Thursday, August 20, 2009
Program Welcomes New Students
by Daniel Bonilla
Although several of the incoming first-year Organizational Science students hail from Charlotte, they are remarkably diverse in terms of previous work experience and educational backgrounds. They share a love of travel, with Switzerland and Aruba being among their recent vacation spots. They’re also all looking forward with great anticipation to starting their doctoral education. The faculty and students of the Organizational Science doctoral program extend to them a warm welcome. Below are some basic facts about each student.
Name: Greg Berka
Hometown: Berka grew up in Queens, N.Y. and has lived in Charlotte, N.C., for the past nine years.
Prior education and experience: Berka attended Bucknell University for his undergraduate education and earned his MBA at UNC Charlotte.
Research interests: Berka’s interests include work motivation and group dynamics. He also has an interest in workplace conflict. “From my experience there seems to be an avoidance of problems that just grow,” Berka said. “[There is] no resolution, either you go to HR and ‘tell on someone’ or it goes unanswered.”
GA assignments 2009-2010: His GA assignments are with Dr. Doug Pugh in the Management department and Dr. Cliff Scott in the Communication Studies department.
Other: Berka really likes to play sports. He is on a few softball teams, plays tennis, racquetball, wiffle ball, bowling, and basketball. He has also run a 10K and a half marathon in the past. “I really enjoy intramural sports because they are both competitive and social,” he said.
Name: Erika Carello
Hometown: Carello hails from Greensboro, N.C.
Prior education and experience: Carello completed her undergraduate and graduate education at Wake Forest University where she received both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in psychology.
Research interests: Carello’s interests include a variety of topics, and she’s open to new areas of study. She is most interested in leadership theory and training and development. “I’m really open to anything else out there,” she said. “I know I will find something totally out of left field and say, ‘that’s it!’”
GA assignments 2009-2010: Her GA assignments are with Dr. Steven Rogelberg conducting research and being a teaching assistant for an industrial/organizational psychology class in the spring of 2010.
Other: Carello is excited about all the outdoor opportunities in Charlotte and looks forward to getting out of the office on occasion. “I like to hike … mostly with a light-weight pack and I’m really excited about the mountains,” said Carello. Her cat, Sasha, has accompanied her to Charlotte.
Name: Sharon Doerer
Hometown: Doerer is from Charlotte, N.C.
Prior education and experience: Doerer earned her bachelor’s and master’s degree in sociology from UNC Charlotte. She has also spent many years working at Bank of America.
Research interests: Doerer is interested in groups and status differences and how those differences affect organizational outcomes. "I expect to become more acclimated to Organizational Science as a discipline, and learn how the different disciplinary perspectives advance organizational knowledge.” says Doerer. She recently attended the American Sociological Association Conference in San Francisco where she presented her thesis research.
GA assignments 2009-2010: Doerer will conduct research with Dr. Shawn Long and will work in Information Technology at UNC Charlotte.
Other: Doerer has two children—Jonathan, 10, and Emily, 8. “Some mornings I get up at 4:30 or 5 a.m. to do my writing when the house is still quiet,” says Doerer. “Finding quiet time is not as difficult when the kids are at school.” Doerer, her husband, Brian, and their children recently went to Oak Island, N.C. for vacation. 
Name: Logan Justice
Hometown: St. Louis, Mo.
Prior education and experience: Justice went to Saint Louis University and received her bachelor’s degree in psychology. She was also a research assistant in a psychology lab.
Research interests: Justice’s interests include expatriation, globalization of business, and the effects of moving on employee well-being. She is also interested in work-life balance, stress, and the benefits of perceived organizational support.
GA assignments 2009-2010: Her GA assignments include working at the Graduate College and researching with Dr. David Gilmore.
Other: Justice loves to travel and went to Switzerland this summer. “I’m big on the outdoors and what better way to experience them than among the Alps,” she said. She also just finished a half marathon in St. Louis and finished 54th out of 2,000 women.
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