committee members
Joe Krippel, J.D., Applied Business Technology Lecturer
Contact Information: joe.krippel@utb.edu 882-7375
Dr. Krippel teaches the full range of legal courses in the Applied Business Technology Department of the School of Business. He received his undergraduate degree in English from the University of Kansas and his Juris Doctorate from the University of Houston. He is a past president of the Cameron County Bar Association, is a speaker at continuing education courses for lawyers, and before practicing law was a series 6 licensed securities broker and a tutor for the SAT, the ACT, and the LSAT.
Mark Blakemore, J.D., Business Administration Lecturer
Contact Information: mark.blakemore@utb.edu 882-7884
T. Mark Blakemore teaches "Business Law I & II" and "Legal Environment of Business" at UTB/TSC and through The University of Texas System TeleCampus MBA Online Program. He completed Comparative Law Studies at St. Mary's University of San Antonio School of Law and Universidad de Monterrey - Joint Venture, a J.D. law degree at University of Miami Coral Gables, and a B.S. in Earth Sciences degree from Texas A&M University. He has a desire to teach and serve in a creative environment to benefit business and pre-law students and the legal community.
Serena Putegnat, J.D., Planned Giving Specialist, Development Office
Contact Information: serena.putegnat@utb.edu 882-4326
Ms. Putegnat is a Brownsville native and has been employed by UTB/TSC since 2005. She completed her undergraduate degree at Sweet Briar College in Virginia in 1998. Ms. Putegnat then pursued her law degree at South Texas College of Law in Houston, Texas and graduated in 2001. After graduation, she moved back to Brownsville and worked for two different area law firms before beginning her employment at UTB/TSC. In addition to her regular duties in the Office of Institutional Advancement, she also serves as an adjunct professor teaching "Legal Research and Writing," and various other law-related real estate courses.
Kevin Buckler, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Department Chair, Department of Criminal Justice
Contact Information: kevin.buckler@utb.edu 882-7407
Dr. Buckler earned his Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from the University of Cincinnati in 2004. His published research has focused on racial differences in attitudes toward the criminal justice system, media portrayals of crime and justice, and Fourth Amendment cases decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. The focus of his current research is in the area of empirical legal studies. Dr. Buckler currently teaches Legal Aspects of Evidence for Law Enforcement, Legal Aspects of Corrections, Courts and Criminal Procedure, and Criminal Justice Statistics.
Dr. Janna Arney, Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs
Contact Information: janna.arney@utb.edu 882-6551