Dr. Jane Byrd
Professor of Accounting and Management
Classes taught: small business management, accounting, policy, human resource management

Dr. Jane Byrd wrote the book on small business management -- really! Her textbook, “Small Business Management: An Entrepreneur’s Guidebook,” is now in its 5th edition and has been translated into multiple languages, including Braille. What makes the text so popular are not only the real-world examples Dr. Byrd provides, but the real-world experience she brings to her writing as a small business owner. In addition to teaching UM students how to succeed in the business world, Dr. Byrd and her husband own and manage a land surveying firm.

In one of UM’s “smart” classrooms where interactive technology gives students real-time access to information such as stock market prices, Dr. Byrd’s students also discuss examples of modern management principles used in Biblical times. And, most importantly, they learn from their accomplished mentor that success in business requires not only knowledge, but honesty, hard work, and a commitment to excellence in all that they do.