06/14/2022
JONESBORO – Jim Washam has accepted the Neil Griffin Deanship to serve as the leader of the Neil Griffin College of Business at Arkansas State University, Provost Alan Utter announced today.
“I am excited that Dr. Washam has agreed to be part of the academic affairs leadership team as our dean in the Neil Griffin College of Business,” Utter said. “I have enjoyed working with Dr. Washam as an interim dean over the last year. It is obvious to me that he is well-prepared to lead the college, prioritize teaching and student success, engage with the Jonesboro community and champion for the faculty in the Griffin College. I look forward to working with Dr. Washam in his new capacity.”
The long-time Griffin College faculty member begins officially on July 1, 2022, when he will be promoted from currently serving as the interim dean.
“I would like to thank the search committee, the Griffin College faculty, Provost Utter, Chancellor Damphousse, and President Welch for their confidence in me. I would also like to thank my wife Jana for her support and patience with me through the search process,” Washam said. “I look forward to working with our outstanding faculty, staff and community to pursue the opportunities that lie ahead. Together we will build a community of diverse learners, scholars and business professionals working in partnership to provide innovative solutions to problems faced by our communities.”
“I’m pleased that Dr. Washam has accepted our offer to become the Griffin Dean, and I’m particularly excited to see a ‘product of the program’ reach the top position within the Griffin College,” Chancellor Kelly Damphousse said. “He is one of the top individuals in his academic field, and I know he will employ his lengthy experience within the college to move A-State ahead.”
During Washam’s public presentation, he emphasized the advantages the Griffin College had through closer integration of its long-standing involvement with online degrees and its presence on Campus Queretaro in Mexico.
“We have always been a college that met its students where they are, with programs that were focused on helping them advance,” Washam said. “Serving our students here in Jonesboro and Queretaro, as well as across the nation, gives us an opportunity to build a unique, robust education that can open doors for all our students around the nation and world.”
Washam joined A-State as an instructor of finance in 1989 and became an assistant professor in 1992. Promoted to associate professor of finance in 2000, Washam holds the McAdams Frierson Professorship of Bank Management. His teaching specialties include working capital management and financial risk management, and has been considered one of the nation’s top experts in the area of treasury management.
Twice serving as a chair, Accounting, Finance and Law from 2000 to 2004, then Economics and Finance from 2004 to 2008. Since 2008, Washam has been associate dean along with serving as the interim dean.
Washam is a frequent speaker at national conferences and conducts treasury management seminars throughout North America. His seminars have attracted participants from leading organizations including Hilton Hotels, JP Morgan Chase, Sprint, MasterCard International, Bank of Montreal, Metavante, Google, Harvard, Tiffany and Company, Columbia University, General Electric, and NASCAR. Washam has also developed customized programs for organizations including Scotiabank, Proctor & Gamble, Fidelity National Information Services, Verizon, eBay and the United Nations.
A member of the Association for Financial Professionals (AFP), Washam also holds membership in the Financial Management Association (FMA), Mid-South Association of Financial Professionals and the American Risk & Insurance Association (ARIA).
Washam received his Bachelor of Science in finance from Arkansas State in 1986, and his Master of Business Administration the following year, also from A-State. He earned his Ph.D. at the University of Mississippi in finance in 1993 and holds professional certifications in corporate treasury management (CTP) and corporate financial planning and analysis (FPAC). He is married to Jana Washam, an A-State graduate, and they have two grown children, Alex and Rachel, also both A-State graduates.