Faculty Spotlight
Dr. Elizabeth Gentry
Director, Engineering Management Program

What classes do you teach?
I teach Operations Management, Decision and Risk Analysis, Financial
Management, Statistics II, and Effective Communication.

What do you like most about teaching in the engineering management program?
My favorite part about teaching in the EM program is getting to know my students.  It is great to hear about how they used a concept that they learned in one of my classes and it is helping them at their work.  Even though the program is completely online, the students talk to their classmates and me about their jobs and even their personal life.  I had two students this summer who were planning their wedding and using some tools learned in class!

What is your favorite topic to teach?
I am very passionate about six sigma!  It is a great process improvement methodology that uses a lot of data analysis. I cover it in my statisics II and operations management classes.  I also teach a green belt and black belt class in six sigma for the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers.  

Where would you like to travel to next?
I always am up for going to Disney World!  I am going there in November to run a half marathon.  A place that I have never been and would love to go to is Germany.  It is a dream of mine to see the Neuschwanstein Castle.  Also, a friend of mine plays basketball there.

What is your favorite TV show?
It is hard to choose my favorite tv show!  I love watching college basketball and most sports.  On Netflix, though, I love watching Friends and Grey’s Anatomy.
 

Interested in
joining the online EM program?

Fall Term 1 starts
August 19
Fall Term 2 starts
October 14
Spring Term 1 starts January
6
 

Click here to get started!

Student Spotlight
Meredith Cooksey ’18

What
was your favorite EM class?
My favorite EM class was Operations Management,
but I really enjoyed all of the classes. Operations Management gave an
introduction to many of the topics covered in the various other classes. Not
only was the class interesting, but the book that was read, “The
Goal”, allowed me to understand bottle necking of processes which I see
everyday in my role. I value using root causes with methods from the book to
really solve the problem at hand rather than band-aiding the many issues
stemming from the real issues.

How are you using EM in
your work?
I think one of the most valuable parts of the EM program was seeing how the
concepts I learned were immediately applicable to what I was working on in my
job. Plus, many of the discussion boards focused around how topics could be
applied to work.  This not only allowed me to think, but also to hear from
peers how they applied the concepts. I am using the skills I learned in Project
Management the most in my role now because of a big project for optimization of
downtime I am current working on. I am implementing RACI (Roles and
Responsibilities), GANTT charts, and financial project planning to complete the
project successfully on time and under budget.

What made you choose the
UofL EM program?
The decision was easy in many ways for me. Not only did I already love the
university from years of cheering on the Cards and attending undergrad, but it
also had great flexibility and compatibility with my career goals. The
professors are all incredibly knowledgeable, accessible, and helpful. In
addition, the convenience of online learning allowed me to learn while working
full-time, but also at a pace that gave me time to fully understand the topics
and concepts.

What are you most looking
forward to this summer?
This summer, I am looking forward to some fun trips exploring cities with
friends and family which I have planned. Before the end of summer I’ll have
gone to Milwaukee, Denver, Toronto, and Cleveland. But the rest of the weekends
you’ll find me relaxing on Lake Cumberland, which is something I look forward
to year-round to get away from the stress of work and the city life.