Rick Harper, Ph.D.
Director

Rick Harper's career as an economist began in 1979 at the Research Triangle Institute in North Carolina, where he was involved in all phases of various funded research projects. Rick received his Ph.D. in Economics from Duke University in 1989 and joined the UWF faculty that same year. He received his bachelor's degree from Guilford College in North Carolina.

Prior to coming to UWF, Rick lectured at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Other academic experience includes visiting appointments at ESSCA, in Angers, France, the University of Nottingham, England and University College, Cork, Ireland. His published scholarly research is largely in the area of government policy and its effect on the business environment.

Through UWF's Haas Center for Business Research and Economic Development, where he served as director, Rick worked with Florida businesses and government leaders on a variety of business research and economic development issues. He represented Northwest Florida on Governor Jeb Bush's Council of Economic Advisors from 2001 - 2006. He now serves as director of UWF's Office of Economic Development and Engagement.

Contact: rharper@uwf.edu

 

Phyllis Pooley, MBA, JD
Associate Director

Phyllis K. Pooley has lived in the Pensacola area since 1997. Originally from Virginia, she attended the College of William and Mary as an undergraduate and Washington and Lee University School of Law for her juris doctor degree. She received her MBA from the University of West Florida in 2001. Dr. Pooley began her career at UWF with the Haas Center as a graduate student assistant and was promoted to associate director in 2004. She joined the OEDE in 2011.

Contact: ppooley@uwf.edu

 

 

Brice Harris, Ph.D.
Associate Director

Dr. Brice Harris was appointed Associate Director of OEDE in August 2011. A Pensacola native, his career to date has centered on political, military, and economic affairs, and includes periods of service in federal and state government, as well as in the private sector. This includes tours of service as a Presidential Management Fellow in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) and the Office of Foreign Assets Control, respectively. He has also worked as a private contractor to OSD, as well as the U.S. Marine Corps Command & Staff College.

At the level of state government, Dr. Harris has served as Defense & Space Coordinator in the Executive Office of the Governor of Florida. He was integral to the commercialization of a software suite developed by the Florida Institute for Human & Machine Cognition, a not-for-profit research institute of the State University System of Florida, while serving as the Chief Operations Officer of a stage one technology company.

Dr. Harris holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Florida (1999); an M.S. in Defense & Strategic Studies from Missouri State University (2001); and a Ph.D. in Politics & International Relations from the University of Reading in the United Kingdom (2007). He has thus far published one book titled, "America, Technology, and Strategic Culture: A Clausewitzian Assessment" (Routledge 2008), which a leading peer-reviewed journal described as “a well-conceived, well-researched, well-written book” ('Book Reviews,' Survival, Vol. 51, No. 2, April-May 2009, pp. 208-209).

Contact: bharris@uwf.edu

 

Jen Whitfield, BA
Marketing and Outreach Coordinator

Jen Whitfield began her career at UWF with the Haas Center in 2001 as a digital media assistant while completing her degree in Communication Arts with concentrations in advertising, computer graphics and studio art. In 2003, she became Digital Media Coordinator for the Haas Center, designing and administering digital media programs and publications to deliver business data and statistics for the Haas Center and the center's customers. Jen joined the OEDE in 2011 as Marketing and Outreach Coordinator.

Contact: jwhitfield@uwf.edu

 

Nora Bailey
Healthcare Analyst

Nora Bailey has over 25 years experience as a senior executive and as a Board member in the not-for-profit sector. Prior to founding Strategic Management Initiatives, LLC, Nora managed a consulting firm that helped healthcare and academic organizations create sustainable cultures of excellence. As Administrator she was responsible for new product development, strategy formulation, marketing, business development, and overall financial management.

Nora served as a vice president for strategic planning in health systems for 18 years. In that capacity, she set the strategy that raised market share in a highly competitive market by 10 percentage points. Nora's healthcare experience also included executive responsibility for marketing, construction, physician practices, and new service development. She also played a key role in one health system's successful quest for the Florida Governor's Sterling Award for Quality. She has served on a number of regional, state, and national healthcare planning and marketing committees.

Nora's commitment to service extends to the numerous not-for-profit Boards of Directors on which she has served. Her board participation is as diverse as the Pensacola Opera, the Council on Aging of Northwest Florida, and the Pensacola Heritage Foundation. Furthermore, she has consulted with countless private schools, arts organizations, and social support organizations on envisioning and achieving mission-based results.

Nora has a Master's in Urban and Regional Planning from Florida State University and a Bachelor's from Emory University.

Contact: nbailey@uwf.edu