Following a national search, Oglethorpe University has named Stephen H. Craft, PhD as Dean of the Q. William Hammack, Jr. School of Business, effective July 1, 2021. Dr. Craft is currently Dean of the Michael E. Stephens College of Business at the University of Montevallo, a liberal arts college in Birmingham, Alabama.
As chief academic officer of the business school, Dr. Craft will lead the development of market-relevant and student-centered academic and co-curricular programming; advance a unique and inclusive vision; strengthen the school’s mission and organizational structure; enhance the school’s reputation, reach and social mobility impact through relationship building; and position the school as an integral collaborator in the Oglethorpe community while amplifying connections externally.
“An experienced and collaborative academic leader, Dr. Craft brings an impressive record of success in higher education rooted in the liberal arts mission,” said Dr. Kendra King Momon, interim provost and professor of politics. “Oglethorpe and its students will benefit from his expertise and experience as we begin to expand on the vision for the Hammack School of Business.”
“I am enormously pleased to be joining Oglethorpe University as the Dean of the Hammack School of Business,” said Dr. Craft. “I have long admired Oglethorpe as a community of scholars with a steadfast commitment to the liberal arts. I look forward to working with the Hammack School of Business faculty, as well as our colleagues across all disciplines to build a diverse and inclusive 21st century business school.”
Dr. Craft has spent his academic career at the intersection of business education and the liberal arts, serving institutions large and small, public and private, residential and commuter. At the University of Montevallo, he has served as senior administrator for all undergraduate business programs, as well as the college’s Master of Business Administration (MBA). He has been responsible for setting strategic direction, growing new academic programs, supporting and guiding faculty and staff, administering the finances of the Stephens College, fundraising and securing resources, building corporate and community partnerships, and maintaining the academic integrity of all programs consistent with the school’s accreditation. Dr. Craft founded Stephens College’s Grainger Center for Professional Development, a conduit for internship and career placement for graduates, which is supported entirely by external funding. Additionally, he led efforts to grow faculty and student diversity by employing intentionally inclusive recruitment practices. Under Dr. Craft’s leadership, enrollment in the Stephens College has experienced significant growth.
Previously, Dr. Craft was Dean of Business Programs and Elton B. Stephens Professor of Marketing at Birmingham-Southern College. His academic experience also includes serving as Chair of the Department of Marketing and Electronic Business at Towson University, a full-time faculty appointment at The George Washington University, and a part-time appointment at the University of Maryland, College Park. Prior to academia, he spent years in industry, holding positions responsible for product development, advertising, and brand management, including as Senior Product Manager for First American Bank and Manager of Marketing Strategies for the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation.
Dr. Craft has served on the Birmingham Regional Chamber Council of Economic Advisors, Birmingham Business Journal Editorial Advisory Board, and on the boards of the American Red Cross, Alabama Association of Nonprofits, American Marketing Association (Birmingham), and American Advertising Association (Birmingham). He earned his MBA and PhD at The George Washington University (Washington, DC) and holds a BA from Birmingham-Southern College.
“Oglethorpe’s distinctive liberal art-based business education focuses on producing 21st century leaders who make a difference,” said Oglethorpe University President Nick Ladany. “With Dr. Craft, we have found an ideal combination of qualifications and talents to lead the Hammack School of Business at an important moment in our history.”