Instructors

The UC Center for Business Analytics and AI stands at the forefront of AI and analytics education, where our instructors are true masters in their field.

Our instructors come from diverse backgrounds, including academia, business, and consulting, and leverage their expertise to teach a wide range of analytics subjects and techniques.

Michael Avalon

Michael Avalon is a Business Intelligence Consultant at AMEND Consulting. He thrives on uncovering insights through creative data storytelling and problem-solving. Michael has a passion for designing visuals that provide actionable insight to companies that help to make smarter decisions and increase visibility across the organization. He brings a fun energy to the teaching environment, always looking for collaboration and new ideas that can be shared with the group. 

Michael has a BS in Business Analytics from Miami University and has spent the last three years fully immersed in the Power Platform to promote automation and growth amongst businesses.

Spencer Baucke

Spencer Baucke is the co-founder of Maverick Data and a data and analytics expert. Spencer has worked in consulting for 10 years and has implemented Power BI infrastructure and solutions at numerous Fortune 500 companies. Spencer holds numerous certifications in the Microsoft data and analytics stack and has taught Power BI classes through the University of Cincinnati Center for Business Analytics for the past several years. 

Bill Bresler

Bill Bresler is a ‘real world’ project manager with 30+ years of experience, currently leading analytics projects for the University of Cincinnati. He has also taught an undergraduate project management course and presented guest lectures on leadership for the University. Bill started his career as a high school mathematics and physics teacher, but soon found a home in the ‘accidental profession’ of project management. As a project and program manager, he has led teams as small as 2 to as large as 180+ professionals spanning multiple countries. Bill has worked with many organizations and industries, including telecommunications, technology, manufacturing, distribution, health care, sports, finance, government and non-profits. Bill’s basic ‘how-to’ approach to project management has positioned those he supports to complete successful projects as recognized by the clients served.

Bill is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP®) who holds two degrees from the University of Cincinnati: a dual major MBA in Quantitative Analysis and Marketing and a BSEd in mathematics (major) / physics (minor).

Jay Cunningham

Jay Cunningham is a Senior Data Scientist at GE Aerospace, with a focus on machine learning and analytics. Prior to working at GE Aerospace, he worked as a Lead Data Scientist / Machine Learning Engineer at 84.51° on their forecasting team. There, he developed and evaluated new methodologies for highly granular sales forecasts. Additionally, at 84.51°, he created and maintained several in-house Python and R packages to facilitate the work of data scientists and engineers throughout 84.51°. His interests both in and out of work involve broadening his deep learning skillset and applying functional programming concepts. His educational background is in mathematics, computer science, and economics, having graduated with a master’s degree in economics from UNC Greensboro.

Katie Fields

Katie is the Associate Business Intelligence Practice Leader at AMEND Consulting. With a background in psychology and statistics, Katie prioritizes understanding individual and organizational needs and pairs it with advanced analytics to build insightful solutions that support decision-making. Katie has spent over six years creating business intelligence solutions, with majority of her time spent in Power BI and Tableau, and she frequently partners with data engineering professionals to design, develop, and deploy full technology and analytics programs for clients.

Ian Johnson

Ian Johnson is a Senior Technical Analyst at AMEND LLC, where he specializes in bridging the gap between business operations and technology. Known as a “low-code data engineer” and system integrator, Ian designs and maintains complex ERP ↔ CRM ↔ eCommerce ↔ Data Warehouse ecosystems across platforms like Boomi, Power Platform, NetSuite, BigCommerce, Salesforce, and Azure.

With 21 years of experience as an IT professional, Ian builds low-code applications and automation solutions that enable organizations to be more connected, data-driven, and efficient. He is passionate about teaching and mentoring, leading internal workshops on Power Automate and Power Apps, and guiding colleagues and clients through the technical adoption process.

Beyond consulting, Ian experiments with sports analytics projects, workflow automations, and AI-powered tools, applying the same problem-solving mindset to personal hobbies as he does to client work. His approach blends technical depth with a practical, business-first lens, making him a trusted partner for both executives and developers.

Kris Jones 

Professor Kris Jones is a passionate educator with a deep understanding of Information Systems and a dedication to empowering students for success in the digital age.  Leveraging his extensive experience in the technology industry, Professor Jones brings real-world insights and practical applications to the classroom.  Students benefit from his engaging teaching style and commitment to fostering critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and a strong foundation in IS concepts.

Prior to his academic career, Professor Jones enjoyed a successful career in the technology sector, founding and leading several innovative companies.  This diverse background allows him to bridge the gap between theory and practice, ensuring students graduate with the knowledge and skills sought after by leading organizations in today's information-driven world.

Dungang Liu, PhD

Dungang Liu is Associate Professor of Statistics and Business Analytics and Academic Director for the UC Center for Business Analytics at the University of Cincinnati Lindner College of Business. Prior to joining Lindner, Dr. Liu obtained his Ph.D. degree in statistics from Rutgers University (2012) and had a two-year postdoctoral experience in biostatistics at Yale University. Dr. Liu's research interests include meta-analysis, discrete data analysis, and their applications to health care, medicine, marketing, and finance. His research outcomes have been published in premier statistics and data science journals, including the Journal of the American Statistical Association, Annals of Applied Statistics, and Biometrics. Dr. Liu is an award-winning educator in business analytics, and his case-study-based classes are well received by professionals. Driven by his strong interest in statistical applications, Dr. Liu has also been actively involved in consulting projects for healthcare, aviation, and insurance companies. In recognition of his research, teaching, and service, Dr. Liu has received college and university awards including Lindner Research Excellence Emerging Scholar Award (2017), Award for Faculty Excellence (2020), and Daniel E. Westerbeck Junior Faculty Graduate Teaching Award (2021).

Kirran Magowan

Kirran is a Business Intelligence Consultant at AMEND Consulting. Kirran is a passionate consultant with a proven track record of uncovering actionable insights in finance and system operations to drive solutions for clients. With expertise in data analysis, visualization, and strategic decision-making, Kirran excels at transforming complex datasets into clear, impactful narratives that support organizational growth. Kirran brings a dynamic approach to teaching and mentoring future business intelligence leaders inside and outside of AMEND.

Kirran has a double BA in Finance and Information Systems along with an MS in Information Systems from the University of Cincinnati.

Jim Monahan

Jim Monahan is a former Principal Consultant with Pinnacle Solutions Group, where he focused on data-related business applications across multiple technology stacks.  He brings experience in system implementations from a wide range of industries including eCommerce and Data Warehousing. He holds a BS in Electrical and Computer Engineering and an MBA from the University of Cincinnati. 

Gus Powers

Gus Powers is a Lead Data Scientist at 8451º, where he works on developing data-focused Python tools for data scientists and engineers. He has given several Python-based trainings on tool development and maintenance. He holds a MS in Chemistry and a MS in Business Analytics from UC.

Jeffrey Shaffer

Jeffrey Shaffer is the Director of the Applied AI Lab, the Kirk and Jacki Perry Professor of Analytics, and Assistant Professor-Educator at the University of Cincinnati in the Carl H. Lindner College of Business, where he was awarded the 2025 Michael L. Dean Excellence in Classroom Education and Learning Graduate Teaching Award. He previously served as the Chief Operating Officer and Vice President of IT and Analytics at Unifund and Recovery Decision Science. He is one of thirty people in the world inducted into the Tableau Visionary Hall of Fame, hosts the award-winning podcast Chart Chat, and is the co-author of The Big Book of Dashboards and Dashboards That Deliver.

Greta Speidel

Greta is a consultant in AMEND's Business Intelligence Practice. She is a passionate problem-solver who helps turn complex data into clear, actionable insights. With a strong foundation in data analysis, visualization, and business strategy, she specializes in building impactful reporting solutions that support smarter decision-making. Greta believes that how insights are communicated and presented is just as critical as the insights themselves. She brings a thoughtful, user-focused approach to every project and emphasizes training users on how to take advantage of these tools.

 Greta holds a s a BSBA in Finance from The Ohio State University and has spent the past five years developing business intelligence tools in Power BI that drive growth, efficiency, and innovation.

 Brett Starr

Brett Starr is Chief Data Officer at Cincinnati Insurance Company and an adjunct professor at the University of Cincinnati.  He has 25 years combined of IT Leadership and Consulting experience and has Chartered Property & Casualty Underwriter (CPCU), Associate in Insurance Accounting & Finance (AIAF), Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA Inactive), Certified Data Management Professional (CDMP), MBA, and Master’s in Information Systems.

Brett leads teams that build Systems of Insight. Automated insights is his motto. Valuable intuition on how to measure success comes from the front line worker. Their proximity to the task at hand creates tribal knowledge unique to their team. Blending data analytics and machine learning with front line and hands on expertise leads to the best answers, the best next action.

Brett's team empowers the analyst and frontline teams with self-service business intelligence and analytic solutions. They leverage the latest in solutions and techniques. Though he leads support for legacy pipelines in traditional ETL and COBOL, he also has been steadily moving workloads to Cloud-based, SPARK, and NoSQL based solutions. He also creates Machine Learning models to assist decision making and drive to the optimal outcomes.

Nick Woo

Nick Woo is the Head of CX & Growth at AlignAI.  Nick has worked with over 500 enterprises in their AI transformation efforts, merging Data & AI innovation with Operational Excellence and Product Management.  As part of AI transformation, Nick helps leaders define & prioritize AI use cases, design wide-scale adoption programs and structure ways to track value for AI solutions.  Nick holds a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification and an academic background in systems engineering, statistics, and organizational psychology.  He lives in Columbus, Ohio, with his wife & dog, volunteering with Franklin County Children’s Services.