Virginia Franke Kleist, Ph.D., has been named the new Associate Dean of Graduate Programs, Research and Academic Operations at the John Chambers College of Business and Economics at West Virginia University. The announcement was made to faculty and staff at WVU’s business school by Javier Reyes, Milan Puskar Dean, on Nov. 28. The appointment is effective January 1, 2019.
Dr. Kleist is currently a professor of Management Information Systems (MIS) and the chair of the Chambers College MIS Department. Since becoming chair, in addition to the undergraduate MIS program, the department team has added an undergraduate major in Global Supply Chain Management; a graduate, online Master of Science in Business Data Analytics; a graduate, online Master of Science in Business Cybersecurity Management; and two new undergraduate minors in business data analytics and business cybersecurity management.
“The achievements by Dr. Kleist have propelled our business school to a much higher level,” said Reyes. “During her time at WVU, her leadership in the MIS department has resulted in heavily recruited and placed undergraduate students, as well as undergraduate and graduate program creation that reflects future market demands. I have no doubt that she will do a fabulous job, just as she has in leading the MIS department.”
Kleist previously served for 11 years as an elected member of the WVU Faculty Senate Executive Committee and is a long-time Faculty Senate member. She is a member of the Association of Information Systems, including the Special Interest Group in Security. Kleist was presented with the International Conference on Information Systems Outstanding Dissertation Award in 2000.
She served as a Fulbright Specialist in Ufa, Russia, at the Vegu Academy and in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine, at the National Mining University. She has presented her research in Australia, China, Finland, India and Bahrain. Kleist was a College of Business and Economics Dean’s Scholar recipient in 2015, won the College of Business and Economics Outstanding Service Award in 2009, and was honored with the WVU Foundation Outstanding University Teacher Award in 2003.
Before coming to WVU, Kleist was the director of the MIS/MBA program at the University of Pittsburgh, and spent 10 years in industry in telecommunications network management operations for GTE Corporation (now Verizon), Joy Technologies, Inc., PNC Corporation and the Allegheny Health, Education and Research Foundation (AHERF). She holds an undergraduate degree in Economics from Duke University, MA in Economics from the University of Pittsburgh, MBA from Marquette University, MS in MIS and a Ph.D. in MIS with a minor in Telecommunications, also from the University of Pittsburgh.
