James D. Proffitt

Assistant Professor
Management and Organizational Leadership Program
Department of Economics and Business Administration

Education: Illinois College, B.A. (Phi Beta Kappa); U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, M.S. 1972

Courses: Strategic Management; Operations Management; Management; Human Resource Management; Marketing; Management Information Systems

Achievements: Vietnam Service Medal 1972-1973

Research Interest: Management by Objectives (MBO)

Flip through any chapter in a strategic management textbook and chances are Professor James D. Proffitt has lived through it.

Before joining Illinois College in 2002, Proffitt spent more than 25 years working in telecommunications engineering management. After completing a four-year stint as a communications officer and navigator in the U.S. Navy in 1975, Proffitt worked for Illinois Bell Telephone Company in several management positions throughout the state. He was transferred to AT&T in New Jersey where he was responsible for the network planning associated with the company's divestiture mandated by the U.S. Department of Justice.

In 1983, Proffitt moved to Los Angeles to establish what would become the largest cellular telephone business in the world. PacTel Cellular began service to the Los Angeles area in 1984 in conjunction with the 1984 Olympic Games hosted by the city. Proffitt was responsible for network planning and engineering.

Ten years later, Proffitt was promoted to vice president of network engineering and operations for the southern California region, which served more than a million cellular customers. After the cellular business was spun off as part of a public company known as AirTouch Communications, Proffitt moved to the corporate office in San Francisco to help grow the company into a 17-state wireless business enterprise, which was purchased by Vodafone in 1999 for $62 billion. Proffitt retired from the wireless business after assisting with the arrangements.

"I'm the oldest of 10 children and the only one who strayed far from home," says Proffitt, a native of Alexander, IL. "I felt it was time to get closer to family and I was fortunate that a teaching opportunity popped up at my alma mater."

In addition to his B.A. in physics and in mathematics from Illinois College, Proffitt earned an M.S. in applied mathematics from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School.

The transition from private sector to higher education was not a difficult one for Proffitt, who had served as a mentor and trainer throughout his career in the telecommunications industry.

"I've always enjoyed teaching," says Proffitt. "I'm able to bring my business experience into the classroom and use it to complement the material in the textbook. Students respond well to that. They all have cell phones and are intrigued by the technology so their interest is already piqued. I just have to relate my experiences in a way that helps them learn."

Proffitt tells his students that in order to succeed they must be honest about themselves—in their interviews, on their résumés and during their entire careers. He also tells them they need to work hard and stay current. One of his assignments requires that they become familiar with the Harvard Business Review, which Proffitt believes to be the best source of quality management articles.

"Learning begins here," he says, "but it doesn't stop here."

In his spare time, Proffitt keeps a long list of writing objectives. His current project is a novel about the events that took place in the months preceding the Battle of Gettysburg.

   

 

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