Employee Directory

John Peterson

Associate Professor of Finance

MeWaldt-Jensen 129

john.peterson@northern.edu

Doctor of Philosophy, Finance, 1996, University of Kansas

Master's, International Economics, 1988, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Bachelor's, General Economics, 1986, South Dakota State University

 

John E. Peterson joined Northern's faculty in fall 1992.  

Aaron Scholl

Accounting, Banking, Business Law, and Finance Department Chair, Assistant Professor of Economics

MeWaldt-Jensen 132

aaron.scholl@northern.edu

Ph.D., Economics, University of Nebraska

M.A., Economics, University of Nebraska

B.S., Economics and Mathematics, Summa Cum Laude, University of Nebraska at Kearney

 

Aaron Scholl has been an assistant professor of economics at Northern State University since the fall of 2021. In 2024, Dr. Scholl became the department chair for the accounting, banking and financial services, business law, and finance programs. His teaching and research interests are in labor and public economics, as well as data analytics. Dr. Scholl is also a research fellow at the Dakota Institute for Business and Economic Analysis.

 

Courses taught:

• Principles of Microeconomics
• Business Statistics
• Spreadsheet Data Analysis
• Money and Banking
• Public Finance
• Data Analytics I
• Data Analytics II
• Analytic Methods for Economics and Business (Ph.D.)

Dan Shannahan

Management, Management Information Systems, and Marketing Department Chair, Assistant Professor of Management

MeWaldt-Jensen 118

daniel.shannahan@northern.edu

Ph.D., Business Administration (Organizational Behavior emphasis), University of Utah, 2020

M.Ed., College Student Affairs Leadership, Grand Valley State University, 2012

B.S., Psychology, Grand Valley State University, 2009

 

Dr. Shannahan joined the School of Business faculty in fall 2020.

 

Research Interests

Dr. Shannahan studies problem-solving and decision-making processes among the members of groups and teams in organizations. His research focuses on the factors that lead groups to be successful in recognizing and utilizing the skills, knowledge, and abilities of their members and the consequences that can result when managers and their employees have conflicting understandings of work tasks and the standards by which they will be evaluated.

Bea Smith

Northern Innovation and Startup Center Director

Beulah Williams Library 142

bea.smith@northern.edu

Josh VanLaecken

Assistant Professor of Accounting

MeWaldt-Jensen 136

joshua.vanlaecken@northern.edu

MPA, University of South Dakota

B.S., Business Administration and Accounting, University of South Dakota

Certified Public Accountant, South Dakota Board of Accountancy

 

Josh VanLaecken is a full-time accounting Instructor in the School of Business. He graduated summa cum laude with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accountancy and holds an active CPA license.

 

Prior to entering academia, VanLaecken worked in both public and private accounting environments. While in public accounting, he served a wide variety of clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to locally-owned small businesses; and, from energy and financial Institutions to governments and nonprofits. 

 

While in private accounting, VanLaecken worked in agricultural manufacturing for a foreign subsidiary. During this time, he created and oversaw budgets for corporate and several plant locations, was a key team member in the implementation of ERP software and was responsible for examining and recording complex accounting issues including inventory valuation, international transfer pricing, lease analysis, fixed asset impairment, derivatives, and defined benefit pensions.

 

VanLaecken is married, with three children. In addition to time with family, he enjoys lifting and playing sports, reading, and working on projects (cars, home, small electronics). He also serves on non-profit boards and committees.

Sal Villegas

Assistant Professor of Banking and Financial Services, Management

MeWaldt-Jensen 117

sal.villegas@northern.edu

Doctor of Business Administration in Management, George Fox University

Master of Business Administration in Management and Strategy, Western Governors University

Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Political Science, The College of Idaho

 

Dr. Sal Villegas joined Northern in the fall of 2020. Before teaching, he spent the nearly two decades in the finance and banking industries, where he managed multi-million-dollar portfolios, dozens of employees, and thousands of clients. He is well-versed in business-to-business networking, sales, credit, and service.

 

Research Interests 

Dr. Villegas’ research interests include organizational power, business ethics, human resource management, and networking/reciprocity. In practice, one of his greatest interests is working with entrepreneurs to turn their ideas into viable businesses. He has been very active in the community and has served on boards of directors for several nonprofit organizations.

Hannah Walters

Associate Professor of Marketing, Director of the Honors Program

MeWaldt-Jensen 134

hannah.walters@northern.edu

Doctorate in Business Administration (D.B.A.), Marketing, Anderson University, Indiana

Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.), University of South Dakota

Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration, Marketing emphasis, Dakota Wesleyan University

 

Hannah Walters joined Northern in fall 2012. In 2025, Dr. Walters assumed the role of Director of the Honors Program in addition to her teaching duties.

 

Courses Taught

Marketing

Marketing for e-Commerce

Marketing Management

Integrated Marketing Communications

Consumer Behavior

Marketing Research

International Marketing.

 

Research 

Walters' research focuses on ethical issues in marketing and consumer behavior - specifically, the ethicality of targeting women based on body shape and size. She has also conducted research and published multiple papers on the perception of liberal arts education in business.

 

Service

Walters is immediate past-president for the Marketing Management Association, a national academic organization that aims to advance knowledge and practice across the marketing discipline. Locally, Walters serves on the Aberdeen Area Community Foundation Board of Trustees and the Aberdeen Family YMCA Board of Directors.