The Department of Organizational Performance and Workplace Learning added two new clinical assistant professors, Jelena Pokimica and Ria Roy, to their faculty for the new academic year.
Jelena Pokimica
Pokimica holds a dual undergraduate degree in international relations and French from Kent State University, along with two master’s degrees in sociology and public administration from the University of Akron. In January 2022, she earned her doctorate in education policy, organization and leadership with a concentration in human resource development from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
She joins the department with extensive experience teaching in higher education, with courses from instructional design to mixed and qualitative research methods. During her doctoral studies, Pokimica worked on several grant-funded projects including projects funded by Science Education Partnership Award , Environmental Protection Agency, National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, and the Survey Sciences Group. Pokimica’s teaching philosophy is “teaching is based on relationship-building, mutual respect, trust, integrity, and open and honest communication.” Her research interests include organization development, learning and performance, and strategic partnerships.
Professor Pokimica will be teaching OPWL 537: Instructional Design and OPWL 507: Interviews and Data Analysis this fall.
Ria Roy
Roy holds an integrated undergraduate degree in accounting and auditing from the University of Mumbai. Roy also holds three master’s degrees: MBA in management information systems, master’s of science in human factors in information design from Bentley University, and a master’s of science in training and development from Worcester State College. In 2017, she received her doctorate in instructional systems technology from Indiana University.
She joins the department with functional experiences in consulting, market research, analytics and project management. With this experience, Roy has led professional engagements and organization-wide projects across the United States, Australia, and India. Her research interests include understanding how organizations can lead in an integrated manner, eschewing the siloed perspective, and challenges that hinder performance and organizational effectiveness.
Professor Roy will be teaching OPWL 531: Quantitative Research in Organizations and OPWL 592: Portfolios this fall.