Meet Y​our Professor

My career experience has been in entrepreneurism, leadership, sales, finance, training, and recruitment in the technology training industry. I've been teaching technology skills for 40 years. While CEO, my company achieved numerous awards, including:

• Portland Chamber of Commerce Top 10 Growth Award (two years) — 10 fastest-growing businesses in the Portland Metro area
• Deloitte and Touche Fast 500 — 500 fastest-growing technology companies in the U.S.
• Deloitte and Touche Fast 50 — 50 fastest-growing technology companies in Oregon
• Oregon Business Magazine 100 Best Companies to Work For in Oregon
• Oregon Quality Award Certificate of Quality Commitment
• Inc. 500 — 500 fastest-growing small companies in America

I have taught at Multnomah University, Marylhurst University, Clackamas Community College, and Pioneer Pacific College. In addition to teaching economics, I have taught computer science and mathematics courses at the college level. For twenty-eight years, I owned and operated my own technology training firm, based in Beaverton, Oregon, employing 85 people full-time. My firm taught computer skills for applications, networking, and programming, plus business and career skills. I personally taught courses in accounting, finance, budgeting, communication, leadership, interviewing/hiring, and negotiation. I have taught for the Oregon Society of Certified Public Accountants, a class attended by CPAs to earn continuing education credits to maintain their professional credentials. That class focused on the use of technology in accounting. I began my career as a computer programmer, programming accounting systems. I have passed the State of Oregon tax exam for Licensed Tax Preparers, after completing formal training in income tax law. In my private training practice, I currently specialize in teaching Profit Mastery and Effective Negotiation.

My research interests are in economics pedagogy and behavioral economics. I am interested in how Christian business leaders exercise principled decision-making in light of their dual responsibilities to shareholders and to God as stewards of the earth and its resources. I have submitted an article that has been reviewed for possible publication in 2022. The article evaluates an innovative classroom simulation for teaching profit maximization in balance with environmental and resource economics, specifically exploring the problem of bycatch in fisheries. I am currently pursuing a Master's of Science in Economics at Portland State University, to be completed next year. I hold two bachelor's degrees, the first in Leadership and Ministry from Mulnomah University (2012), and the second in Economics from PSU (2019). In addition to my master's in economics and a graduate certificate in econometrics and data analysis, I intend to earn a third bachelor's degree, in mathematics, having already completed most of the requirements.

I encourage you to read the textbook and outside readings so that our classroom interactions and activities will have deeper meaning. I am Looking forward to our time together.

Instructor Mitch Priestley