David A. Griffith named new Marketing Department Head

Award-winning research publisher and prolific scholar David A. Griffith has joined Mays Business School as its new Marketing Department Head. From Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, he was inaugurated as the Hallie Vanderhider Chair in Business and named the recipient of this year’s Hans B. Thorelli Award by the American Marketing Association.

“In terms of choosing to come to A&M, there were many draws,” said Griffith. “The outstanding faculty in Mays, Dean Jones’ vision and passion for A&M, former colleagues who have joined Mays and love it here. The core values of the institution were also a big draw for me, and of course the outstanding reputation of Texas A&M in both academics and athletics.”

Hallie Vanderhider Chair in Business

When asked about the Hallie Vanderhider Chair in Business, Griffith recognized the significance this honor.

“It is always an honor to be awarded a chair, but I believe this honor is very special given its underlying story,” said Griffith.

In 2010, former President and COO of Black Stone Minerals and proud aggie parent Hallie Vanderhider made a gift of $500,000 to Mays Business School out of gratitude toward the faculty and staff for supporting her two sons, Michael ’09 and Matthew ’09, the latter of which passed away days after receiving his acceptance letter.

“I was moved when I learned of the story of her sons Michael and Matthew,” said Griffith. “Thus, being the recipient of this chair, given by a parent in recognition for the impact that the caring faculty, mentors, and friends of A&M have on students, is particularly special.”

A connoisseur of marketing

“He comes to us with an impressive scholarly record in marketing and with effective experience,” said Dean Jones about Griffith’s extensive achievements. “We are happy to welcome Dr. Griffith into the Mays Business School family.”

Prior to joining Mays, Griffith was Chairperson of the Department of Marketing and holder of the Iacocca Chair at Lehigh University. He also served as the John William Byington Endowed Chair in Global Marketing and Professor of Marketing at Michigan State University, where he was director of the Ph.D. Program. His research has been published in numerous academic journals including the Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Marketing, Journal of International Business Studies, Strategic Management Journal, and Journal of Operations Management. In the field of international marketing in 2018, via an analysis of the time period 1995-2015, Griffith is ranked 1st worldwide in terms of publication output based upon proportional authorship, 2nd in total number of publications, and 5th in citation impact in the international marketing literature.