We are very excited to announce our second breakout Session speaker Dr. Steven Gaa. 
I served in the U.S. Navy back in the 70s and early 80s. After I got out, I used the GI Bill to go to college. I had a full time job and three small children. I received my bachelor’s degree from a small traditional college while attending classes during the day and working in the evening. I started working on a computer science degree but switched to finance after working with some computer scientists and realizing that it was not for me. I started working on my master’s degree the summer after I graduated. I earned my MBA in management in a program designed for adult learners that worked fulltime. After a twenty year hiatus, I returned to school to obtain my doctorate. I received my Ph.D. in Organization and Management with a concentration in Organizational Behavior. I have a diverse work history. After working on submarines at a base in Scotland, I got a job working at the Pentagon. I did a short stint working at the White House for the first President Bush. I spent several years working for Naval Intelligence at the Norfolk Naval Station. After I received my MBA, I went to work as a stockbroker. I quickly learned that it was a job for which I was not well suited. I then moved to New Mexico to work for NASA at a satellite tracking station. Moving from the government back into the private sector, I took a position with an internet company in Dallas. After the events of 9/11 destroyed our two largest data centers within the World Trade Centers, the company went bankrupt. I moved back to New Mexico to work for a non-profit research laboratory. When my wife got accepted to Texas Tech in Lubbock, Texas to work on her Ph.D., I started teaching. I taught middle school for five years. I also started teaching college courses as an online adjunct instructor and have been doing so since 2011. I am now the admissions representative for the DeVos Graduate School at Northwood University.



Steve's Breakout Session is Attribution Bias in Decision Making: 
Attribution bias is a way to understand how people explain the behaviors of others and themselves. Attribution is the internal thinking and the external talking process we use to interpret and understand behavior. With limited information, we often make decisions about the behavior of those around us. We can overcome this bias and make better decisions. We can become better leaders.