Eli Jones
The University of Arkansas today announced he hiring of Eli Jones as new dean of the Sam M. Walton College of Business effective July 1, 2012.
Jones will come to the UA from Louisiana State University, where he currently serves as the Dean of LSU’s E.J. Ourso College of Business.
“I am pleased that Dean Jones will lead Walton College at this critical time,” said Sharon L. Gaber, the university’s provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs. “We were looking for an established and effective leader to further advance Walton College’s national and global stature among the world’s leading business colleges. Dean Jones possesses the experience, business reputation and connections, and energy to continue Walton College’s extraordinary progress in the years to come.”
Jones will hold the Sam M. Walton Leadership Chair in Business in addition to his position as dean. He currently has a similar role at LSU, serving as E.J. Ourso Distinguished Professor of Business as well as Ourso College’s dean. Before coming to LSU he served as associate dean for executive education; executive director of the program for excellence in selling; the founding director of the Sales Excellence Institute and professor at the University of Houston. He holds a doctoral degree in marketing, a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science in journalism all from Texas A&M University.
Jones holds a doctoral degree in marketing, a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science in journalism all from Texas A&M University. He is the author or co-author of four books and nearly 50 academic papers. He has served on LSU’s Student Retention Committee, co-chairs LSU’s Online/Distance Learning Task Force, and serves on Insperity’s Board of Directors, the Mary Bird Perkins Board of Directors and the Baton Rouge Area Chamber Board of Directors. He serves on the editorial review board for the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science and the Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management.
Prior to his academic career, he served in leadership positions for Frito-Lay, Nabisco Foods and Quaker Oats. In his new role, Jones will receive an annual salary of $375,000.
Jones will replace incumbent Dean Dan Worrell will be returning to the faculty in July, 2012 after leading the program for the last six years.
