Prescott, Arizona (Dec. 8, 2025) – Some of Yavapai College Business Faculty Program Director and instructor Dr. Megan Hanna’s earliest memories include hanging out in the Prescott campus library with her sister. Her family moved to Prescott Valley in 1985, and her father taught industrial arts for the Humboldt Unified School District. The sisters accompanied their mother, who was taking classes at the college. Dr. Hanna and her sister would devote their attention to reading and coloring books while mom completed her coursework.

After obtaining a Bachelor of Science in Business with a specialization in Accounting from the University of Phoenix, Dr. Hanna envisioned a career as a certified public accountant. While job hunting, she pursued a Master of Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance at Grand Canyon University.

“I had already worked in the past as a staff accountant for a large home builder and was looking for a job at a CPA firm,” Dr. Hanna said. “When I graduated with my bachelor’s degree, I worked for the Yavapai County Treasurer’s office, and I was trying to figure out my next step.”

She eventually interviewed for a credit analyst position at a local bank, but with an eye toward becoming a commercial banker. Dr. Hanna was fairly fixated on the idea of becoming a CPA but gave the commercial banking route a try. It seemed a wise move, as she continued in that industry for the next 13 years in Arizona, Colorado, Utah, and Washington.

In Utah, Dr. Hanna “spent about five years writing, editing, publishing, and managing all of the bank’s lending policies,” she said. Her work colleagues at that time continually referred to her as a writer—a label that she initially rejected.

“I would tell them, I'm not a writer—I'm a finance person who happens to know how to write,” Dr. Hanna said. “Then I decided maybe I should just embrace this idea that I'm a writer. Around that point in time, I also chose to pursue a doctorate.” She secured a Doctor of Business Administration with an emphasis in Data Analytics through Grand Canyon University.

Just before moving back to Arizona to be close to an elderly family member, she was hired to write about finance and business for an online publication. Dr. Hanna was quickly promoted to editor and managed a team of writers across the country.

“It was really silly that I didn't realize that I was a writer, because even before I accepted the credit policy role, I was managing a large credit underwriting team and teaching them how to write and edit their work,” Dr. Hanna said. “I would write policies, I would write white papers, I would write training materials, I would write just about anything and eventually ended up being a ghostwriter for some of the bank’s top executives.”

Dr. Hanna said that she’s a quantitative person by nature, and that she’s always been driven by curiosity. As far back as elementary school, she entertained the notion of becoming an archaeologist, but her favorite high school chemistry teacher suggested she pursue chemical engineering. She switched to an accounting major after taking an elective course at Yavapai College and falling in love with the subject.

“I mostly teach business statistics here at Yavapai College,” Dr. Hanna said, who started working full-time at the school in 2023. “My view on just about everything is storytelling. What is it in these numbers or data that we can use to tell us their story? In high school, when I was working to figure out what I wanted to be, I thought the perfect job for me would be anything that required research, writing, and a little bit of math.”

A current challenge to overcome in teaching and business is twofold: the pace of change and the implementation of artificial intelligence, said Dr. Hanna. She’s taking great strides herself to become familiar with AI tools and what they can do, especially since she knows her students will likely be using those resources in their academic and professional careers.

“What I love about business is that it's not about the individual part we play, but it's about how seeing every single part of a business fits into the whole and how the business fits into the larger economy,” said Dr. Hanna. “It's really about understanding that we live in a big system with many moving parts.”

“We, as individual workers or as owners, are a part of that system. When we make changes, or when we take action, it can influence the whole in ways that we may not be able to imagine. So having a good understanding of the environment we’re living and working in is helpful in that way.”

For Dr. Hanna, her biggest win is a daily occurrence, and that’s helping students to feel as if they belong. “I love our students, and I love giving back to the community.  I think about the challenges that I had as a young mom who was juggling work and life,” she said. “You need to get to know the students and understand where they’re coming from.” 

Yavapai College operates seven campuses and centers throughout Yavapai County and offers over 100 degrees and certificates, four baccalaureate degrees, student and community services, and cultural events and activities. To learn more about Yavapai College, visit www.yc.edu.