Loyd selected as interim dean for the ASU College of Business

by Talk Business & Politics staff ([email protected]) 253 views 

Dr. Kathy White Loyd has been selected as the interim dean of the College of Business at Arkansas State University, according to the school.

Loyd also is executive director of the ASU Women’s Business Leadership Center. She has agreed to stay with the center and lead the College of Business. An alumna and long-time supporter, Loyd brings a diverse background of academic achievement and business executive leadership to the dean’s office, officials said.

She will replace Dr. Shane Hunt who announced earlier this year he would leave his position to return to the classroom. She will take the position July 1.

“The innovation and leadership that Dr. Loyd has brought to Arkansas State made her a natural choice,”  ASU Provost Lynita Cooksey said. “Her passion for the center and Arkansas State is obvious, and during our transition period to a new chancellor she will bring us a fresh perspective.”

A contributor in the field of information technology and economic development, her ties to the Jonesboro region include being a founding partner of Rural Sourcing, a programming company located downtown. She serves on the board of directors for Mattel, Inc., (MAT) and is retired from Cardinal Health, Inc., (CAH) as executive vice-president and chief information officer.

Prior to her business career, she was a tenured associate professor of information technology at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. Hunt has also been named as the inaugural Robert M. “Bob” Wood Endowed Professor of Sales.

“In recognition of Shane’s work to expand opportunities for students through scholarship gifts and his commitment to building areas like the Wood Sales Leadership Program, it is only fitting that he become our first named professor for this area of the marketing program,” Cooksey said.

The professorship and center were made possible by the $1 million gift from the Wood family in 2015. A longtime member of the Jonesboro business community, Bob Wood was one of the region’s leading real estate developers.