Benjamin Ola. Akande is the dean of Webster University's School of Business & Technology, and professor of Economics. As the chief academic officer of the 13,000-student business school, Dean Akande leads a faculty of 1500 spanning multi-campuses in the U.S., Europe and Asia. Since joining Webster as dean in 2000, Akande has provided leadership that has elevated the business school to new heights. The dean is a successful fund raiser and has enhanced the public presence and reputation of the institution. The Nigerian born U.S. citizen has lived in the U.S. for 30 years and is a well traveled globe trotter.
Dean Akande holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Oklahoma and completed post-doctoral studies at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Dean Akande has been recognized as one of St. Louis' Most Influential Leaders from 2007 - 2009. His articles have been published in some of the nation's leading publications.
Dr. Akande serves on the boards of the Newberry Group, a global IT consultancy specializing in information assurance, application development, network management and IT staffing services, Xiolink, a premier provider of managed infrastructure hosting and computing solutions provider, The Private Bank of St. Louis, The Vandiver Group, a strategic communications firm offering strategic counsel, public relations, branding, market research and media sustainability. In addition, Dr. Akande is a Trustee at Mary Institute Country Day School, a private coeducational institution in Saint Louis where he chairs the Investment committee, and is a Board member of Beyond Housing, a leading provider of housing and support services for low income families and homeowners in Saint Louis. The dean consults with some of the leading Fortune 500 companies in the areas of strategy, operations, ethics, corporate responsibility and market positioning. He is a former consultant for the World Bank and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP.) Dean Akande is a highly sought after speaker world-wide. He is a regular Economic commentator on local affiliates of Fox, NBC, CBS and CNN networks. He brings to every presentation a wealth of experience that spans more than two decades as a professor, education leader, strategist and consultant. His understanding of the issues that define our time is thorough and insightful. Dr. Akande has a sense of constructive impatience and affirms that the future belongs to those who can see it.
Dean Akande is completing work on the transcript of an upcoming book entitled "The IPOD generation: It's their world we're just living in it." The book is an inside look at what he characterizes as the Internet savvy, Phone addicted, Opportunistic, Digital Conscience generation.
""I believe your value emanates from your inner strength. It comes from the courage of your convictions, and the ability to see in yourself the value that you possess." "
- Dr. Benjamin Akande
