Dr. Cowles has served the public for 45 years, first at the then National Bureau of Standards as an electrical resistance measurement specialist (1962-1966), then in the U.S. Air Force as a federal agent, aviator, operational planner, educator, and unit commander (1966-1986), and then at the Employment Support Institute as the director for management system innovations (1987-1993).

Since 1994, he has been an educator of working adults, first as an assistant professor of business administration in the Averett College Adult Curriculum for Excellence (1994-1995); then as an associate professor of public administration at Troy State University (1995-1999), later as an associate professor of administration for Central Michigan University (1999-2004) and then as a regional chair for criminal justice and international relations at Troy University (2004-2007).

He now teaches in the master of public administration program for Central Michigan University and serves as the Global Campus public administration cohorts advisor. He is a senior member of the American Society for Quality, an affiliate of the W. Edwards Deming Institute, and a member of the American Statistical Association, Decision Sciences Institute, Government Finance Officers Association, and the American Society for Public Administration.

AREAS OF TEACHING EXPERTISE

• Professional Ethics
• Leadership
• Strategic Planning
• Organization Theory and Behavior
• Policy Analysis and Administration
• Budgeting and Financial Management
• Program Design / Implementation / Evaluation