University of Advancing Technology's Official Technology Blog

Alan Hromas

Alan has spent over 20 years in higher education. In his tenure he has worn many hats and had the opportunity to implement many systemic changes to affect process and procedure. A fervent practitioner of servant leadership, he enjoys developing and supporting those around him. He is equally passionate about lifelong-learning and strives for both personal and professional growth.

At the University of Advancing Technology, Alan facilitates courses in entrepreneurship, communications, marketing, innovation and cognition.  

In his spare time, Alan volunteers as a Certified Mentor for the non-profit SCORE, and is involved in a handful of other smaller, local initiatives.  For fun, Alan enjoys projects around the house, landscaping, growing vegetables at the community garden, nature and the outdoors.  He has served as a board member for the Mesa Arts Center Foundation and is a proud graduate of Valley Leadership’s Leadership Institute (Class 33).

Alan currently holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business with an emphasis in Marketing and a Master of Business Administration.

Dr. Mark Smith

Dr. Mark “The Shark” Smith’s is an IFBB professional bodybuilder, published author, and an expert in leadership, business, and organizational development. His professional background has been around company expansion and growth. With over 12 years of experience with various companies ranging from enterprise to start-up. 

Mark has significant IT experience leading sales teams through client relations and staying up on new tech for industry needs. During this process Mark became very familiar with how IT infrastructure works and became sales certified for Microsoft, Cisco, Juniper, VMware, Symantec, Red Hat, Apple, HP, and Dell. 

Mark has a wealth of start-up knowledge, being involved with organizations like Hotchalk and Digital Air Strike in their infancy. With start-ups Mark’s skill set makes him an intricate part of growing the company through output and developing the proper partnerships for expansion. Mark started with UAT in 2015 and teaches specific courses in both undergraduate and graduate on entrepreneurship, leadership, project management, marketing, and strategic planning. His philosophy and teaching style is catered to prepare students for working in today’s business markets. 

Dapzury Valenzuela

Dapzury Valenzuela is a marketing and design professional with over 20+ years of industry experience and 15+ years as a post-secondary educator. She is the Curriculum Integrity & Senior Professor and runs the Student Innovation Project for all majors helping them to create, develop and present their tech-based product or service. She works in both traditional and digital formats using the Adobe Creative Suite with a specialty in Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign.

Dapzury is also a Brand & Marketing Consultant through her LLC, Haute Pro, helping people, startups and businesses reach their goals through her extensive knowledge in brand development, inbound marketing, and visual content creation. Her clients range from STEM-based academies to virtual reality in fashion.

Specialties:
Branding (Logos)
Graphic Design
Inbound & Content Marketing
Social Media Marketing
Art & Creative Direction
Project Management
Web & UI Design
Business Development
Entrepreneurship & Startups