Dean of the Zapara School of Business and Bashir Hasso Professor of Entrepreneurship and Political Economy at La Sierra University in Riverside, California.
Email: jthomas@lasierra.edu
Work Phone: 1(951) 785-2064
Dr. Thomas has led La Sierra University's Zapara School of Business in radically redefining its mission to incorporate a focus on global service and entrepreneurial creativity and identifying distinctive market niches ideally suited to its traditions, commitments, and capacities. He is an effective administrator, teacher, and scholar who has spearheaded ambitious fundraising efforts, including ones enabling the Zapara School of Business to move toward the construction of an innovative, 60,000-square-foot business education center, and has championed innovative academic and co-curricular programs including centers for philanthropy, conflict resolution, entrepreneurship and the Transresearch Consortium with the potential to enrich the university academically and dramatically expand its student base.
Dr. Thomas is dedicated to challenging existing business paradigms; he uses interdisciplinary perspectives and exceptional interpersonal skills to build innovative and mutually beneficial strategic alliances. He has provided insightful analyses and helped to develop profitable business relationships for numerous domestic and international clients, who respect his loyalty and commitment to enduring personal ties and a bedrock dedication to integrity and trustworthiness.
A member of La Sierra University's business faculty since 1988, he has taught courses in entrepreneurship, management, economics, and finance. Numerous awards have honored his success as a passionate teacher who motivates students to seek and achieve excellence, among them the Freedom Foundation's Leavey Award for Excellence in Private Enterprise Education (1998), the Zapara Award for Teaching Excellence (1996), the Riverside Chambers of Commerce Hero Award for Community Leadership (1995). He was inducted into the Students in Free Enterprise Hall of Fame in 2007. Dr. Thomas holds a Ph.D. in Political Economy and a M.A in International Political Economy from Claremont Graduate University. He also holds an M.B.A. in Finance from Loma Linda University and an M.B.A. in Marketing from Symbiosis University Pune, India
Other related research work, publication, websites, and links
The Demographic & Economic Consequences of Conflict.
Global Transitions.inWhat Lies Ahead? Debating the Prospects for a 'Post-American World'.
Saving the Next Generation: Political Economy of Infant Mortality Declinein India's States.
Asymmetric Volatility of the Real GDP? Some Comparative Evidencefrom an Emerging Economy (South Africa) and Industrialized Countries(Canada, United States and Japan).
The Falsification of Four Popular Hypotheses about the Asian Crisis.
Nominal Exchange Rate Volatility and Business Cycle: Evidence from SouthAfrica.
Risk Behavior in Loan Decision Making.
