. Her research focuses on biological agent threat data and cybersecurity. Baken is the coauthor of "Al Qaeda: The Transformation of Terrorism in the Middle East and North Africa" and of two chapters in "Security Issues in the Greater Middle East." Baken holds a PhD in biodefense from George Mason University.
S. K. Bhaskar
Vice Dean
240-684-2840
s.bhaskar@umuc.edu
S. K. Bhaskar joined UMUC in 1998 after serving as senior programmer and analyst at SRA Technologies Inc. He holds an MS from the School of Automation, Indian Institute of Science, in Bangalore, India, and earned his PhD in computer science from the University of Maryland, College Park.
Bryan A. Booth
Vice Dean of Doctoral Programs
240-684-2400
bryan.booth@umuc.edu
Bryan A. Booth has more than 20 years of higher education teaching experience in various subjects, including organizational behavior, leadership and change, international and cross-cultural management, and labor relations.
Booth’s research and application interests are in team development, especially among faculty, emergent leadership, and practitioner-scholar doctoral education. His anthropology training, both in qualitative methodology and intellectual focus, brings a strong culturally-oriented focus to his management experiences.
In the early 1990s, Booth was a visiting lecturer at the Faculty of Management-Univerzita Komenského, Bratislava, Slovakia, for a management lecture series. He was also a guest lecturer on international human resources at the Betriebswirtschaftliches Institut Lehrstuhl Personalmanagement, Universität Stuttgart.
Booth earned a PhD at Cornell University’s Industrial and Labor Relations School. He also earned a leadership certificate from Harvard Graduate School of Education, Institute for Management and Leadership in Education.
Booth is an active member of the Academy of Management in the Management Education and Development Division. He is active with the World Trade Center Institute in Baltimore as a UMUC representative to WTCI.
Warna D. Gillies
Program Chair of the Master of Arts in Teaching
240-684-2400
warna.gillies@umuc.edu
Warna Gillies, PhD, is program director of the MAT program. She received her PhD from George Mason University in Educational Leadership. Previously she was employed by the U.S. State Department as an educational specialist based in Frankfurt, Germany. She has significant experience in teacher education and educational leadership and is certified in both secondary science and K-12 school administration. She taught eighth grade science in the public schools and has served as a principal in a PK-12 school. Her publications and research interests focus on action research and educational leadership.
Mansur Hasib
Program Chair, Graduate Cybersecurity Technology Program
Mansur Hasib is the program chair of the graduate cybersecurity technology program at UMUC. Hasib has more than 30 years of experience leading organizational transformations through digital leadership and cybersecurity strategy in healthcare, biotechnology, education, and energy, including 12 years of experience as a chief information officer.
Hasib has been recognized within the cyber industry for work in the field. In 2018, the Cyber Startup Observatory inducted Hasib into their Hall of Fame. In 2017, Hasib was named a "Rock Star" of cybersecurity by (ISC)2 and received their Americas Information Security Leadership Award for leading the implementation of the Master of Science in cybersecurity technology program at UMUC. Hasib also won the 2017 Cybersecurity People's Choice Award and the 2017 Information Governance Expert of the Year Award.
In 2016, Hasib's book, Cybersecurity Leadership: Powering the Modern Organization, was nominated for inclusion in the Cybersecurity Canon, a listing of essential books on cybersecurity. In 2013, as part of his doctoral work, Hasib conducted a national study of healthcare cybersecurity in the U.S. and published his findings in a book titled Impact of Security Culture on Security Compliance in Healthcare in the USA.
Hasib holds a bachelor's degree in economics and politics, a master's degree in political science, and a doctorate in cybersecurity. He also holds CISSP, PMP, and CPHIMS certifications. Hasib is a frequent speaker at local, national, and international conferences on a wide range of topics.
Datta Kaur Khalsa
Associate Vice Dean and Assessment Director for Education Programs
240-684-2400
dattadaur.khalsa@umuc.edu
Datta Kaur Khalsa, PhD, is the associate vice dean and director of assessment for the Department of Education, acts as CAEP/NCATE coordinator, and is also a professor in the Masters of Education program at UMUC. She has been involved with administration, program development, and teacher training for over 35 years. She holds her PhD from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and has extensive research, K–12, and higher education teaching experience related to assessment, online education, virtual teamwork, global online communities and cross-cultural communication in multidisciplinary K–12 curriculums.
Richard A. Pauli
Program Chair, Criminal Justice Management, and Collegiate Professor
Richard A. Pauli is a collegiate professor and program chair of the criminal justice management program at University of Maryland University College. He received a JD from Boston University and a master's in management from the McGregor School, now Antioch University Midwest. He has nearly 25 years of experience in teaching and course design in online, F2F, and blended programs for graduate students. Prior to joining UMUC, Pauli was a practicing attorney and held senior management positions in a variety of for-profit ventures ranging from large, transnational information companies to internet software startups.
Pauli's courses include Critical Analysis of the Criminal Justice System, Leadership, Ethical Leadership in Organizations and Society, and The Manager in Organizations and Society. His current research interests include online pedagogy, ethics, and critical thinking in decision making. Pauli is a former Provost’s Award winner for best paper in online education research.
In his non-teaching life, Pauli is a playwright and a musician. His most recent Baltimore-area production ran in April/May 2018 at the Fells Point Corner Theatre. He has written a Star Trek parody musical and is working on an adaptation of Romeo and Juliet set in Appalachia and featuring traditional string-band music.
Anna V. Seferian
Vice Dean of Business and Management
240-684-2400
anna.seferian@umuc.edu
Anna Seferian joined UMUC in 2007 and has since taught multiple courses in the MBA and Doctor of Management programs.
Seferian’s expertise lies in marketing. Her research interests include the effectiveness of online education, marketing communications, and brand placement. She regularly presents and publishes in these areas and received UMUC’s Faculty Research Grant in 2012 for her research on student multiple-goal conflict and motivation while completing their online programs.
Prior to working in academia, Seferian held various positions in the marketing and market research fields. She was the marketing manager for the largest carpet production company in Armenia and served as a research and strategy adviser for a large dairy products manufacturer. She continues to maintain a connection with industry through occasional consulting projects and various programs that focus on experience and knowledge exchange between industry and academia.
She was an Advertising Education Foundation visiting scholar at the advertising agency Leo Burnett Worldwide.
Seferian earned a PhD in advertising from the University of Texas at Austin, an MBA from the American University of Armenia, and a BS in international economics from Yerevan State University in Armenia. As someone who worked full time while earning her academic degrees, she can relate to the challenges of juggling family, school, work, and various social commitments. But her experience has also convinced her that those same real-world challenges prove beneficial in enhancing classroom learning.
Seferian has served as UMUC’s representative on the University System of Maryland Women’s Forum. She is also an active member of the Philanthropic Educational Organization, which supports women in higher education.
Brandie Shatto
Program Chair of Master of Education in Instructional Technology
Brandie Shatto is the program chair and a professor for the Master of Education in instructional technology program. She has more than 10 years of experience as an educator and administrator. Shatto began her career as a middle school English teacher in Big Spring School District in Newville, Pennsylvania, where she also served as a technology integration specialist and technology director. At BSSD, she launched several successful educational programs, including a district-wide 1:1 program (one computer, laptop, or tablet per student), a Google Apps for Education program, and several educational software implementations. She has also served as an adjunct instructor at Wilson College and has experience in the nonprofit and corporate sectors as a curriculum developer and instructional designer.
Shatto holds an MS in instructional technology from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania and an EdD in educational leadership from University of New England. Her research interests include examination of the role of technology in creating personalized learning environments, best practices in online and blended learning, 1:1 and Bring Your Own Device programs, and augmented reality and flexible online professional development.
Shatto is a lifelong learner who believes that technology can be leveraged to provide authentic, relevant, and customized learning experiences for students.
Jeff Tjiputra
Program Chair of Cloud Computing
240-684-2840
jeff.tjiputra@umuc.edu
Jeff Tjiputra earned his Master of Liberal Studies in Internetworking management from Fort Hays State University in Kansas and his DSc in systems engineering from The George Washington University. He serves on the advisory board for the GovSec Conference in Washington, D.C.
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