Meet Joseph DeFazio, CRPC, Ph.D., School of Business Instructor and Financial Planner Monday, January 18, 2016

Joseph DeFazio, CRPC, Ph.D., who recently joined the School of Business faculty, brings his expertise in the finance industry to Point Park's classrooms. In addition to teaching, DeFazio works as an associate financial planner for Pittsburgh Financial Planners in Bridgeville, Pa. Prior to this position, he was a financial consultant for National City Bank and a financial advisor for Ameriprise Financial. At Northcentral University, DeFazio focused his dissertation on "The Relationship of a Match and Mismatch of the Social Style Profile on Practices of Communication and Counseling in the Financial Planner-Client Relationship."

Tell us about your overall experiences in the finance field.

Working as a financial planner, I have learned that finance is a critical topic for individuals of all ages to learn. Being provided the opportunity to help clients learn about and organize their own financial lives has been an extremely rewarding experience. In addition, now as an instructor, being able to help students learn such important life-long financial concepts is gratifying work.

Why did you decide to teach at Point Park?

Point Park is a well-rounded university with excellent programs in every school. The students here are very passionate about their fields of study. The faculty and staff are all very knowledgeable and experienced.

How do you incorporate your professional experience working in the financial sector into the classes you teach?

When working with clients, I routinely try to develop and implement creative ways to present financial concepts in an understandable way. I have now carried over many of those techniques and have implemented them in the classroom. I continuously try to incorporate as much real-world experience as I can into the classroom setting, which the students seem to find valuable.

What do you like best about Point Park's Downtown Pittsburgh campus?

The Downtown campus is an excellent attribute of Point Park University. There is always an activity happening and many of these activities are planned by the students, which keeps them actively engaged in their overall college experience.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

I am grateful to have the opportunity to be an instructor at this University. I look forward to long-term working relationships with all of the students, faculty and staff.

Photo by Victoria A. Mikula, junior mass communication major

More About: economics and finance, Downtown Pittsburgh, faculty, Rowland School of Business