Kevin Gwinner, professor and head of the department of marketing and Jon Wefald chair of business leadership, was named interim dean of Kansas State University’s College of Business Administration in June. Gwinner replaces Ali Malekzadeh, who took the position as president of Roosevelt University on July 1.
Gwinner has served as head of the marketing department since July 2005. He joined 
the university in 1999. “I am very humbled to have been provided this opportunity and I look forward to working with the many talented staff and faculty in the College of Business Administration to accomplish our goals,” Gwinner said. “Continued fund raising, new building construction and transition, and enhancing the innovative programs in the college are all important challenges for us to substantially move forward in the next year.”
In the community, Gwinner volunteers as board president for the Boy Scout Coronado Area Council, which provides scouting opportunities to 2,600 youth across 32 counties in central and western Kansas.
He received his doctorate in marketing from Arizona State University. He also has a Master of Business Administration and bachelor’s in finance from Arizona State University.
Esther Swilley has been named by the College of Business Administration as the interim marketing department head to fill the position formerly held by Gwinner.
Swilley, who came to K-State in 2007, holds the L. L. McAninch chair in business administration. She received her undergraduate education at Wayne State University, before obtaining a Master’s of Business Administration from Kennesaw State University and a doctorate in marketing from Florida State University.
“My vision would be to interact with all levels of the university to highlight the department’s talent,” Swilley said. “I hope to maintain the culture of scholarly excellence that the marketing department has built.”