About our authors
Mary Anne Poatsy (series editor) is a senior faculty member at Montgomery County Community College, teaching various computer application and concepts courses in face-to-face and online environments. She holds a B.A. in Psychology and Education from Mount Holyoke College and an M.B.A. in Finance from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management.
Mary Anne has more than 25 years of educational experience. She has taught at Gwynedd Mercy College, Bucks County Community College and Muhlenberg College. She also engages in corporate training. Before teaching, she was Vice President at Shearson Lehman in the Municipal Bond Investment Banking Department. In addition to her role with the Exploring Series, Mary Anne is an author of two other Pearson publications: Technology in Action and Better Business. Mary Anne is married to her husband, Ted, and has 3 children: Laura, Carolyn and Ted.
Dr. Keith Mulbery (Excel author) is Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the Smith College of Engineering and Technology and is Professor in the Information Systems and Technology Department at Utah Valley University (UVU). Keith has served in a variety of positions, including Department Chair and Interim Associate Dean in the School of Computing. He has taught computer applications, database, introduction to programming, management information systems, systems analysis and design, and global and ethical issues in information systems and technology.
Keith has authored textbooks for over 30 years. In addition, he served as Series Editor for the Exploring Office 2007 series and Developmental Editor on 2 Word textbooks for the Essentials Office 2000 series. Keith received his B.S. and M.Ed. in Business Education from Southwestern Oklahoma State University and earned his Ph.D. in Education with an emphasis in Business Information Systems at Utah State University.
Dr. Lynn Hogan (Word author) currently teaches at the University of North Alabama, providing instruction in the area of computer applications. Prior to her current assignment, she taught for more than 25 years at the community college level, serving in academic administration and teaching applications, programming, and concepts courses in both online and classroom environments. She has served as an author for several Pearson publications over the past 15 years, including the Exploring Series, Your Office and Practical Computing. She received an M.B.A. from the University of North Alabama and a Ph.D. from the University of Alabama.
Lynn has 2 daughters and resides with her husband, Paul, in Alabama. Her interests include creative writing, photography, traveling and helping manage a family horse farm.
Dr. Jason Davidson (Excel author) is Assistant Professor in the Lacy School of Business at Butler University, where he teaches Data Analysis and Business Modeling, Business Intelligence, Data Network Engineering, Data Visualization, and Introductory Management Information System courses. With a background in media development, prior to joining the faculty at Butler, he worked in the technical publishing industry. Along with teaching, he currently serves as an IT consultant for regional businesses in the Indianapolis area, is currently serving as Vice President of the Association of Technology Management and Applied Engineering EECT division, is Vice President of Technology for the Mid-West Decision Science Institute, and was named a Global Tableau Academic Ambassador. He holds a B.A. in telecommunications from Butler University, an M.B.A. from Morehead State University, and Ph.D. from Indiana State University. He was the recipient of the Lacy School of Business Dean’s Teaching Award, The 2023 Experiential Teaching Award, was named an outstanding educator for Indiana by Microsoft, was the 2023 outstanding professor of the year, and a Mira Award Nominee for his work in the creation of the Crossroads Classic Data-thon. He lives in Indianapolis, IN, with his wife, Sarah, and son, Miles.
Jerri Williams (Access author) is Senior Lecturer at Montgomery County Community College and works as a technical editor and content developer for corporate clients. She is interested in travel, cooking, movies and tending to her Pennsylvania farmhouse. Jerri is married and has 2 daughters, Holly (a senior project accountant and mother to an adorable son, Meir) and Gwyneth (a corporate defense attorney and law firm partner). She also has a wonderful son-in-law, Evan (full stack senior developer), who shares her love of IT. Two beautiful granddaughters (Kayla and Nina) joined the family in 2022 and 2024. Jerri and Gareth live in the suburbs of Philadelphia and enjoy their home and garden, spending time with family and friends, lots of babysitting lately, and supporting the Philadelphia Eagles and Wales rugby.
Amy Rutledge (Access author) is a special instructor of management information systems (MIS) at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. She coordinates academic programs in Microsoft Office applications and introductory management information systems courses for the School of Business Administration. Before joining Oakland University as an instructor, Amy spent several years working for a music distribution company and automotive manufacturer in various corporate roles, including IT project management. She holds a B.S. in business administration, specializing in MIS, and a B.A. in French modern language and literature. She holds an M.B.A. from Oakland University. She resides in Michigan with her husband, Dan, and daughters, Emma and Jane.
Diane Kosharek (PowerPoint author) holds a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a master’s degree in educational computing from Cardinal Stritch University. She has spent the past 18 years teaching business technology courses at Madison College. In addition to her teaching role, she works closely with business and industry specialists developing and delivering tailored training solutions for area employers in areas such as customer service, software applications, and business writing skills. Prior to joining Madison College, she worked as a technology training consultant, providing consultation and production assistance to teaching faculty and staff to incorporate appropriate technology in their courses to enhance learning. (series editor) is a senior faculty member at Montgomery County Community College, teaching various computer application and concepts courses in face-to-face and online environments. She holds a B.A. in Psychology and Education from Mount Holyoke College and an M.B.A. in Finance from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management.
