December 10, 2009
Quinn appoints business dean to statewide panel
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- J. Dennis Cradit, dean of Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s College of Business, is among a select group of professionals recently appointed by Gov. Pat Quinn to serve on the new Illinois Economic Recovery Commission.
The 35-member commission will provide expertise to state officials during the current economic downturn and to prepare plans for economic recovery and future growth. The commission will offer the governor non-partisan information and ideas regarding infrastructure, innovation, sustainability, global markets, education and government. The group includes representatives from business, academia, finance, not-for-profit organizations and government.
“I am honored to be asked by the governor to participate in such an important discussion and excited to be able to serve with such a diverse, talented group of people,” Cradit said. “This is an unprecedented time of economic turmoil within the state and across the country and this commission has an opportunity to dream big, while at the same time delivering thoughtful, implementable programs.”
Working primarily in smaller sub-committees, the group will be evaluating programs and systems already in place in Illinois, comparing them to those in other states and countries in an effort to help create jobs and stimulate the state’s economic recovery.
Cradit, a Texas native, became the SIUC College of Business dean in August 2006, bringing to the position a quarter-century of teaching, research and business consulting experience. He earned his bachelor’s degree at the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1977. He completed his master’s (1981) and doctorate (1984) in psychology at the University of Iowa.
He was the Charles A. Bruning Professor of Business Administration and chairman of the marketing department at Florida State University prior to coming to SIUC. He also previously served as a business consultant for a variety of companies. His research interests include marketing segmentation, quantitative methods and business-to-business marketing. A number of journals have published his work.
Economic Recovery Commission co-chairs are Alexander I. Rorke, an investment banker from Evanston, and Quincy Mayor John A. Spring. The committee’s report and recommendations are due to the governor by March 31, 2010.