Dr. Brian Bolton has been named interim dean of the B.I. Moody III College of Business Administration at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
He replaces Dr. Linda Nichols, who recently retired. During her tenure, Nichols guided the College of Business Administration through two successful re-accreditation reviews by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. She also oversaw efforts to develop new, innovative curricula.
Bolton will lead a college that continues to evolve and grow, said Dr. Dianne Olivier, UL Lafayette’s interim provost and vice president for Academic Affairs.
“Dr. Bolton is a passionate, driven educator and proven leader whose extensive experience in higher education, including as a researcher, and in industry will benefit the B.I. Moody III College of Business Administration – and the University – significantly,” Olivier said.
Bolton, who joined UL Lafayette in 2019, is the Dwight W. Andrus Jr. / BoRSF Eminent Scholar Endowed Chair in Finance. He also founded the University’s Louisiana Impact Research Awards Program, which recognizes faculty and student research.
Earlier this year, Bolton earned the University’s inaugural Lagniappe Award for Leadership and Collaboration. While serving as interim dean, Bolton will continue to teach and conduct research in areas such as corporate governance. His focus in that realm is examining ways leaders increase their organization’s value and create returns on investment for their stakeholders.
Prior to joining the University, Bolton served as the associate director in the Global Board Center at IMD Business School in Lausanne, Switzerland, where he led the center’s research, programmatic and operational activities.
That role followed seven years as a member of the finance faculty in the School of Business at Portland State University. Bolton served as faculty council chair, department head, director of MBA leadership immersion and accreditation director.
Bolton, who has spent more than two and a half decades in higher education, also has extensive experience in industry. That experience includes as a research analyst with a Canadian private equity firm and as an acquisition consultant with PricewaterhouseCoopers.
He earned a Ph.D. in finance and economics from the University of Colorado at Boulder, an MBA in finance and strategy from the University of Texas at Austin, and a bachelor’s degree in business administration – finance and strategy from Southern Methodist University.
Photo caption: Dr. Brian Bolton has been named interim dean of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s B.I. Moody III College of Business Administration. Photo credit: University of Louisiana at Lafayette