E. Mitchell Church, associate professor in the Department of Management and Decision Sciences in the E. Craig Wall Sr. College of Business Administration at Coastal Carolina University, has been appointed to interim department chair.

Church earned his bachelor's degree in classical studies, his master's degree in information systems and management, and his Ph.D. in information systems from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He came to CCU in August 2015 as an assistant professor of management. His teaching interests include management information systems, project management, electronic commerce, and economics of information; his research interests include big data, data analytics, online social networks, and economics of information.

Prior to coming to CCU, Church was an assistant professor at Slippery Rock University in Slippery Rock, Penn., and an instructor at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He also has professional experience as a technical sales recruiter for Executive Search Consultants; a licensed financial specialist for Wachovia Bank; and a district sales manager for Automatic Data Processing.

Church has served on various committees since coming to CCU. Currently, he chairs the University's Academic Affairs Committee and he is a faculty senator. Church is also a past recipient of the Vereen Teaching Impact Award and a two-time recipient of the Baxley Applied Impact Award.

"The University is dealing with some unprecedented challenges in the coming months, and I am excited to have the opportunity to be in the position where I think I can be the biggest help," said Church.

Church began his appointment on July 1.