"To play a part in improving our students’ academic and professional lives is a very rewarding experience for me." —Dr. Paul Sam, School of Business and Management mentor.

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Meet a Mentor: Paul Sam, PhD

Bringing Project Management to Life

The first step of Dr. Paul Sam's academic journey took him more than 5,000 miles from his childhood home. He’s been making huge strides ever since.

As a young adult, Sam left his birthplace of Nigeria in pursuit of the gold standard – a college education in the U.S.  Earning a Bachelor of Science degree in economics and finance from the University of Texas-Dallas, in 1987, he continued his education to earn a Master of Business Administration degree from Amberton University in Dallas; a Master of International Business from the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas; and a PhD in Organization and Management from Capella University in 2005.

"As an educator, I was initially attracted to Thomas Edison State University because of its focus on adult learners," said Sam, who serves the institution as a peer mentor by providing instructional coaching to new mentors working with School of Business and Management students.

On the student side, he mentors master's-level Total Quality Management (OPM-411), Project Management (PJM-510), Project Leadership and Communications (PJM-520) Project Risk Management (PJM-530), Procurement and Vendor Management (PJM-540) as well as Global Project Management (PJM-640), Project Management for Technology (APS-510) and Strategic Operations Management (SOP-720) courses for the School.

The enthusiasm he has for working with adult learners is palpable.

"Our master's-level students are confident, intelligent, honest, respectful, globally experienced and focused go-getters. They come to their courses fully prepared to share their occupational experiences and challenges," he said. "They are often professionals in their fields who are turning to TESU to build on their expertise. To play a part in improving our students' academic and professional lives is a very rewarding experience, and I work hard to push all of my students to higher levels of achievement by using formative feedback, sincere praise and recognition. My aim is to inspire them to greatness!"

Sam knows that a valuable component of the academic experience at TESU centers on the quality of its course mentors. "As a peer mentor, I motivate other TESU mentors to challenge students with follow-up questions to their written assignments. I coach new mentors to use a combination of the Socratic Method, pedagogy and andragogy, as necessary, since these approaches and strategies often help enhance students' learning and business decision making."

Sam is acutely aware of the value of critical thinking and problem solving in the workplace. As the CEO of Throttle Energy, Inc., a gas-to-power company, he oversees global projects from flare gas capturing and conversion, to the development and construction of power plants. Prior to his current position, he held leadership roles in project management, IT, operations management and global planning in a series of Fortune 500 companies.

According to School of Business and Management Assistant Dean of Graduate Studies Camilla King Lewis, Sam serves as a best practices go-to. "Dr. Sam has always eagerly provided hands-on instructional coaching and guidance to new mentors and has been an anchor in our master's-level project management courses," she noted. "He is dynamic and engaging — consistently receiving high student satisfaction ratings in our end-of-term surveys."

Academically, Sam also teaches master's-level courses at Letourneau University in Houston, Texas, in the areas of strategic management, operations management, statistics, international business, integrated logistics, project management, supply chain management, organizational behavior, staffing, and organization change and development.

He points to his mother and father, both second generation educators, as major influencers in his life; and his wife, Judy, a nurse practitioner, who he said has been immensely influential in her support and encouragement. Off the clock, Sam is a professional auto racing enthusiast and owns two racecars of his own. He relaxes to gospel and reggae music and teaches Sunday school classes at his local church. "I have also had the privilege of visiting more than 27 countries during business-related travel," he added.

Sam and his wife have four children: Andre, who is a neurosurgeon; Gloria, who is a family practice physician; Nicole, an MBA graduate and an investment banker; and Eric, who is a college student studying computer science.

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