MAGNOLIA― Ed Choate, president and chief executive officer of Delta Dental of Arkansas, will serve as the Executive in Residence for the College of Business at Southern Arkansas University on Wednesday Sept. 17.
Choate, a graduate of SAU, will address students, faculty, staff and the public from 10-11:30 a.m. in Grand Hall C in the Donald W. Reynolds Campus and Community Center. He will discuss his industry and such other subjects as becoming a CEO and the importance of professional development. The lecture is free and open to the public.
The Executive in Residence program began in 1986 as a means of bringing top-level executives to the College of Business to interact with students and to provide them opportunities to learn about management and leadership in the corporate world.
“We are excited to have Mr. Choate as our Executive in Residence,” said Dr. Lisa Toms, dean of the College of Business. “Giving our students and community the opportunity to interact with a leader of his quality continues our tradition of providing excellence in academic enrichment programs.”
Choate earned his B.B.A. in business management in 1975 and his B.S.E. in business education in 1977. While attending SAU, Choate was a member of the SAU football team and was chosen to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics All America Team in 1974. Since then, he has attended executive education programs at Purdue, Stanford, and Harvard Universities and earned the following professional designations: Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC), Registered Health Underwriter (RHU), and certified Health Consultant (CHC).
Choate joined Delta Dental of Arkansas as president and chief executive officer in July 2000. Prior to joining Delta Dental, he worked for 20 years in the managed healthcare industry in leadership roles at NovaSys Health, HealthScope Benefits, and Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield.
Under Choate’s leadership, Delta Dental of Arkansas has more than doubled enrollment and revenue while tripling assets and has been recognized with the following awards: 2005 Arkansas Community Foundation and Arkansas Business Corporate Philanthropy Award; and 2005, 2006, and 2008 Governor’s Work-Life Balance Award.
Choate was named the 2006 Arkansas Business Executive of the Year and, in 2007, a Distinguished Alumni at SAU.
Choate serves as vice chairman of the national Delta Dental Plans Association board of directors. Delta Dental Plans Association has more than $13 billion in revenue.
He and his wife, Marilyn (a 1975 SAU graduate), live in Conway. They have two children and will celebrate their 32nd wedding anniversary later this year.
In addition to his lecture, Choate will also meet with senior business classes during the afternoon. He will be meeting with the Business Student Advisory Council, the Students In Free Enterprise and Phi Beta Lambda officers, members of the College of Business faculty, SAU president David Rankin, SAU vice presidents, the SAU Foundation, and members of the SAU Board of Trustees.
