Dr. Avila's industry experience spans over seventeen years in the construction industry where he worked primarily in general management. Prior to his transition to academia, he served as executive vice president and general manager of CA Construction, a family-owned construction firm specializing in disaster restoration and government contracting. As general manager he oversaw the business operations as well as construction and consulting services to government agencies, homeowners, property managers, law firms, AEC firms, third-party administrators, and major insurance carriers.  

He is a scholar-practitioner and is committed to enhancing the work of restoration industry professionals through applied research. The underlying goal in all his work is to help disaster restoration firms build capacity by systematically advancing the understanding of industry dynamics, improving the design and application of best practices, and strengthening connections between scholarly and professional activities. His research has examined family business dynamics in the restoration industry and, in collaboration with faculty at Purdue University, he recently was the principal investigator of a study that examined employee burnout and engagement in the restoration industry.  

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Since 2008 Dr. Avila has taught in business, engineering, and construction programs at the graduate and undergraduate levels.  Prior to coming to MTSU he served two other institutions as an associate professor, business department chair, MBA program director, and program director in a college of engineering.   

Dr. Avila holds a bachelor's degree in industrial/organizational psychology from Pepperdine University, a master of business administration from California Baptist University, and a doctorate from the University of Southern California. As an undergraduate he studied at ITESM in Guadalajara, Mexico, and while pursuing his master’s degree he studied at Regent’s Park College of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England.  

He and his wife, Becca, have been married since 2004 and they have three children: Jackson, Liv, and Jeremiah.  They live in Franklin and love to travel, explore, hike, fish, hunt, and do many other things outdoors.  

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