Dean Eli Jones ’82 receives top award from American Marketing Association sales group

Eli Jones ’82, dean of Mays Business School, has been named the recipient of the 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Marketing Association’s Selling and Sales Management Special Interest Group.

The award honors the outstanding scholar who has made meaningful contributions to the field of sales through publications in top journals, teaching excellence, fostering professional development among others, and generally contributing to scholarship in the area of sales.

In addition to serving as dean of Mays Business School at Texas A&M University, Jones is a professor of marketing and Lowry and Peggy Mays Eminent Scholar. His entire career has been devoted to the sales arena, where he has researched, taught, directed and led. He is a self-professed “hybrid” in the field of sales – traversing readily between the corporate and academic worlds, excelling in both. He continues in leadership roles that ensure a solid future for the sales field for generations to come.

He started his career in sales executive and sales manager roles at three Fortune 500 companies: Quaker Oats, Nabisco and Frito-Lay.

He was at the University of Houston for 11 years, where he served as Associate Dean for Executive Education Programs. Prior to that, he was the founding executive director of the Sales Excellence Institute at the University of Houston.

From July 1, 2008 until June 30, 2012, he served as dean of the E. J. Ourso College of Business and the E. J. Ourso Distinguished Professor of Business at Louisiana State University (LSU).

From July 1, 2012, until June 30, 2015, he was dean of the Sam M. Walton College of Business and the Sam M. Walton Leadership Chair at the University of Arkansas.

Jones has published in the Journal of Marketing, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, Management Science and Journal of Applied Psychology, among others.

Jones responded to the news of his selection by saying, “What a wonderful surprise to be selected by my academic peers across the country for this prestigious award. For the record, winning this award does not mean that I’m finished!”

Paul Busch, a marketing professor at Mays who was Jones’ dissertation chair, said he was pleased but not surprised Jones was chosen. “Eli has made and continues to make enduring contributions of excellence in research, teaching and service to the field of personal selling and sales management,” he said. “It is most appropriate and gratifying to have the American Marketing Association recognize him with this prestigious award. I am confident that Eli will continue to contribute to the field for years to come.”

The award announcement described Jones’ contributions to the academic sales community as “far reaching.” “He has received Excellence in Teaching awards on the university, national and international levels. His service to the sales field is extensive. He has truly had an incredible impact on sales scholars from around the world.”

Leonard Berry, University Distinguished Professor of Marketing at Mays and Regents Professor at Texas A&M, said he and his colleagues are very proud of Jones. “Throughout his career, Eli Jones has been a champion for effective, professional personal selling and the contribution it makes to customers, companies and society,” he said. “He has encouraged many students through the years to pursue careers in personal selling.” An example of such encouragement came from Mark Houston, head of the marketing department: “It has always really impressed me that he has continued to mentor doctoral students – even as a dean. He still makes time to help his former students develop their abilities and publish their work. He is a good scholar and leader, but more importantly, he is a high quality human being.”

The Selling and Sales Management SIG serves members by providing programs designed to enhance selling and sales management scholarship, teaching, and practice in an inclusive and collegial environment. The Sales SIG Lifetime Achievement award is presented annually at the Sales SIG’s reception at Summer AMA. This year, Summer AMA 2016 will be Aug. 5-7 in Atlanta.