Faculty spotlight: Hugo DeCampos
Hugo DeCampos, assistant professor of global supply chain management, leads the annual Mike Ilitch School of Business study abroad program in Brazil during Wayne State's spring break.
The 12-day trip was designed to help students further their understanding of global diversity in sustainable supply chain management through an examination of the Brazilian automotive industry. Students also explored Brazil’s history, culture and language.
“To prepare for the trip, students read two complete books — one on history and politics of Brazil and the other on sustainability — and were tested on them,” DeCampos said. “I also taught the students 100 words and phrases in Portuguese. They had a language exam the week before we left for the trip.
“This preparation made the trip much more meaningful for them.”
In 2016, DeCampos was honored with the 2016 Sue Garr Innovative Teaching Award for innovations in both pedagogy and technology in developing a new course, for creating an experience for students that delivered value, and for creating the travel portion of that course to reinforce its concept and principles.
This award recognizes outstanding educators that demonstrate extraordinary and/or innovative efforts in teaching. It was founded by the Sue Garr Innovative Teaching Fund, established in 2007 in memory of Sue Garr, who taught accounting at the school of business for more than 20 years.
DeCampos recently completed a successful decade in supply chain at General Motors, with assignments in Michigan, Oklahoma and Shanghai, where he was responsible for $1.5 billion in purchases for GM Asia Pacific. Electing to pursue a long-held personal goal of a second career in academia, DeCampos joined the Ilitch School faculty after earning a Ph.D. from Michigan State University. He also holds a master’s degree in international management from Thunderbird School of Global Management and an M.B.A. from Arizona State University West.
