Dr. Benjamin Ola Akande, a Nigerian-born American citizen, is Professor of Economics and Dean of Webster University’s largest academic unit, the George Herbert Walker School of Business and Technology, a position he has held since June 2000. In November 2010, Dr. Akande took on additional responsibility as Chief of Webster University’s Office of Corporate Partnerships.

Webster University, founded in 1915 with its home campus in St. Louis, is a Tier 1, private, nonprofit university with campus locations around the world including metropolitan, military, online and corporate, as well as American-style traditional campuses in North America, Europe, and Asia. Dr. Akande is credited for developing and nurturing numerous corporate and donor partnerships and is a recognized global expert in the areas of economics, higher education, strategy, marketing, and leadership. He is a results-oriented leader with strategic vision and proven experience in corporate and nonprofit environments, and he is widely known and respected for versatility in assuming challenging and demanding responsibilities and leading multiple projects simultaneously with an outstanding record of meeting and exceeding organizational goals. An excellent communicator, Dr. Akande possesses the ability to establish rapport and connect with diverse constituencies at all levels and within public, private, and nonprofit sectors.

Dean Akande holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Wayland Baptist University, as well as a Masters in Public Administration, a Masters of Arts in Economics and a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Oklahoma.  He completed additional post-doctoral studies at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, and the Said School of Business, Oxford University, in the areas of leadership and change.