The College of Business at Southern Arkansas University has appointed Dr. Lisa Toms as its new dean.
“My philosophy about management is the same as my philosophy about life,” Toms said. “Life is all about building relationships. I want to build the kind of relationships with businesses near and far to give our students more opportunities.”
Toms replaces Dr. Earl Stennis, who has served as interim dean since last summer.
Toms has a long history with SAU as a student, staff member, and professor. She received her B.B.A. in finance from SAU and went on to complete her M.B.A. and D.B.A. at Louisiana Tech University.
“I’m a graduate of SAU and I think I have a correct perception on why such a small school can offer such a great business education,” Toms said. “We have a great faculty that relate with the students who in turn relate to the community.” Before joining the SAU staff, Toms worked as a licensed insurance and security sales representative at A.L. Williams and Associates and as a marketing officer at First National Bank of El Dorado.
Her career with SAU began as internal auditor in 1991 and then became director of institutional research. She decided to return to the classroom as a professor in 1998. She has served as an associate and assistant professor of marketing and chair of the Department of Management, Marketing, and Management Information Systems. She also serves as the University assessment coordinator.
While at SAU she has received the Faculty Excellence Award for Teaching and Faculty Research Award. She received two research grants from SAU and Louisiana Board of Regents Doctoral Fellowship from Louisiana Tech University. Toms has also served as a member of the graduate council Honors College Committee, Graduate Expansion Committee, General Education Committee, Public Information Committee, Library Resource Committee for North Central Association, and search committee for director of communications. She has also organized and sponsored student field trips to New York City, Chicago, and Dallas. Sometimes trips such as these give students a first-time opportunity to see a different part of the world, she said.
Toms and her husband Jimmy have three children, Russ, 22, an SAU graduate with a Computer Information Systems degree—now known as Management Information Systems-—Grant, 20, a junior majoring in marketing and Rayli, 8.
