Mary Ellen Guffey
As a dedicated professional, Mary Ellen Guffey has taught business communication and business English topics for more than 40 years. She received a bachelor’s degree, summa cum laude, from Bowling Green State University, a master’s degree from the University of Illinois and a doctorate in business and economic education from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She has taught at the University of Illinois, Santa Monica College and Los Angeles Pierce College. Now recognized as the world’s leading business communication textbook author, Dr. Guffey is the founding author of three award-winning textbooks: BUSINESS COMMUNICATION: PROCESS AND PRODUCT, ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS COMMUNICATION and BUSINESS ENGLISH. Each rigorously updated book continues to lead its market and, together, these books have helped hundreds of thousands of students around the world develop language skills. Dr. Guffey serves on the review boards of Business and Professional Communication Quarterly and the International Journal of Business Communication, publications of the Association for Business Communication. She participates in national meetings, sponsors business communication awards and is committed to promoting excellence in business communication pedagogy and the development of student writing as well as speaking skills.
Carolyn M. Seefer
Carolyn M. Seefer earned her undergraduate business degree and business education teaching credential from the University of Georgia and her M.B.A. from John F. Kennedy University, where she graduated at the top of her class. She has been teaching business courses at the college level for more than 30 years. Since 1996, she has served as professor in the Business Administration Department of Diablo Valley College, a large community college in the San Francisco Bay Area. In addition to teaching a variety of business courses at Diablo Valley College, Professor Seefer is faculty advisor for Phi Beta Lambda, the DVC business club; is a member of the college Scholarship Committee; is the Academic Senate representative for the Business Division; serves as a mentor to new faculty; and is involved in developing procedures and guidelines for online teaching. She also recently took part in the college study abroad program, where she had the opportunity to teach in Florence, Italy, for two semesters. In addition, Professor Seefer is an active member of the Association for Business Communication and has presented numerous times at ABC’s annual conventions. Professor Seefer, who places great emphasis on student learning, success, and achievement, has been named Teacher of the Year at three different colleges, most recently for the Contra Costa Community College District.
Patricia Burke
Patricia Burke has a B.A. from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, an M.A. from Northwestern University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. Since the fall of 1979, she has been a full-time professor in the English Department of Humber Institute of Advanced Learning in Toronto. At Humber she has taught ESL, composition, and grammar and editing courses and has received College Innovator of the Year and Distinguished Faculty awards. Professor Burke, a self-described grammar geek and picky proofreader, has prepared and used all six Canadian editions of Mary Ellen Guffey's Business English.
Cathy Witlox
Cathy Witlox teaches grammar for business writers at the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies and copy editing at Ryerson University. Her teaching is largely informed by her experiences in both small businesses and corporations, mostly in marketing departments. As well as teaching, Cathy works as an editor of a variety of materials, including books, corporate reports, marketing materials, websites, and press releases.
