Walsh College Announces New Chief Academic Officer, Executive Vice President

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TROY – Walsh College President and CEO Stephanie Bergeron today announced the appointment of David Shields, Ph.D., as executive vice president and chief academic officer, effective Jan.  2, 2012.

In his new role, Shields will provide Walsh with strategic and operational leadership, oversee academic standards and accreditation, and ensure the college’s academic programs meet employer and student needs.

Shields joins Walsh from Mercer University in Atlanta, where he was dean of the Stetson School of Business. Prior to Mercer, Shields was dean of Western Michigan University’s Haworth College of Business; associate dean for graduate and professional programs at the University of Houston’s C.T. Bauer College of Business; and associate dean and director of Louisiana State University’s James C. and Cherie H. Flores MBA Program, and the James C. Flores Endowed Chair of MBA Studies.

In addition to his leadership positions, Shields has taught managerial accounting, financial accounting and budgeting at the undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, executive and corporate seminar levels. He was a professor at Houston; LSU; Mercer; Texas A & M University; Rice University; UM; Thunderbird, the American Graduate School of International Management; WMU; and the University of Florida, where he received teacher of the year honors.

Bergeron noted that Shields’ dedication to students “fits with Walsh’s commitment to student mentoring through faculty, smaller class sizes and personal student service. Dr. Shields also recognizes how vital entrepreneurship, business outreach, and collaborative partnerships are to the growth of the college, the success of our students, and the future of our state.”

Motivated by Southeast Michigan’s unique economic opportunities and by Walsh’s progressive action to develop and support the region’s current and future business leaders, Shields said he has “an appreciation for and understands the necessity of innovation, especially in our economy. I’m impressed with Walsh’s dedication to providing relevant business programs that prepare the area’s business leaders.”

While at Houston, he worked with the university to develop and operate executive MBA programs in Global Energy Management. At WMU, he created sustainable business, global business, and entrepreneurship and innovation centers.

Shields has published nine research projects and authored 26 articles. He has served as editor or reviewer for eight prominent accounting journals. He also has consulted companies in a range of industries including, Shell Oil, Brown & Root, McKinsey & Co., Coca Cola Foods, IOMEGA and Chevron. He began his career at what was formerly Coopers & Lybrands and now is PriceWaterhouseCoopers.

Shields earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in accounting with a concentration in psychology from UM, where he was a Paton Fellow. His MBA and Bachelor of Arts degree in English are from The Ohio State University.