COB professor concludes leadership role for higher ed business schools

Vivek Natarajan, professor of marketing in the College of Business, is finishing a multi-year leadership position for the Federation of Business Disciplines.

Natarajan, who teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses in marketing, management, supply chain, entrepreneurship and healthcare management, has been a member of FBD since he was a doctoral student. Since that time, Natarajan was elected to serve leadership positions ultimately becoming the organization’s president in 2020. He will retain a leadership role as immediate past president and past president until 2022.

“These leadership experiences have enhanced my interpersonal, operational, communication, problem solving and conflict resolution skills,” said Natarajan. “I was able to develop professional relationships with many colleagues across disciplines, campuses and even national borders. Some of these relationships have led to joint research projects. I also get good ideas for teaching and stay current in my discipline.”

The Federation of Business Disciplines is a 47-year-old academic association with national and international constituencies focused on promoting and improving research and educational activities of schools and colleges of business. FBD has ten constituent associations representing the business disciplines such as finance, economics, marketing, management, case research.

Natarajan joined the Association of Collegiate Marketing Educators group within FBD in 2005. He served the group’s track chair in 2007. In March 2012, he was elected to the leadership role within the group and the served as secretary of ACME in 2013 at the annual FBD meeting in Albuquerque. He became the vice

president of membership in 2014; program chair for the annual meeting in 2015 in Houston.

“I led a very successful conference in Houston getting a large number of papers and registrations,” said Natarajan. “I invited Lamar University President Dr. Kenneth Evans to address the plenary session on the future of higher education, and this session was very well received.”

In 2016 Natarajan was again the program chair for the annual meeting in Oklahoma City. In 2017, Natarajan was elected program chair elect and held that position for two years. He was again elected as program chair in 2019 and president in 2020 at which time the annual meeting was held in San Antonio weeks before the pandemic.

The president serves as the leader of the association and chairs the board meetings and meetings of executive council. The FBD president also hosts the award banquets of the annual meeting where the best paper awards and distinguished educator awards are given.

“The FBD annual meetings conferences have historically had about 750 plus attendees across different business schools in the U.S.,” said Natarajan. “The leadership is elected by the board comprising of business professors from ten different professional associations. It’s been a privilege to serve and to host these banquets and chair the meetings.”

Natarajan began working at LU in 2006 as assistant professor. He achieved tenure and a promotion to associate professor in 2012 and was promoted to full professor in fall 2020.