Rick is the managing director of BIA Advisory Services, assisting the firm and its clients with strategy consulting and advisory services, He is also serves as an adviser for a related investment banking firm, BIA Capital Strategies.Rick co-founded SpectraRep, a tech company that developed an innovative Internet Protocol-based public alert and warning system (that he co-invented) used by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as part of the integrated presidential and national alerting solutions. Rick focuses on how disruptive technologies; data science, emerging business models, and consumer trends are driving changes in the media ecosystem and what clients must do to be successful. He's a frequent speaker at major industry and corporate events and consulted with leading brands, media and tech including Michelin, Google, Microsoft; Charter; NBCU; Sinclair, Gannett, and Raycom. GWU's Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship and as a judge for the annual New Venture Competition.He was named a Shapiro Fellow at George Washington University, where he teaches entrepreneurship in digital media. Rick designed and taught innovative courses while on the faculties of Michigan State University; George Mason University; and the University of Maryland. He has published over sixty referred scholarly and industry articles and papers and served on editorial boards of leading academic journals in the telecommunications and media fields. His personal interests include scuba diving (Rick’s an instructor trainer), biking and lots of family time. Rick received his Ph.D. from Michigan State University; M.S. from Syracuse University and B.A. from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.Specialties: Expertise: Cross-platform media ecosystems; business models and strategies; competition and market assessment; product roadmap innovation; consumer and audience insights.