Kathy White Loyd
Arkansas State University Provost Lynita Cooksey announced Tuesday that Kathy White Loyd had been appointed as interim dean of the business college.
Loyd is the executive director of the Arkansas State University Women’s Business Leadership Center; a founding partner of Rural Sourcing of Jonesboro, a programming company; and serves on the board of directors for Mattel Inc.
“The innovation and leadership that Dr. Loyd has brought to Arkansas State made her a natural choice,” 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.”
Loyd retired from Cardinal Health Inc. as executive vice-president and chief information officer. Before her business career, Loyd was a tenured associate professor of information technology at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro.
“I look forward to working with the faculty and administration to further provide pathways for our student retention and their success, strengthening our business collaborations,” Loyd said.
Loyd replaces former business college dean Shane Hunt, who stepped down from the post to return to the classroom earlier in the semester. Hunt applied for the open chancellor position at the Jonesboro campus — a job that went to Kelly Damphousse, dean of the College of Arts & Sciences at the University of Oklahoma in Norman.
Loyd’s appointment is effective July 1.
“I am excited with the selection of Kathy to take over as our interim dean,” Hunt said in a news release. “She is an extraordinary leader and entrepreneur, and I have seen first-hand the positive impact her work has had on our students and community. I’m looking forward to working with her.”
Along with his return to teaching, Hunt has been named as the inaugural Robert M. “Bob” Wood Endowed Professor of Sales.
The professorship and center were made possible by the $1 million gift from the Wood family in 2015.
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