Wendi Achey, Associate Professor of Business/Marketing

Associate Professor of Business/Marketing Wendi Achey has a constant desire to see students apply what they learn by using the classroom as a simulator to the real business world. Achey is teaching her students to be entrepreneurial thinkers and to navigate the world of business the way that she did prior to returning to the classroom as an instructor.

The DeSales University MBA graduate was already teaching part-time at her alma mater when an opportunity arose for a full-time position at NCC in 2005. Achey had put in a number of years in the corporate world, including a marketing and PR position in the B. Braun healthcare corporation. Her goal as she got into teaching, she says, was not just to provide someone with an education, but to also give back to the community.

"As we go through our educational careers, there are those professors who push you to be better," Achey explains. "I wanted to give back by pushing students to be the best that they can be."

The transition from the corporate world to the classroom was a natural one for Achey, who says that she enjoys exposing students to real-world projects and networking opportunities. Achey is responsible for creating the marketing degree program here at NCC, and designed the AAS degree to give students a curriculum that readies them for the real world.

Achey brings corporate ties into the classroom through her connection to the Faculty-Industry Exchange program. Her fall semester students work on a campaign with SWB&R Inc., an advertising agency located in Bethlehem. In the spring, students work directly with Just Born, Inc. on an integrated advertising campaign that also serves as their capstone project prior to completion of the program.

"That's been my goal - to teach these students how to be future leaders," says Achey. "You can see the students blossoming as they're exposed the corporate world and what they'll be faced with when they leave here."

Achey has also worked with professors Jeanine Metzler and Anita Dickson on forming a business club for NCC students (NCPC). The goal of the club is to get students involved in projects both for the college and for the community. In the past, students have presented the Executive In Residence program, as well as guest speakers for the college. New officers this fall can look forward to exciting opportunities.

"It's all about making students successful, and competitive in the marketplace," Achey says. "I don't want to teach just textbook theory. I also want to teach the practical side."