Ernest Goss, Ph.D., Director

Ernest Goss is the MacAllister Chair in Regional Economics at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. Dr. Goss received his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Tennessee in 1983 and is a former faculty research fellow at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. During 2003-04, he was a visiting scholar with the United States Congressional Budget Office in Washington, D.C.

Among his many accomplishments, Dr. Goss has published more than eighty research studies focusing primarily on economic forecasting and on the statistical analysis business and economic data. His research paper entitled, “The Internet's Contributions to U.S. Productivity Growth” received the National Association of Business Economics Edmund A. Mennis Contributed Papers Award for 2001. Praeger Press published his book, Changing Attitudes toward Economic Reform during the Yeltsin Era, in 2003. In 2007, he co-authored, Governing Fortune, Casino Gambling in America, published by the University of Michigan.

In addition to his teaching and research, Dr. Goss is also the driving force behind the College of Business’s new Creighton Portfolio Index, which includes an investor scorecard that allows novice stock pickers to compare their portfolios with those of professionals. He also produces the rural Mainstreet Index which surveys bankers insights into business conditions, prepares the Mid-America Outlook and also surveys purchasing managers and hosts a monthly pod cast with business leaders from various industry sectors. Dr. Goss' research spans local, regional, and national perspectives with market analysis studies ranging from the impact of the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, to the U.S. Olympic Trials.

His regional and national impact is continuously rewarded throughout the nine state Mid American Regions and the three state Mountain region with recognition and media coverage of approximately 100 newspapers and over 90 radio stations. Dr. Goss has noted and quoted research that appears regularly in newswires and publications such as the New York Times, MSNBC, Investors Business Daily, Wall Street Journal, The Christian Science Monitor, The Los Angeles Times and The Chicago
Sun Times.

George S. Vozikis, Ph.D., Research Fellow

George S. Vozikis is the Edward Reighard Chair in Management at California State University, Fresno and the Director of the Institute for Family Business. Prior to joining California State University at Fresno, he taught at the University of Tulsa where he was the Davis D. Bovaird Endowed Chairholder of Entrepreneurial Studies and Private Enterprise, and the Founding Director of the Family-Owned Business Institute, as well as, the Tulsa University Innovation Institute.

Vozikis has also taught at the Citadel Military College where he was the Alvah H. Chapman Endowed Chair in Business Administration, and the Founding Director of the Citadel's Center for International and Regional Development, the University of Memphis, the University of Alabama in Huntsville, the University of Miami, the University of Oklahoma, and the University of North Texas. He received his Ph.D. in Business Administration from the University of Georgia under the direction of the then President of the Academy of Management, the late William F. Glueck, and his MBA from Virginia Commonwealth University.

In addition to numerous journal publications, conference papers, and books, Dr. Vozikis has conducted executive development seminars and served as a consultant for many organizations, such as Aramco, LG (formerly Goldstar), McDonnell Douglas Corporation, GTE, the Medical University of South Carolina, the U.S. Army Missile Command, the Williams Companies, and many family firms. He has also served in the past as Chair of the Entrepreneurship Division of the Academy of Management, and as Track Chair for the Southern Management Association.

Pete Jacques, Ph.D., Research Fellow

Dr. Jacques is an Industrial/Organizational psychologist experienced in measuring and evaluating a variety of business domains including customer satisfaction, market research, training and development evaluation, performance management, organizational development, and selection testing. Skilled at all aspects of research design, analysis and reporting, project management, and presenting.

Jacques began his career as an organizational development consultant with Linkage, Incorporated, an international leadership development firm.

He subsequently transitioned to the healthcare industry where he developed client and patient satisfaction systems for a regional HMO and health care system, in addition to conducting market research and evaluating marketing effectiveness.

More recently, Jacques brought his skills to the financial services industry where he directed studies on consumer attitudes, buying preferences and product ownership. Jacques has presented at numerous professional and academic conferences and has been published in industry journals.

Jacques earned his doctorate in industrial/organizational psychology from the University of Connecticut. He currently serves as an adjunct professor at Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Chris Vincentini, Research Fellow

Chris Vincentini has been employed as a professional researcher for over eighteen years. Chris got hooked in market research after performing a research study for a local city council member in 1989. Since then he has authored nearly 100 surveys (phone and email in the early days and online methods over the last 7-years), moderated numerous focus groups and performed ethnographic in-depth interviews. Research specializations include measuring customer and employee satisfaction, new product development, survey construction and analysis and general market research.

Vincentini began his research career spending three years with the American Education Institute (1989). He also spent two years as a Graduate Teaching assistant. He then joined Data Transmission Network (DTN) and spent five years in their Research and New Product Development department. While at DTN, Vincentini also spent an additional year in their marketing department.

After leaving DTN, Vincentini spent time as a one of the Principals (serving as the Director of Research) for a start-up Electronic Point-of-Sale company. Vincentini spent subsequent years
directing studies within the financial services industries. His most recent experience has been with a Fortune 500 company measuring customer satisfaction with their Global Operations center.

In 2005, Vincentini started The American Research Professionals
(www.AmericanResearchProfessionals.com), a research consulting company based in Omaha Nebraska. He also has also published three articles (one while in graduate school).

Will Meinen, M.S., Research Fellow

Will Meinen received a masters of science in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 2003. While attending the University, Meinen designed selection tests for the Lincoln Fire Department and conducted job analyses for Union Pacific.

Since graduating Meinen has worked for the Omaha Public Schools’ Research Division evaluating federal grants and district programs/initiatives, developing and analyzing web based and phone surveys, and applying inferential statistical methods to determine best practices.