This fall, CBE welcomes 8 new faculty members — here’s what you need to know.
Gabby Swab
Assistant Professor
Department of Management
Education:
Ph.D., Business Administration in Management
University of Mississippi
MBA, Human Resource Management
Morehead State University
BA, Business Administration in Marketing
Belmont University
Research Interests:
My research interests lie at an intersection between entrepreneurship and organizational behavior as I study competition, cooperation, and its multilevel influence in entrepreneurs, teams, new ventures, and family firms. More specifically, I research the way entrepreneurs and their new venture teams both compete and cooperate within their team using the term “coopetition.”
What are you looking forward to in your new role at Towson University?
The students at Towson are engaging and eager to learn, and just a great group of students to be around! I’m truly excited to make an impact in their lives and help them realize their career goals. It makes my day when a student tells me that a topic we covered in class is something they are interested in or want to know more about. I’m looking forward to many more of these types of conversations.
What is something few people know about you that might be surprising to some?
My interest in entrepreneurship began when I worked at Dell Inc. and helped some colleagues of mine start a board game company. It was such a crazy journey that I had no idea it would have such an impact on my personal and professional life many years later. I now research the entrepreneurs and new ventures in this industry. And, fun fact, at my first board game convention, which was Gencon in Indianapolis, I dressed up as the Joker from Batman!
What is your favorite TV show?
Parks and Rec – My friends frequently refer to me as Leslie Knope. I also like The Office, Schitt’s Creek, and yes, I’m one of those people who likes the Real Housewives on Bravo.
What is your favorite memory from your undergraduate days?
I randomly met the founder of Dippin’ Dots at the Superman statue in Metropolis, Illinois, of all places, when I asked him to take a picture of me and my friends with the statue. After chatting, I was able to bring him on campus at Belmont University in Nashville for a presentation on his entrepreneurial journey. He gave all the students in attendance free Dippin’ Dots! I will never forget how kind and humble he was despite all of his success.
If you could give your students one piece of advice from your life experiences, what would it be?
Learning does not begin and end in the classroom and my students should constantly be seeking ways to improve themselves, personally and professionally: joining clubs on campus; interning; reading about their favorite subjects; obtaining a certification; etc. In my class, I want to teach them the need-to-knows, but also give them the tools for application. For example, I became a project manager later in my industry career after obtaining my Project Management Professional certification, but I was unaware of the organizations and certificates that could have shown me those paths earlier. I want my students to be aware of all the resources on and off campus. So, my advice would be to seek out these options and get involved in the things that would make you more hirable as a better professional and a more rounded individual.