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College of Business & Technology

Office of the Dean, College of Business and Technology

The Dean’s Office organizes communication among the seven academic departments and oversees the day to day operations of Stipes Hall. The college dean serves as Chief Operating Officer.

Tara Feld

Tara Feld, Interim Dean/MBA Director

Tara (Westerhold) Feld joined the College of Business and Technology as Interim Associate Dean and MBA Director in July 2019 and appointed Associate Dean in 2021. Feld received her Ph.D. in Economics from the University of South Carolina in 1998 and a B.S. in Economics and International Business at Jacksonville University in Jacksonville, Florida.

Tara originally joined the WIU economics faculty in 1998 with specializations in applied microeconomics and public finance. She has taught a variety of undergraduate and graduate economics courses, including the Managerial Economics course required in the MBA program. During her time here at WIU, Tara served as the Undergraduate Program Coordinator for the Department of Economics and Decision Sciences, and as Interim Department Chair from 2017-2019.

Her current research focuses on two areas: pedagogical research examining student learning outcomes across different learning environments (traditional, hybrid, and online formats) as well as experimental work examining social norms for equity.

Debbie Carithers

Deborah Carithers, Office Administrator

Debbie resides in Table Grove and has a B.S. in Photography/Media, a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Women’s Studies, and a M.S. in Instructional Technology and Telecommunications.

Since coming to the university, she has worked in many varied and interesting departments, including the Lab School, Music, Admissions, Purchasing, Communications, Women’s Center, Gwendolyn Brooks Cultural Center, Arts and Science Dean’s Office, Chemistry, Casa Latina, Advising, Agriculture, and currently the College of Business and Technology Dean’s Office. She is a true Leatherneck, since between her own family and her sister’s family 16 undergraduate and graduate degrees have been earned at WIU.  She currently works as office manager in CBT and teaches sign language through the Speech, Pathology, Audiology Department.