MARTIN, Tenn. – Dr. Rhelda W. Barron has been appointed interim dean of the College of Business and Public Affairs and chair of the department of computer science and information systems at the University of Tennessee at Martin by Dr. Philip W. Conn, chancellor.
Barron-s new appointments are effective July 1. She is currently serving as chair of the department of accounting, management and information systems and has taught at UT Martin since 1977.
-I am pleased to be entrusted with the leadership of the College of Business and Public Affairs and the department of computer science and information systems,- Barron said. -My primary goal is to lead the faculty to continue to deliver excellent academic programs to benefit our students and their employers.-
Barron earned her bachelor-s, master-s and doctorate degrees from Mississippi State University in Starkville. Before coming to UT Martin, Barron was an assistant professor of accounting at Clemson University in South Carolina.
She is past president of the West Tennessee Chapter of the National Association of Accountants and a member of the American Accounting Association and the Tennessee Society of Accounting Educators. She is a member of Phi Kappa Phi, the national honor society; Beta Gamma Sigma and Beta Alpha Psi.
-I am very pleased to have Dr. Barron as an interim dean,- said Dr. Christopher I. Chalokwu, vice chancellor for academic affairs.
-She is a seasoned administrator and has been a key player in the School of Business Administration for many years.-
A national search for a permanent dean will begin this fall. Barron replaces Dr. Gary F. Young who has accepted a dean position at Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City.
Dr. John D. Overby has been appointed interim chair of the department of management, marketing and political science. He has been a member of the management faculty at UT Martin since 1981.
-John Overby will bring an understanding of the various disciplines in the new department,- Chalokwu said.
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