Our Team
Students in the Master of Science in Engineering Management (MSEM) program learn directly from world-class faculty and industry experts. Instructors come from both UF’s Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering and the Warrington College of Business, bringing together technical depth and strategic business insight.
Administrative Team
Shantih M Spanton, PhD
Associate Director of Jax Graduate Programs
Shantih (Tee) Spanton, PhD, is the Associate Program Director for Jacksonville graduate programs in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Florida. With over a decade of experience in technology organizations, she has led work in transportation optimization and logistics. A dedicated leader in the professional community, Dr. Spanton has served as chair of multiple suborganizations within the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS) and has been recognized with both the INFORMS Volunteer Service Award and the Railway Application Distinguished Service Award. Dr. Spanton regularly presents at professional engagements, and volunteers as an early-career coach and mentor for professionals in technology and education. She has taught computer science at both the University of Florida and the University of North Florida. She holds a PhD in Industrial and Systems Engineering from the University of Florida.
Professor Serdar Kirli
Lecturer & Undergraduate Coordinator
Serdar Kırlı serves as Instructional Professor of industrial and systems engineering at the University of Florida. His teaching and research interests include software engineering; internet technologies, real-time control and industrial applications of microcontrollers.
Faculty Members
Tobias Lodemann, PhD
Instructional Assistant Professor
Tobias Lodemann is an Instructional Assistant Professor in the Department of ISE at the University of Florida. His teaching interests include data analytics, manufacturing management, and Supply Chain Management. His research focuses on AI in healthcare settings and improvements in trauma resuscitation care as well as the enhancement of engineering education.
Sam Lopez, Jr., DBA
Adjunct Instructional Professor
Dr. Sam Lopez is an Adjunct Instructional Professor of the Engineering Leadership Institute at the University of Florida. He is experienced as an Engineering Program Manager in New Product Development with successful launches of multiple products for a leading Medical Device Company.
He completed an extensive 24-year Naval Career leading men and women in meeting objectives at the team and organizational level. He received his Doctorate from UF and is currently conducting applied research on Leading Effective Teams and Managing Projects.
Sam is a certified Project Management Professional through the Project Management Institute and a Certified Scrum Master through Scrum Alliance.
Jorge A. Sefair, PhD
Associate Professor
Jorge A. Sefair is an Associate Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Florida, where he serves as Associate Department Chair for Graduate Studies and Associate Director of the Center for Applied Optimization. His research focuses on network optimization, multistage optimization, and integer programming, with applications in environmental planning, public policy, and service systems.
His interdisciplinary work spans engineering, public health, ecology, and economics and has appeared in leading journals including INFORMS Journal on Computing, European Journal of Operational Research, IISE Transactions, Networks, Naval Research Logistics, Omega, Ecology Letters, and Journal of Applied Ecology. His research has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the Office of Naval Research, the Department of Homeland Security, and other federal and private organizations. He has also consulted for the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, USAID, and public utility companies in Latin America. Dr. Sefair is the recipient of an NSF CAREER Award in Operations Engineering.
Kevin Wright
Adjunct Instructional Professor
Kevin Wright is an executive advisor and educator with more than 30 years of leadership experience at IBM and over a decade teaching graduate engineering management and MBA students. Kevin has a BSEE from Ohio University, MSMSE from Lehigh University and MBA from Duke University. He helps engineering and business leaders and organizations develop the capabilities and skills needed to navigate continuous transformation, leverage emerging technologies to create business value, and become more robust and resilient. Drawing on extensive industry and academic experience, he combines practical frameworks, systems thinking, and real-world decision making to help others create sustainable business value.