About Concord University
For more than 150 years, Concord University has served the southern region of West Virginia, southwest Virginia and beyond, educating teachers, business leaders, scientists, social workers, as well as future medical and legal professionals. With a 14:1 student to faculty ratio and over 70 programs of study, Concord provides you with a quality education no matter what you choose.
Featured Stories
Class of 2005
Nicholas Gonzales (’05) majored in Tourism Events Planning and Programming and studied under Roy Ramthun, Susan Williams, and others. While at Concord, he could be found in Student Support Services as a Peer Mentor, in the Arts Gallery as an Exhibit Guard, or out at the drive-in. He initially chose Concord because it was the furthest place from where he grew up, but was still in-state to take advantage of in-state tuition. However, over time he realized it was a good choice for many reasons. He describes his experience at Concord, “I credit CU for the success I have in my life as my experiences included three-day hiking trips in Virginia, meeting the Walt Disney World internship recruiter, whitewater rafting, a Northcoast tour with the Geography professors, a swing-dance recital, and the collection of diverse friends I made from all over the country. All helped shape my character and build a portfolio of experiences that I apply to everyday life.” He was able to balance a dynamic social life while staying on track with his studies by taking advantage of the tutoring service available on campus. Nicholas is currently serving as General Manager of Farmville’s Hotel Weyanoke. Now married with three children, Nicholas says, “I am successful and happy, and a lot of that is because of Concord University and the education, books and beyond, that I received in my time there.”
Nicholas Gonzales
Class of 2005
Dr. Samantha Byrd, DSW, MSW, LGSW, '16 '18
Assistant Professor/Training Manager
Dr. Joan Pendergast
Chair, Department of Social Work and Title IX Coordinator
Marcus Murrell '17
Admissions Counselor
Assistant Professor of Business
Dr. Allison Bean is an assistant professor of business at Concord University. She began teaching at Concord in the Fall of 2022. Before joining Concord full-time, she was a project manager and earned her Project Management Professional (PMP) certification. Dr. Bean is a graduate of Mercer University’s School of Business. She earned her Executive MBA from Wesleyan College, where she was recognized with the “Distinguished Student” award and had the opportunity to study business operations in Chile and Argentina. She completed her doctoral research at Walden University on “The Strategies of Successful Project Managers Leading Virtual Teams.” Dr. Bean worked for several Fortune 100 companies and specialized in designing and improving processes. She was in the financial services and insurance industry for over 15 years, where she’s done everything ranging from supervising risk managers to developing technologies that identified fraud and identifying and solving gaps in compliance. She says of her time at Concord, “My most enlightening experience was the Spring of 2023 graduation. So many of my students expressed how much they learned from me and expressed gratefulness for caring about them. I didn’t realize I could make such a huge impact in such a short period of time.” Dr. Bean spends her free time serving in her community, playing sports, traveling, reading murder mystery books, and spending time with her husband, Dr. Michael Bean, and their two daughters, Michaela and Mickenzie.
