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Donald Kudek

Donald Kudek Donald Kudek Business Administration Associate Professor Email: donald.kudek@wlc.edu Phone: 414.443.8579

Donald Kudek

Education

  • B.S., University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Business with Marketing Emphasis
  • M.B.A., Bradley University, Emphasis in International Marketing
  • Ph.D., Regent University, Organizational Leadership

Background

Prior to teaching at Wisconsin Lutheran College, I held senior management positions, within multiple disciplines, for companies in various industries. Initially I was International Marketing Director for a domestic manufacturer in the clothing industry. I was hired to help establish the International Trade Center (ITC) at the Turner Center for Entrepreneurship on the campus of Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois. Following a successful launch of the trade center, I was recruited by a Fortune 500 retailer to revamp its international activities, including procurement, logistics, finance, and U.S. Customs activities. My responsibilities grew to include all of the cash management functions, payroll, and risk management, eventually serving as Corporate Treasurer of the organization. I was then recruited by a large Midwestern bank to oversee it treasury management activities as well as the international department. I was responsible for pricing, marketing, and product development of the corporation's Treasury Management products and coordinating the sales efforts through regional sales managers.

In addition, I spent 20 years as an adjunct college instructor. My diverse career, along with a couple decades of college teaching, prepared me accept the call to train future Christian business leaders at WLC in 2011.

Teaching

  • BUS 150 - Introduction to Business
  • BUS 181 - Principles of Microeconomics
  • BUS 182 - Principles of Macroeconomics
  • MKT 240 - Marketing Principles
  • MAN 250 - Management Principles
  • BUS 301 - Business Ethics
  • MKT 345 - Digital Social Media Marketing
  • MAN 352 - Organizational Behavior
  • MKT 385 - International Entrepreneurship 
  • FIN 386 - International Economics
  • BML 312 - Strategic Marketing
  • BML 422 - Managing People in Organizations

Research Interests

My research interests include the study of leadership, followership, and how these two important tasks are needed in both the business community as well as the nonprofit community. Student research has included the impact of student group activity for self-chosen teams versus professor assigned teams, the correlation between servant leadership characteristics displayed, and job satisfaction in police work; and the correlation between followership types and personalities.

Scholarly Works

Publications

  • Kudek, D. R., Winston, B., & Wood, J. A. (2020). Followership and the Relationship Between Kelley’s Followership Styles and the Big Five Factor Model of Personality. Journal of Organizational Psychology, 20(3). https://doi.org/10.33423/jop.v20i3.2943
  • Kudek, D. (2016). Self-Chosen Student Groups-What is the student impact if one is not part of his/her ideal team? International Journal of Teaching and Education, 4(2), 63-87.

Presentations

  • The International Servant Leadership Summit – June 2021 – Followership Training – The Ultimate in Servant Leadership.
  • The International Servant Leadership Summit – June 2021 – Correlation between Servant Leadership and Job Satisfaction in the Police Service. 
  • The International Servant Leadership Summit – June 2021 – Servant Leadership and Job Satisfaction – A millennial View.
  • The International Leadership Association 21th Annual International Conference, Ottawa, Canada, October 2019 – Relationship between Kelley’s Followership Styles and the Big Five Factor Model of Personality.
  • Global Followership Conference – University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada N2L 3G1, July 2019 – Relationship between Kelley’s Followership Styles and the Big Five Personality Traits 
  • Global Followership Conference – University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada N2L 3G1, July 2019 – Relationship between Kelley’s Followership Styles and the Big Five Personality Traits 
  • Global Followership Conference – University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada N2L 3G1, July 2019 – The Importance and Impact of Follower Communication within Student Teams and their perceptions/importance of leaders and followers roles. 
  • The International Leadership Association 20th Annual International Conference, West Palm Beach, Florida, October 2018 – Correlation of Followership Characteristics and Job Satisfaction within Community Banking. 
  • The International Leadership Association 20th Annual International Conference, West Palm Beach, Florida, October 2018 – Discussion on the relationship between Kelley’s Followership Characteristics and the Big Five Personality Traits. 
  • The International Leadership Association 19th Annual International Conference, Brussels, Belgium, October 2017 – Diffusion of Followership Concept. 
  • The International Leadership Association 19th Annual International Conference, Brussels, Belgium, October 2017 – Correlation between Job Satisfaction and the Supervisor’s Leadership Style within a Police Department. 
  • The International Institute of Social and Economic Sciences 21st International Academic Conference, Miami, February 2016 - Self-Chosen Student Groups - What is the student impact if one is not part of his/her ideal team?.

Service

  • WLC IRB Committee Member, 2020-present 
  • WLC Business, Accounting and Sports Management Academic Chair, 2019-present 
  • WLC General Education Committee Member, 2018-2019 
  • WLC Admissions Committee Member, 2017-present 
  • WLC AGS Academic Advisory Council Member, 2013-2019 
  • WLC ENACTUS Faculty Advisor, 2012-present
  • St. Paul’s Muskego - worship set-up assistant
  • Sons of the American Legion - Post 36

Professional Memberships

  • International Leadership Association Member, 2016 to present 
  • Christian Business Faculty Association Member, 2020 to present 
  • Association of Financial Professionals Member, 2003 to 2020