Expertise

For 26 years, I worked for IBM in management and information technology leadership roles. In my last 4 years at IBM, I taught at Marist College as an adjunct professor. Then I became a full-time visiting assistant professor at Marist, where I also coordinated internships — so I have experience helping students with resume reviews, cover letters, and job interview preparation. 

I joined Nazareth College in 2020. I was led to a career in teaching because I like sharing my subject matter expertise and helping students. 

Why teach?

I am energized when I am able to help students succeed. I get a lot of satisfaction out of seeing students’ eyes light up when I explain topics that they once thought were extremely complex. When the light comes on in them, I get a charge also. 

How I teach

Students enjoy how I integrate real-world experiences into class discussions and assignments. Students increasingly have asked me for tips on what to say in upcoming job interviews, or ask for my opinion about a particular career path. I have embraced the opportunity to coach and advise students and to become a full-time professor. 

What do students say about you? 

Students often speak highly of Prof. Porter “for his organized presentation, effective teaching style, and professional knowledge in the management area.” — Jason Lee, Ph.D., associate professor and Management Department chair at Marist College

Insights from data 

How can you make the best decisions? Be informed by data. My focus is business analytics, including discovering insights from data. Analyzing what happened and being able to predict potential outcomes can help leaders choose the best strategy for competitive advantage.

Courses I teach 

  • Data Analysis and Decision Making — That’s my favorite because it highlights how decreasing technology costs are forcing companies to change. Jobs are changing and competitive strategy is impacted by technology. 
  • HR Metrics and Decision Making
  • Decision-Making, Analytic

Why Naz?

Naz is highly regarded as a place for quality education. The School of Business and Leadership (SBL) not only teaches core business skills, but also strives to produce future leaders who are creative and conduct business in an ethical manner.

Advice for students? 

The best career advice: I encourage students to participate in internships as a way to gain a realistic view of what will be expected of you on the job. 

Tech talks

  • Keynote speaker at a 2018 conference in Saudi Arabia, speaking about IBM’s technology and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030
  • Spoke at several technology conferences inside IBM, including on whether a stint in management is good for your technical career, on the leader’s role in leveraging technical “wild ducks” in client interactions, and on the role of leadership in high performing teams/departments.

Fun Fact

Porter initiated and coordinated TEDxNazarethUniversity on campus.