the faculty

Eugene W. GotwaltAssistant Professor (434) 381-6513 contact Eugene W. Gotwalt began working as an assistant professor at Sweet Briar College in the fall of 2003, and is currently chair of the Department of Economics and Business Management. Previously, he had been an assistant professor at Mary Washington College in Virginia and Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania. After earning his undergraduate degree in economics at Millersville University, he completed his graduate studies at George Mason University in 2002. His two areas of specialization of Industrial Organization and Public Choice Economics, and is currently researching income distribution in professional sports, legislative monopoly power, and the application of classroom technologies. He resides on campus with his wife Mellody and daughter Rachel, and is the proud father of Jamie, Rashyna, and Angelic.
Mellody GotwaltInstructor (434) 381-6203 contact Before she came to Sweet Briar, Mellody Gotwalt worked many years in the corporate business environment. She was the senior financial accountant at AC Technologies, Inc. in Fairfax, VA. After she resigned from the organization to move to Sweet Briar, the organization contracted her for their lead consultant guiding them through their initial SEC audit and conversion to a publicly traded corporation following their merger with TEK. Prior to this, Ms. Gotwalt was the Administrator for Swissport, Inc. in charge of their Dulles station, where she oversaw human resources, payroll, and financial reporting. In prior years, Gotwalt operated Metamorphysis Consulting, a firm specializing in cost reductions, organizational restructuring and motivational training programs. The firm also provided motivational counseling to high school and college students. The success of her efforts with educational improvement in young students received recognition in a special feature in the Washington Times. A native of York County Pennsylvania, Gotwalt has a bachelor's degree in business administration and psychology from Millersville University, and a Masters Degree in industrial organizational psychology from George Mason University. Gotwalt's research interests include intrinsic motivation, and the determinates of efficacy in both organizations and individuals. "My personal hero is a gentleman I worked with as a young undergraduate student. What impressed me about this man was though even with limited mentally abilities, and the eligibility to test for the special GED, he chose to pursue and achieve a regular GED. That example has never left me. Think what we each of us could achieve if we unlock the foundation of that type of intrinsic motivation!"
Rob AlexanderAssociate Professor of Environmental Studies (434) 381-6451 contact Dr. Alexander received his Ph.D. in Natural Resource Economics from the University of Tennessee and his M.A. and B.S. degrees from the University of Central Florida and the University of Florida, respectively. Prior to joining the Sweet Briar faculty in 2003, Dr. Alexander was a senior lecturer in the Department of Applied and International Economics at Massey University in New Zealand where he taught undergraduate and graduate courses in natural resource economics, environmental economics, mathematical economics, natural resource management and research methods. Dr. Alexander is one the world's leading experts on the economics of wildlife conservation and serves on the board of directors of the Central Virginia Land Conservancy.