Dr. Robert Mitchell has been appointed as the director of the School of Business at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

“I am honored to be the director of the School of Business, as we address the evolving needs of our students, faculty, and employers through our career-centric programs of study and outreach activities,” Mitchell said. “I look forward to working with our business faculty, who have a strong academic and corporate background, in addressing the changing landscape of higher education and the business environment.”

Mitchell has more than four decades of experience at UA Little Rock, having started at the university in 1979. Before becoming director, he worked as the chair of the Department of Management, Marketing, and Technology. He has also served as chair of the Department of Business Information Systems, associate dean for Undergraduate Studies, and interim dean of the College of Business.

Mitchell brings both experience and knowledge to the position. His teaching and research interests include IT strategy, technical training, business communication, and pedagogy. He spent 24 years in organization management in the nonprofit sector as director of Delta Pi Epsilon; a professional organization focused on promoting excellence in research and teaching in business. He has received the College Excellence in Research Award, multiple distinguished paper awards presented by the Federation of Business Disciplines, and the John Robert Gregg Award.

Additionally, Dr. Richard Woolridge, associate professor of information systems, has been named the interim chair of the Department of Management, Marketing, and Technology.

Woolridge joined UA Little Rock as a professor in 2010. He holds a bachelor’s degree in information systems from the University of Texas at Arlington as well as a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in management information systems from the University of Alabama. 

Wooridge has extensive business and information technology experience gained over a 35-year career. He has broad industry experience including manufacturing, financial services, insurance, oil and gas, software, transportation, and government. 

He has functional expertise in operations, governance, accounting, administration, asset management, engineering, inventory control, logistics, procurement, product management, sales, and technology and served in many technical roles. He managed projects, consulting practices, small companies, and commercial software products.