Prior to joining Rollins, Dr. Rappold was professor and director of the Supply Chain Management and Transportation and Logistics executive education programs in the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business. Professor Rappold was also an industrial engineering faculty member in the College of Engineering. Dr. Rappold is currently President and CEO of Supply Chain Sciences, a management consultancy and developer of advanced decision support software.

Dr. Rappold’s interests are in the design, operation, and management of complex manufacturing and distribution networks. His specialty is production planning, inventory optimization, and information systems design. He has worked on the analysis, improvement, and management of manufacturing, distribution, and information systems for dozens of organizations, including BASF, Briggs & Stratton, Coca-Cola (Spain), Corning Glass Works, Cummins, General Mills, Honeywell, IBM, Merck KGaA (Germany), Philip Morris, Procter & Gamble, Rockwell Automation, Sunoco Oil, The US Air Force, Sango Ceramics in Semarang, Indonesia, and Polioles in Mexico City.

He is a recipient of numerous teaching awards, including UW-Madison School of Business Professor of the Year, and the Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award. He has published research articles in Operations Research, Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, Industrial Engineer, Naval Research Logistics, and Information Systems Frontiers.