Dr. Anthony F. Chelte, current dean of the Dillard College of Business Administration at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas, has accepted the position of dean of UALR’s College of Business, announced Dr. David Belcher, UALR provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs.

Chelte, dean of the college for four years, is also the Louis J. and Ramona Rodriguez Distinguished Professor of Management.

“We are very fortunate to attract Dr. Chelte to central Arkansas,” said Belcher. “His strong leadership and strategic planning skills will be critical in the years ahead as the college moves forward with AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) reaccreditation, fundraising, community partnerships, and program and faculty development.”

At Dillard College, Chelte oversaw the completion of a new $18 million business building, implemented a new strategic plan for the college, and organized the Task Force for Continuous Improvement to help achieve the college’s first international accreditation.

“I am looking forward to the opportunity to work with an inspiring group of talented faculty, staff, and administrators,” Chelte said. “Together with the business and broader community, we can continue moving the College of Business forward, pursue innovation, and build broader support for our students and programs. I am excited to become a member of a team of professionals who are committed to the enhancement of high quality in our undergraduate and graduate programs in business.”

Chelte has served as a professional consultant in the areas of management development, training, and strategic planning to clients that include the U.S. Postal Service, 3M, IBM, AT&T, Merillat Industries, Kimberly Clark, Atlantic Valve, and the U.S. Air Force.

In Wichita Falls, he has been a member of the Wells Fargo Bank Community Board of Directors, the Workforce Development Task Force of Texas, the Non-Profit Management Agency of Wichita Falls, and the Wichita Falls Chamber of Commerce and Industry. As a Rotarian, he has participated in Rotary Youth Leadership Awards for several years.

The author of numerous articles on leadership and team development and performance, Chelte has been a frequent speaker at professional associations and business functions. He also contributes to textbooks in the areas of introduction to business, organizational behavior, and general management. Most recently, Chelte was appointed as an associate editor of the Journal of Management Education.

Chelte published a monthly column on the role of business schools and leadership in communities in the Wichita Falls newspaper, the Times Record News’ Biz to Biz magazine.

Prior to accepting the appointment as dean at Midwestern State, Chelte chaired the Department of Management in the School of Business at Western New England College in Springfield, Mass., where he served for 23 years.

Chelte earned a Ph.D. in industrial sociology at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He began his higher education with a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in North Adams and earned a master’s degree from Western Washington University in Bellingham, Wash.