Doctoral Alum Focus | Jonathan Spaans, DBA'19

"The program had the most impact on my ability to investigate, solve and implement complex solutions to problematic production and infrastructure issues."

Jonathan Spaans, DBA'19

Program

Business Administration (Doctorate)
Organizational Leadership (Doctorate)

Department

The George B. Delaplaine Jr. School of Business
Education

Alumni
Graduate School
Graduate Student

Academics
Alumni Relations
Education
Business

04/28/2021

Hood alum, Dr. Jonathan Spaans, graduated with a doctorate in business administration (DBA) in 2019. Jonathan is currently the director of Quality Assurance at Champions Oncology in Rockville, MD. Jonathan been serving in the biotech community for over 20 years at companies that develop biopharmaceuticals for early phase clinical trials. He recently received an award for his paper submitted at the Society for Advancement of Management International Business Conference.

Why did you choose Hood College?

Hood College was a natural choice for me as the doctoral program not only involved weekend study but also involved an immersive cohort format.

The doctoral faculty invests a lot of their time and attention to the cohort members. This important aspect of the program allowed me to complete the program in a little over 3 years.

How has it helped your career?

The doctoral program helped my career in many ways.

Perhaps the program had the most impact on my ability to investigate, solve and implement complex solutions to problematic production and infrastructure issues. The program also instilled a higher degree of confidence in my abilities to solve problems and work with several levels of professionals (in multiple countries).

The educational experience opened up a broader perspective of how I can contribute and add value to my industry.

What did you enjoy about Hood College?

Hood College offered a great, enriching educational experience. But it also introduced me to many new friends.

Hood College has many dedicated faculty that will stop at nothing to ensure the students receive the help and guidance they need.

Congratulations for the award your paper received at the Society for Advancement of Management International Business Conference! Tell us about your paper and your experiences at the conference.

My paper examined the hitherto unnoticed contributions of the middle manager to an organization's ability to innovate. Middle managers offer expertise in translating strategy into operation.

The Society for the Advancement of Management conference for International Business was a great experience. I had the opportunity to sit in on several similar presentations that shed light on other management insights. I was also introduced to several professors who had valuable feedback on my presentation.

Any other information/fun facts you would like to add?

I have called Frederick home since 1996 after I got married. I grew up in Montgomery Village and graduated from Gaithersburg High School.

I moved to Arizona believing that I would start a career in Archaeology. I ended up majoring in Biology and moving back to Maryland to take advantage of the sprawling biotech community.

I have 3 kids: one graduated from nursing school and the other 2 (twin boy and girl) are in pre-medical programs. I met my wife, Lisa, in Arizona. She works as a Quality Control Manager in the same field.

My work takes me to several parts of the US such as California and Illinois but also involves international travel to the UK, Netherlands and South Africa.

Inspired by Jonathan's story to #GOFURTHER in your educational & career pursuits? Learn more about Hood College's Doctorate of Business Administration by clicking here.