David Hudgens is a Clinical Professor of International Business in the Sonoco International Business Department. His teaching, research, and applied work focus on the intersection of international business, public policy, and sustainable development, with particular emphasis on public-private partnerships (PPPs), cross-sector collaboration, global value chains, and the role of firms in addressing complex development and governance challenges.

He brings more than thirty years of experience as an international educator, researcher, clinician, counselor, and consultant working with firms, governments, institutions of higher education, and international organizations. His interdisciplinary approach draws upon international affairs, cultural anthropology, economic development, education, and the behavioral sciences.

Dr. Hudgens teaches Introduction to International Business, Globalization and Business, and Public-Private Partnerships and International Business: The Business of Development. The course examines how firms, governments, international institutions, and civil-society organizations collaborate to finance and implement initiatives addressing infrastructure, health, education, sustainability, and economic development. He also develops and leads short-format graduate and undergraduate courses, most recent with programs in Vietnam and Japan. He serves on the faculty of the South Carolina Honors College, where he directs undergraduate theses, and is a Faculty Fellow in the Center for Sustainable Growth and the Center for Integrative and Experiential Learning.

He is Faculty Director of the International Business and Chinese Enterprise (IBCE) cohort program, a partnership between the Darla Moore School of Business and the Chinese University of Hong Kong. His work with students emphasizes cultural agility, experiential learning, interdisciplinary analysis, and the application of international business concepts to contemporary organizational and societal challenges.

He collaborates with partner institutions including ESSEC Business School in France, Tecnológico de Monterrey in Mexico, Foreign Trade University in Vietnam, and the Mandarin Training Center at National Taiwan Normal University in Taipei. Before joining the University of South Carolina, he served in state government as a Trade Development Specialist with the International Trade Division of the South Carolina Department of Commerce.

In addition to his academic preparation in the social and behavioral sciences and international affairs, Dr. Hudgens has advanced clinical training in educational psychology, human development, and counselor education. He is a Licensed Professional Counselor in South Carolina and holds national certification from the National Board for Certified Counselors.

Dr. Hudgens’ research and applied projects examine public-private partnerships, cross-sector governance, and international business in emerging and developing market contexts. His work gives particular attention to stakeholder coordination, institutional design, regional development,

and the role of private-sector actors in initiatives addressing infrastructure, education, health, sustainability, and economic development. He recently served as a principal investigator on international research teams in the Americas and Southeast Asia, including fieldwork in the Philippines.

His broader portfolio includes research and project work on global value chains, international careers, cultural agility, mental health and resilience, globalization, and changing patterns in international education. He has contributed to digital curriculum initiatives that curate international business cases for undergraduate, graduate, and executive education. He also serves as an editor of the student publication Journal of Global Business and Community.