Massachusetts Educator Soon to Begin Duties as Harmon College Dean

Mark Suazo, Ph.D.,  who currently serves Springfield College in Massachusetts, has been named dean of the University of Central Missouri Adrian and Margaret Harmon College of Business and Professional Studies.

 

WARRENSBURG, MO – Selected through a national search, Mark Suazo, Ph.D., a longtime college educator whose professional path also has included working as an engineer and as program manager for multimillion dollar projects, will put his experience to work as the new dean of the University of Central Missouri’s Adrian and Margaret Harmon College of Business and Professional Studies. He begins his service to UCM on July 11.

The search for the college dean was initiated following the retirement of Jose Mercado, Ph.D., in December 2021. UCM Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Phil Bridgmon, Ph.D., announced Suazo’s hiring.

“We look forward to Dr. Suazo joining UCM this summer as the next dean of the Harmon College of Business and Professional Studies,” Bridgmon said. “He brings significant experience and vision that will greatly benefit Harmon College. His excitement for working collegially to pursue key strategic initiatives will be a tremendous asset for our students, colleagues, and regional partners of our business and professional programs.”

Suazo has served since 2020 as the chair of the Department of Business Management at Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts. Including this position, his academic experience spans approximately 25 years. Along the way, he has served in leadership and teaching positions at the University of Kansas, Lawrence; Bryant University, Smithfield, Rhode Island;  University of Texas at San Antonio, and Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio.  He has taught courses throughout his higher education career dealing with topics such as business ethics, diversity in the workplace, human resource management, leadership, management, and organizational behavior.

In his role at UCM, Suazo will provide leadership for a college that includes eight academic departments: Aviation; Accountancy; Big Data Analytics and Computer Information Systems; Economics and Finance; Management; Marketing, Public Relations and Sport Management; Human Services; Criminal Justice and Criminology; and Military Science and Leadership. 

Suazo commented on his new position stating that he is “thrilled” to be joining the UCM family as the dean of the Harmon College. “It is an honor to have been chosen to work alongside such an outstanding and dedicated group of students, faculty, and staff,” he said. 

“The HCBPS is impressive because of the vast array of courses, services, and nationally accredited programs offered by the college, Suazo added. “My overarching goals are to serve the students, faculty, and staff of the HCBPS and UCM, to continue the legacy of providing an affordable high-quality education, and to leverage the strengths of the college and UCM to expand the opportunities for student success and faculty and staff development.”

Suazo said it is “an exciting time to be joining the HCBPS.” The new dean and his family also are looking forward to becoming members of the UCM and Warrensburg communities.

Helping him to grow in his professional career, Suazo’s pursuit of higher education has included a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of New Mexico; Master of Science in Industrial Engineering with a concentration in Engineering Management from the University of Tennessee, and a Ph.D. in Business with a concentration in Leadership/Organizational Behavior from the University of Kansas. 

After serving in positions with the United States Department of Energy National Laboratories in Oak Ridge, Tennessee and in Los Alamos, New Mexico, from 1989 to 1996, Suazo entered higher education as an instructor at KU in 1997. From there, he joined Bryant University as an assistant professor in the Department of Management, then moved on to the University of Texas at San Antonio, where he co-led the Executive MBA Program, was an assistant professor for the Executive MBA and taught in the Department of Management. Before joining Springfield College, he was an assistant and associate professor in the Department of Management and International Business at Wright State University, and served as a special assistant to the associate provost and assistant vice president for Curricular Programs.