James K. Laurie

James Laurie became a full-time faculty member at Penn State Berks in 2006 after retiring from a global Fortune 200 corporation. He co-chaired the college's 2008-2014 and 2014-2019 strategic plan, served two terms on the Campus Advisory Board, and is currently a member of the business program faculty. Laurie serves on Entrepreneurship and Innovation minor advisory board and as chair of the Student Enterprise Award committee. Prior to his full-time work with Penn State Berks, Laurie was an adjunct faculty member for 18 years and received the Outstanding Part-Time Teaching Award.

Laurie teaches courses in international business, entrepreneurship, small business management, estate planning and contemporary business skills, as well as first-year seminar. He collaborated with the Center for Learning & Teaching in developing an interactive game where a player's ultimate profitability is dependent upon randomized changes in exchange rates, consumer demand, competition and tariffs.

Laurie brings real-world business perspective to students. In the last 17 years of his corporate career, he managed over $3 billion of assets for retirement plans. He is a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) with several years of experience in public accounting, internal audit and forensic accounting. He served four years in the U.S. Air Force in computer systems development. He is a member of Beta Gamma Sigma, the highest recognition a business student can receive in a business program accredited by AACSB International.