Ken Eastman named interim dean for Spears School of Business

Monday, July 8, 2013

Ken Eastman, head of the Department of Management at Oklahoma State University, has been named interim dean of the Spears School of Business. He will begin as interim dean effective Thursday, July 11, said Pamela Fry, interim provost.

“I am humbled and honored to serve the Spears School as interim dean. We have a great group of faculty, staff, and students and I look forward to working with them as we continue the momentum we have going,” said Eastman.

“We have many exciting initiatives underway and I thank Larry Crosby for the leadership he has provided. I also am excited to work with all of our alums and friends, as I share the passion they have for the Spears School of Business.”

Crosby announced his resignation in June after three years as dean.

Eastman has been at the business school since 1989, serving as an assistant professor (1989-1995), associate professor (1995-present), director of the MBA program (1999-2003), acting department head (2002-2003), and as the head of the Department of Management (2003-present).

He has been a member of the Academy of Management since 1985.

Eastman was recognized with the Richard W. Poole Faculty Outreach Excellence Award by the Spears School in 2009 and received the School of International Studies Faculty Excellence Award in 2011.

He has served on numerous university committees, including currently serving as a committee chair for the OSU Athletics Council, as a mentor for the First2Go Mentoring Program, and is a member of the Master of Science in Engineering & Technology Management Advisory Board.

Eastman is a sought after speaker who has presented more than 200 seminars on leadership and performance management, and has spoken to such groups at Tinker Federal Credit Union, the Oklahoma State Department of Health, Samson Energy, Workforce Oklahoma, Williams Companies, and Chesapeake Energy.

He received an associate’s degree in 1980 from Iowa Central Community College, a bachelor’s degree in management from Iowa State University in 1982, his master’s degree in management from Iowa State in 1985, and his Ph.D. in organizational behavior from the University of Nebraska in 1990.