Dr. William L. Rhey

LAKELAND, Fla. (April 7, 2010) Florida Southern College President Anne Kerr has announced that Dr. William L. Rhey has been appointed dean of the School of Business and Economics.

Dr. Rhey is director of business graduate programs and professor of marketing at the Sykes College of Business at the University of Tampa. Previously, he served as dean of graduate studies at the University of Tampa; in that capacity, he led the development of new business degree programs in the Sykes College of Business, including a master of finance, master of marketing, master of accounting, and executive MBA. He also developed a certificate/MBA concentration for nonprofit management.

Dr. Rhey previously served as associate dean of the Sykes College of Business and director of the Center for Ethics at the University of Tampa and as dean of the Davis College of Business and professor of marketing at Jacksonville University. He also served as director of cross-cultural research for The Equipping Network, a communications consulting agency for international missions organizations in Bulgaria, Jamaica, India, Japan, the United States, and China.

Dr. Rhey is a respected leader in business education and is recognized by his peers for his high ethical standards and outstanding service to his profession, said FSC president Dr. Anne Kerr. He brings a breadth of knowledge and experience in developing dynamic business programs that connect students with real-world learning opportunities through exciting internships, case studies, practica, and global study. His demonstrated record of leadership and ethics will serve the School well as we continue to build our reputation as one of the best small business schools in the nation.

A native of Latrobe, Pa., Dr. Rhey holds a bachelor of science in business administration from Bucknell University, an MBA with a concentration in marketing from Baylor University, and a Ph.D. with a major in marketing and minors in quantitative methods, economics, and management from the University of Mississippi at Oxford. Earlier in his career, he worked for Ford Motor Company, served as director of Marketing Management Associates, and consulted for organizations including Image Engineering (which handles projects for Marriott, Kraft, Clorox, and others), Guaranty Deposit Bank, Ferman Automotive Group, Bill Currie Ford, and the Ministry of Education of the United Arab Emirates.

Dr. Rhey will join Florida Southern on June 1, 2010.