Ronald Parrish joined the NIU faculty in 2004. His primary teaching responsibilities are strategic management courses. Prior to coming to NIU, he held executive positions in five major corporations including President of John Crane Polymers, N.A. and CEO of Acushnet Rubber Co. and CEO of Specialty Elastomers Technologies, Inc. Mr. Parrish has owned several businesses and performs management consulting in both industry and at the state government level. He has previously taught in the M.B.A. program at Fairleigh Dickenson University, in the Industrial and Management Systems Engineering department at West Virginia University - College of Engineering, and in the Management Department at McHenry County College in Crystal Lake, Illinois. Mr. Parrish holds an M.B.A. from Rutgers University, a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from West Virginia University, and became a licensed Professional Engineer in 1969. Ron coached the fall 2007 DeKalb County Rehabilitation and Nursing Center Market Planning and Messaging project and the spring 2008 Centegra Health System Employee Benefits Analysis project. He is currently coaching the fall 2008 Ailanto, LLC Strategic Marketing and Branding Plan project.