A Rendezvous with My Professional Destiny

About the Book

The book’s title is not an accident, as Belmont Haydel feels strongly about A Rendezvous with My Professional Destiny. Providence took him to Latin America and other places around the world in macro-economic pursuits. He found his work as an accountant, a military officer, and a diplomat not adequately fulfilling. God’s enlightenment directed him to higher education, where he spent most of his professional years. This book portrays his life through writings, speeches, and service in his chosen fields -- thus, Making a Difference with people and their lives. A compilation of Haydel’s academic papers and professional works, with selected themes portrayed in eight chapters, is not intended to be a professional autobiography; it constitutes a memoir, which also delves into some of the author’s non-professional experiences.

The book serves as an historical reference for practitioners and scholars in international business and economics, as well as strategic management and business policy. This digest of the author’s works and achievements is intended as an inspirational piece for young people seeking similar professions. Its content also sheds light on a small fragment of history, thus useful to professionals in the scholarly community. This book is not comprehensive; such a volume would be overwhelming.

Colleagues and former students contribute their thoughts in the Epilogue Expression section. Dr. Ruben Armiñana, President, Sonoma State University, said, “Working closely with Belmont, I learned to appreciate his deep commitment to a just and ethical society. …this book, which encompasses over 40 years of Belmont’s distinguished work in the diplomatic service, business, academics, and consulting, makes significant contributions to the body of literature of several disciplines.” Ehab Al-Shihabi, CPA, Manager, KPMG Consulting, wrote, “The most important day of my life occurred when I met Dr. Haydel in 1993, while I was an undergraduate student at the University of Jordan … We often discuss economics, world affairs, science, religion [his knowledge of Islam – I am a Muslim – and Christian/Judaeo concepts is astonishing], politics, and law. His wisdom and vision for the future have helped me shape my life.”

From another reference, Michael Skol, former U.S. Foreign Service Officer and U.S. Ambassador to Venezuela, remarked, “This is no mere eyewitness account. It is a chronicle of how one intelligent and broad-minded American served his country and, at the same time, his own spiritual development throughout a distinguished multi-level career. The notable personalities and events are familiar; what is new and intriguing is how Belmont Haydel´s own unique personality intersected with all that history and led to making some of his own.”

This compendium includes abstracts of Haydel’s Masters thesis (Finance and Economics) and Ph.D. dissertation (Management -- Organization Theory & Policy), which are relevant to socio-economic conditions today. “Destiny” carried him into international affairs, including diplomacy as a U.S. Foreign Service Officer, and academia. He presents his views and research on strategic management of multinational corporations and corporate social responsibility. He traces aspects of his Fulbright experiences in Uruguay (1989) and Jordan (1993), where he lived and worked, continuing to “make a difference.”

Haydel discusses his experiences as a diplomat in the 1960s, as presidential appointee of John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, reflecting the economic tenor of the times, while he fulfilled assignments in the American Embassy, Rio de Janeiro, as vice-consul; the American Consulate General, São Paulo, as commercial attaché; and the American Embassy, Buenos Aires, as economic/commercial officer. He presents segments of his economic reporting and commercial and investment pursuits of American businesses, along with his experiences during his protocol ass

About the Author

Haydel's experiences include military; diplomacy; business; higher education administration and teaching; and consulting with private business and international economic agencies. He holds a doctorate in Organization Theory & Policy, North Texas State University. Haydel served as a U.S. Army Infantry officer and a diplomat (U.S. Foreign Service Officer) in economic and commercial affairs in Latin America. He was executive director of a USAID-funded human resources project, the Inter-American Center, Loyola University, New Orleans, LA, training Latin Americans. Haydel has taught in universities in the USA and around the world. He was recipient of Fellowships from the Woodrow Wilson National Foundation (NJ), The American Graduate School of International Management (AZ), New Jersey Project for Internationalizing Curriculum, and Fulbright Awards to Uruguay and Jordan. He is currently faculty emeritus of Rider University (NJ) and associate graduate faculty of Central Michigan University's College of Extended Learning and associate professor of aviation business administration of Embry Riddle Aeronautical University.