Core Faculty

Ph.D. Ethics & Moral Psychology 
Thesis Title – Moral Disengagement, Hope & Spirituality: Including an empirical exploration of combat veterans 
Under the Supervision of Prof. Esther Reed (Ethics & Religion) & Dr. Avril Mewse (Psychology)  
University of Exeter 
Exeter, United Kingdom

Ph.D. Human Resource Development & Organizational Leadership 
Dissertation Title – Belief and Moral Judgment: Considering Implications of a Religious Paradox in Neo-Kohlbergian Moral Reasoning. 
Under the Supervision of Prof. Paul B. Carr  
Regent University, School of Business & Leadership 
Virginia Beach, VA

C.A.G.S. Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies in Leadership Theory
Regent University, School of Business & Leadership 
Virginia Beach, VA

M.B.A. Business Administration 
Webster University 
School of Business and Technology 
Saint Louis, MO

B.S. Economics 
Army ROTC, Distinguished Military Graduate 
West Virginia University 
College of Business and Economics 
Morgantown, WV

Kirk G. Mensch is Professor of Ethics & Organizational Psychology and Director of the M.S. in Ethics & Organizational Behavior at Palm Beach Atlantic University. He is an ethicist and theoretical psychologist whose research is focused in moral psychology and applied ethics. Dr. Mensch started teaching at the university level in 2004 at the College of William & Mary and, since then, has continued to teach and lecture at various institutions in the U.S. and the U.K.

Dr. Mensch has published in several peer reviewed academic journals in topics related to moral psychology, leadership development and theory, ethics, the philosophy of science, and is a member of several academic societies including the International Society for MacIntyrean Ethics, where he has presented at universities such as Notre Dame and Durham University. He is a regular presenter and speaker at various universities and conferences around the world. His more recent research is focused on the problem of inconsistent moral assumptions within the social sciences. He has previously argued (various papers can be located on academia.edu) that incommensurate moral assumptions within many theories, that are later turned into practice, must be considered at the outset, because these theories may be unwittingly presented as morally generalizable, which can cause confusion at all levels of society and allow politicians, lawyers, and clever people to create misleading and misguided arguments as they use the results of research based in morally problematic theories as the basis of arguments presented in the public arena. Dr. Mensch has also connected this problem to the disengagement of moral self-sanctions, cognitive dissonance, and self-harm including suicide.

Dr. Mensch also has over 25 years of trusted advisor and consulting experience in both the public and private sectors. He is a former field grade military intelligence officer, combat veteran, and government contractor who served as a leader (and Jumpmaster) at various levels with the famed 82nd Airborne Division and he has a long history of working with U.S. agencies and foreign governments to solve challenging problems. Dr. Mensch also dedicates time to advocate for Disabled Veterans and is a volunteer firefighter for his community. Gold Star Families at the County, State, and Federal levels, and is involved in volunteer activities with several organizations.

Email: Kirk_Mensch@pba.edu

Ph.D. in Biblical Studies
Thesis: Exodus 34:6-7: A Canonical Analysis
Supervisor: William Bellinger
Baylor University

Th.M. in Old Testament
Columbia Theological Seminary

M.S.T.S. in Old Testament
Thesis: The Hermeneutics of Testimony
Advisor: Walter Brueggemann
Columbia Theological Seminary

B.A. in Biblical and Theological Studies
Lee University

Dr. Lane has been teaching at PBA for 16 years. His primary research agenda lies in canonical interpretations of Old Testament texts. This type of intra-canonical interpretation gives clues to how Scripture interprets Scripture. From these clues we can see trajectories into our own world. Lane’s monograph, The Compassionate but Punishing God, follows these trajectories through the Old Testament and into the present world. Lane has also published in Psalm’s research and Old Testament echoes in the New Testament. He has presented at numerous national and regional meetings.

In addition to serving as a professor, Dr. Lane has also held various academic leadership positions at Palm Beach Atlantic for the last decade. Currently, he serves as both Associate Provost and Dean of the Catherine T. MacArthur School. 
As Associate Provost, he leads new faculty development, and oversees several different academic areas of the university. As Dean of the MacArthur School, he oversees majors housed within the school and online course delivery for the University.

Email: Nathan_Lane@pba.edu 

Ph.D. Organizational Leadership 
Thesis Title – An Exploratory Analysis of Moral Distress, Moral Disengagement, and Ethical Climate among U.S. Medical Residents 
Under the Supervision of Prof. Kirk Mensch (Ethics & Moral Psychology) & Dr. Mark Repenshek (Bioethics)  
Eastern University  
St Davids, PA. USA.

D.Bioethics: Ethics and Health Policy   
Dissertation Title – Reuse of Pacemakers in the Third World: Medical, Legal, Cultural, and Ethical Perspectives
Under the Supervision of Prof. Summer McGee (Health Policy and Management)
Loyola University, Chicago, School of Health Sciences
Chicago, IL. USA.

M.S. Bioethics
Saint Joseph’s University 
College of Arts and Sciences 
Philadelphia, PA. USA.

S.T.L. (Licentiate in Sacred Theology): Theology (New Evangelization)
Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas Rome, Italy (In aggregation with Sacred Heart Major Seminary Detroit)
Detroit, MI, USA.

B.A. Theology
Pontifical Urbanian University,
Rome, Italy

B.A. Philosophy
Pontifical Urbanian University,
Rome, Italy.

B.A. Religion
Imo State University
Owerri, Nigeria.

Aloysius S. Ochasi is an Associate Professor of Ethics & Organizational Behavior at Palm Beach Atlantic University. He is a bioethicist and leadership scholar whose research focuses on bioethics and organizational behavior. Dr. Ochasi started teaching at the university level in 2013 at Saint Joseph’s University, Philadelphia. Dr. Ochasi conducts ethics teaching rounds and lectures with about 500 medical residents and fellows and provides bioethics consultations at 14 acute-care hospitals in four states. He is also the clinical ethicist of the affiliate hospitals’ ethics committees. Also, Dr. Ochasi serves as a research mentor to undergraduate, graduate, medical students, and residents who undertake various collaborative and interdisciplinary research in the field of bioethics.

Dr. Ochasi has published several articles in prestigious national and international bioethics journals. His research interests include moral distress and moral disengagement among healthcare professionals, organ donation and transplantation, health equity and access, and the safe reuse of medical devices in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). As a bioethicist in charge of ethics training for medical students, interns and residents, he saw firsthand the effects of moral distress on the residents. His published research on moral distress among medical residents contributes to policy formulation on moral distress in healthcare settings. It has provided scientific evidence that hospital administrators, directors of residency programs, medical faculty, and policymakers need to develop appropriate mechanisms to effectively address the issues of moral distress and the propensity for moral disengagement among residents. Dr. Ochasi’s published research on the reuse of medical devices is focused on post-mortem CRMD donation and reutilization programs in LMICs, as a life-saving initiative. His research is focused on post-mortem CRMD donation and reutilization programs in LMICs. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the number one cause of death globally. Over three-quarters of all deaths-related CVDs take place in LMICs. Dr. Ochasi is interested in exploring other safe and effective medical devices often discarded as medical wastes in developed nations that could improve the quality of life of the needy in LMICs. This research goal is supported by the ethical principles of respect for persons/autonomy, beneficence, distributive justice, and the Common Good.

Dr. Ochasi has provided preventative care for the vulnerable for over a decade through the Mercy Health Promoter program in Philadelphia. This community-based program offers preventive, observational, and educational duties in immigrant communities and makes referrals to the hospital when medically indicated for free. His future goal is to explore how to cost-effectively meet the healthcare needs of the growing number of undocumented, underinsured, and uninsured immigrants. The success of the community program could become a national model for communities struggling with access to healthcare.

Email: Aloysius_Ochasi@pba.edu

Ph.D. Ethics and Theology
Thesis Title – A Wesleyan Open Inclusivist Approach to Religious Diversity and Atheism
Supervisors: Professor David A. Wilkinson (Systematics & Science) & Professor Robert A. Song (Ethics)
University of Durham
Durham, United Kingdom

Th.M. in Religions of the World & Islamic Studies
Thesis Title – Is Religious Diversity Embraceable by Evangelical Christians and Muslims?
Supervisors: Jane Idleman Smith, David N. Hempton, & Ahmed Ragab
Harvard University, School of Divinity
Cambridge, MA

M.Div.
Advisor: Geoffrey Wainwright
Duke University, The Divinity School
Durham, NC

M.A. in Counseling
Track: Mental Health Counseling
Asbury Theological Seminary
Wilmore, KY

B.S. in Business Administration, History, and Political Science
Capstone Paper – The Royal King: A Historical Analysis of Fourteen Perspectives In C. Eric Lincoln’s Martin Luther King, Jr. A Profile
Advisors: N. Gordon Carper, Peter Augustine Lawler, & W. D. Sockwell
Berry College
Mt. Berry, GA

A.A., Liberal Arts
Young Harris College
Young Harris, GA

Benjamin B. DeVan is Visiting Associate Professor of Ethics and Organizational Behavior at Palm Beach Atlantic University. Dr. DeVan’s research interests include the ethical implications of competing visions for the future, deep-level diversity involving evangelical Christians, atheists, and Muslims; reconciliation, resilience, and applied narrative ethics in the Bible and other literature.
Dr. DeVan has published articles, book reviews, book chapters, and reference entries spanning ethics, theology, social science, international relations, science-religion dialogue, and related topics for Oxford University Press, Journal of Religion and Society, Journal for the Study of Religions and Ideologies, Christian Scholar’s Review, Journal of Comparative Theology, Journal of Ecumenical Studies, Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations, Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, Theology and Science, Faith and Philosophy, and additional venues such as Books & Culture, Huffington Post, and Patheos online. He has taught college and university courses on ethics, history, humanities, individual and organizational behavior, religion, philosophy, and psychology. Dr. DeVan is married to Kartini, who works in international tax. They have two children.

Email: ben_devan@pba.edu

Ph.D. Educational Leadership 
Dissertation Title – Faith in Transition: A Phenomenological Study of Christian College Student Leaders’ Faith Experiences After Graduation
Under the Supervision of Dr. Michele Welkener  
University of Dayton
Dayton, Ohio

M.S. Higher Education Student Affairs 
The Ohio State University
College of Education and Human Ecology
Columbus, Ohio

B.A. Social Studies Comprehensive
Ohio State Board of Education Secondary Teaching Certificate
Cedarville University
Department of History and Government
Cedarville, Ohio

Bob Lutz is Vice President for Student Development at Palm Beach Atlantic University. He is a campus leader and practitioner, who also has interest in educational and leadership research. Dr. Lutz began a career in academia by overseeing intern programs in Washington, DC, through work in the US Senate and the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research.

As the chief student development officer for the University, Dr. Lutz provides leadership for the Student Development Division including the following departments: Academic and Accessibility Resources, Career Development, University Counseling & Wellness, Residence Life, Student Activities, Involvement, & Leadership, and Workship (Community Service). He serves as a member of the President’s cabinet, and has led the university through crisis management, budget changes and retention and housing expansions. He has led leadership training programs at multiple universities and developed curriculum and experiences for hundreds of student leaders. Most recently, Dr. Lutz has taught graduate courses on the foundations of leadership development and organizational theory and change.

Email: bob_lutz@pba.edu

Ph.D. (completing 2023) Moral Philosophy and Organizational Leadership.
Dissertation Title – Assessing Organizational Leaders’ Moral Philosophies Using MacIntyre’s Three Rival Versions of Moral Enquiry
Under the Supervision of Prof. Esther Reed (Ethics & Religion) & Dr. Avril Mewse (Psychology)  
University of Exeter 
Exeter, United Kingdom

C.A.G.S. Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies in Leadership Studies
Eastern University 
College of Business & Leadership
St. David’s, PA

M.B.A. Business Administration 
Xavier University
Williams College of Business 
Cincinnati, OH

B.A. Chemistry 
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
College of Arts and Sciences 
Chapel Hill, NC

Jim Barge is Assistant Professor of Ethics & Organizational Behavior at Palm Beach Atlantic University.  Professor Barge began teaching at the university level in 1989 as an Assistant Professor at the Virginia Tech NROTC Unit. After focusing on careers in the US Navy and General Electric, he re-entered academia in a teaching capacity in 2018 at Mount St Joseph University, where he taught face-to-face leadership and organizational behavior-related classes in both the MBA and Master of Science in Organizational Leadership programs. Most recently, he taught five fully asynchronous courses at Point University, including Change Management, Organizational Behavior, and Business Ethics.

His PhD dissertation is focused on the development of a survey instrument designed to assess the individual moral philosophies of organizational leaders using, as a framework, four predominant versions of moral enquiry in Western society-traditionalism, rationalism, sentimentalism/emotivism and perspectivism that find their basis in the work of preeminent moral philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre and other leading scholars. This research helps to fill a gap in the literature where elements of these moral philosophies have been evaluated relative to the decisions involved in moral leadership but none to the depth or breadth offered by this assessment tool. His primary research and teaching interests include leader development, the intersection of leadership, ethics and philosophy, relational leadership, teams, and organizational change.

In 2019, Professor Barge co-authored an article with Dr. Mensch, entitled “Understanding Challenges to Leadership-as-Practice by Way of MacIntyre’s Three Rival Versions of Moral Enquiry”, which was published in the Business & Professional Ethics Journal. Additionally, he is a member of several academic societies including the Society of Business Ethics, the International Leadership Association, the Association of Leadership Educators, and the International Society for MacIntyrean Ethics, where he has presented at universities such as Notre Dame and Durham University.

In addition to his academic experience, Professor Barge has over 37 years of leadership experience in a broad range of civilian and military organizations. He is a retired Navy Captain who served 10 years on active duty in the submarine force and 16 more in the US Navy Reserves while simultaneously assuming significant leadership and process improvement roles at GE Aviation.

Email: TBA