Jamal Al-Khatib holds a Ph.D. in marketing from the University of Mississippi. Currently he is a professor of marketing and the director of the Small Business Institute. Prior to joining St. Thomas, he taught at the University of Wisconsin and James Madison University, where he was the holder of the Zane Showker Endowed Professorship of Entrepreneurship. Al-Khatib's teaching is based on the strong belief in the need to provide his students with hands on learning experiences while maximizing the common good to the university community. He achieves this end through leading a student based marketing planning consultations program that provides services to start-ups and small businesses in the Twin Cities metro area. His research is published in more than 50 national and international journals and conferences. In addition to his academic experience, Al-Khatib worked as the marketing communications director for an international bank, where he was responsible for the recruitment, supervision and assessment of advertising agencies, market research agencies, corporate identity consultants and training staff. He managed a $70 million marketing budget and managed a staff of 25 individuals with various cultural backgrounds. Al-Khatib is a member of the American Marketing Association, the Small Business Institute and the Academy of International Business.