The University of Iowa Tippie College of Business has announced that Charles Wayne Keene has been hired for the role of Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs effective July 6. Keene will step into the role that has been held by Ken Brown since 2014. Brown, the Ralph L. Sheets Professor of Management, will return to his faculty position in the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship.

Currently Keene is the director of the Center for Sales & Customer Development and an associate teaching professor in the Marketing Department at the University of Missouri Trulaske College of Business where he has been since 2010.

“We had an outstanding set of finalists for this position. Yet, Charles was our top choice because of the alignment between our strategic goals and his expertise in recruitment, building strong relationships with corporate partners, and a dedication to equal opportunities for all students,” says Dean Amy Kristof-Brown. “His background as a non-traditional college student makes him extremely well-suited to understand the needs of a new generation of college students and their families.”

The Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs is responsible for the planning, operations, and communications strategy of the undergraduate program within the Tippie College of Business. A member of the college’s leadership team and reporting to the dean, Keene will have oversight of the Undergraduate Program Office (UPO).

Working with the UPO leadership team, Keene will be responsible for strategy development and implementation, budgeting, and program planning and implementation. He will oversee the undergraduate core curriculum, admissions and financial aid, academic advising, and the student experience—including the signature experiential learning program Tippie RISE. He will represent the program to a large group of internal and external constituencies, including faculty, departmental executive officers, alumni, donors, and employers.

“I was very impressed with everything I learned about Tippie’s undergraduate program during my recruitment,” says Keene. “I was struck by the foundation that was already in place and the eagerness of the entire Tippie team to build on that foundation in order to fully meet the needs of students. There is an amazing team already in place, and I could not be more excited to join the Tippie College and continue the positive impact on Iowa students.”

From 2005-2010, Keene served as an assistant professor of business and marketing at Stephens College in Columbia, Mo. Prior to joining Stephens College, Keene was the director of Professional Enhancement Programs at William Woods University, where he was active in both the Jefferson City and Columbia, Mo. Chambers of Commerce. In this position, he also worked closely with the Associated Industries of Missouri trade organization, the Society of Human Resource Managers, and was a member of the American Society of Trainers and Developers.

Keene has experience in a variety of aspects of business including retail, production, sales/marketing, credit/administration, project and general management. He is a member of the American Marketing Association and the American Management Association. He also works with a variety of small business and entrepreneurs in consulting endeavors.

His prior teaching experiences include adjunct teaching assignments in the continuing education and MBA programs at William Woods University and Fontbonne University in Missouri. He holds a bachelor's degree in business administration, a Master of Business Administration from Fontbonne University, and his Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership from the University of Missouri.

Keene will be moving to Iowa City this summer with his wife Misty and children Sean, Nathan, and Lydia.