Mel Copen

The career of Dr. Melvyn R. Copen has been very varied, encompassing positions in industry, government and academia.
 
In industry, he worked in various manufacturing positions with the General Electric Company, served as Director of Strategic Planning and Economic Analysis for Westinghouse Corporation, and was Director of International Planning for Gould, Inc.

In government, he was first selected to serve a year as a White House Fellow and then stayed on in various senior-level management positions within the US Department of Agriculture.

In academia, where he spent most of his career, he has held positions as Professor, Dean, Vice President and President of various academic institutions.  In particular, he has helped found and managed graduate schools of business around the world, including schools in India, Japan and Central America.  He has been a member of the faculty and/or administration of the Harvard Business School, the Indian Institute of Management, the University of Houston, Georgia State University, Babson College, the Central American Institute of Business Administration (INCAE), the International University of Japan, Thunderbird – the American Graduate School of International Management and a for-profit school, American Intercontinental University.

He has lived and worked in many countries around the world.  His fields of interest include international business, business ethics, strategic planning, production management, automation, technological forecasting and international relations.  He has written articles, books and case studies on many of these subjects.  In particular, he has been interested in cross-cultural relationships and developing win-win situations across cultural barriers.

Dr. Copen has consulted for industrial firms and educational institutions in the U.S. and abroad with respect to organization, strategy, operations management, international business, the adaptation of management practices to different cultures, the introduction of new technology and management development.  Additionally his efforts have encompassed the fields of international education and various aspects of economic, political and social development.  In this capacity, he has worked with international agencies such as the Ford Foundation, the Council of Brazilian University Presidents, USAID, UNESCO, USIS, and the Peace Corps in addition to numerous corporations and governments.

He received Bachelor and Master Degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and earned his doctorate from the Harvard University Graduate School of Business Administration. 

Dr. Copen currently serves on the Boards of: the Universidad del Pacifico in Ecuador, the Big Park Community Coordinating Council (President), Sedona Golf Resort Community Association (treasurer) and the Sedona Village Business Association.  He has been a member of the Business Advisory Council of the UN Office for Project Services, an advisor for COMWEB, a provider of Educational Technology equipment and services, and served on the advisory board for Cisco Learning Institute.  He has also served on the boards of the American InterContinental University (Chair of the Strategic Planning Committee); Greater Phoenix Economic Council; the Thunderbird Archamps Center in France; the Boards and Executive Committees of the International University of Japan and of INCAE; the Foundation for Management Education in Central America; the Human Resources Development Institute (President and Chairman); the Corporación Educativo del Istmo (President and Chairman); the China-US Business University in the Peoples Republic of China,1st American Bank of Georgia (Chairman of the Audit Committee); Arts in Progress in Massachusetts (Chairman); Hemophilia of Georgia, Inc.; the Center for the Study of Automation and Society; the Epilepsy Foundation of Georgia; the Private Industry Council of Atlanta; the White House Fellows Foundation; mbGlobal Enterprises (Chairman and CEO), the Deer Creek Tennis Club (President), 1280 West (a 40 story high-rise condominium in Atlanta), and the Northern League of Arizona Opera (treasurer).  He has also been a member of the Editorial Advisory Boards of Business Magazine, Management Notes, Business Atlanta and Split Shot, an internet-based literary art journal for young people.  Many years ago, in Scouting, he was one of the youngest ever to attain the rank of Eagle Scout.

Dr. Copen writes a bi-weekly column, currently in its 12th year, for the Forsyth County News and various web sites (e.g. Sedona.biz), a regular monthly column for The Villager and speaks on topics of public interest.  His photographic work has won several awards and, his images, along with those of his wife, Beverly are currently represented in various art galleries.