Dr. Akande is a Professor of Economics and Dean George Herbert Walker School of Business and Technology, Webster University. He holds a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Oklahoma and post doctoral studies at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in the area of Leadership and Change.
Dean Akande is regularly sought out as an economics and business commentator and pundit for television, with appearances on Anderson Cooper 360, the CBS Evening News, and St. Louis affiliates of FOX, ABC, and NBC. His commentaries have appeared in USA TODAY and on public radio's "Market-place". Dr. Akande was recently recognized in the 2012 class of Missourians you should know by Ingram's Magazine. Dean Akande is a board member of Jefferson National Parks Association - a non for profit that supports educational programming exhibits at 10 national parks and public land throughout the Midwest. Akande consults for leading Fortune 500 companies in the areas of strategy, leadership, corporate responsibility, and market positioning. He is a former consultant to the World Bank and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
In his tenure as Dean and Chief Academic Officer of the George Herbert Walker School of Business and Technology, Dr. Akande has led the Walker School's dramatic expansion in size and quality - both in the United States and most importantly throughout the globe.
Dr. Akande also continues to work outside the University to raise positive awareness of the institution by both the business and general populations. He serves on numerous nonprofit and civic boards from healthcare organization to educational institutions.
In addition, Dr. Akande also serves as Webster University's Chief of the Office of Corporate Partnerships. This continues to result in cooperatives with several global firms in which the University is able to gain additional resources and pipelines for students and graduates for their post-university careers.
Dean Akande leads a business academy that under his dynamic leadership is emphatically committed to global education, setting a distinguished standard worldwide. Webster's growth resulted in an expansion of campuses to multiple locations. Dr. Akande leads faculty and staff in the U.S. and on four European campuses, five locations in mainland China, two in Thailand, and one in Japan. He has responsibility for the largest portion of the University's annual operating budget, while serving more than 14,000 students.
As Webster University's Chief of the Office of Corporate Partnerships, Dr. Akande has forged educational partnerships and alliances with such corporations as BJC HealthCare and Wal-Mart. He has a successful record of collaboration with many of the companies in the St. Louis Regional Business Council, a consortium of Presidents and CEO's of 100 of the area's most important companies.
He is Vice-Chair of Beyond Housing, a nationally recognized provider of housing and support services for low-income families and homeowners in the St. Louis region. He is a director of Ralcorp Corporation, a manufacturer and processor of the nation's largest high quality private label cereals, frozen foods, crackers, and nuts. He serves on Ralcorp's audit, governance, and compensation committees. He recently was appointed to the Board of Trustees of the Missouri Baptist Medical Center.
Dean Akande is completing his latest book, entitled The IPOD Generation: It's Their World, We're Just Living In It.
Dean Akande is a visionary, dynamic, and entrepreneurial leader with a passion for excellence in higher education. He is a judicious risk-taker who is responsive to all stakeholders and decisive in following a course once it's been set. He relishes the possibilities that come when one dares to look beyond the horizon and believes passionately that the future belongs to those who can see it.
"Consistency ensures that the curriculum in all of our programs is validated for substance and outcomes across the institution. "
- Dr. Benjamin Akande
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