Abilene Christian University has appointed longtime technology and business executive Mike Willoughby (’86) as dean of the College of Business Administration, effective Jan. 2, 2025.
Willoughby spent 24 years at PFSweb, most recently as CEO and board director. He guided the 2,500-employee public company with up to $340 million in annual revenue through complex changes and organizational realignment, including leading the effort to raise growth capital and completing five key acquisitions while growing the core logistics business. Willoughby also was responsible for returning a substantial increase in value to PFSweb’s shareholders through the 2021 sale of LiveArea to Merkle for $250 million and the 2023 sale of the remaining company to GXO Logistics for $181 million, for which he won D CEO Magazine’s Mergers and Acquisitions Award in 2024.
He is currently CEO and principal owner of Three Creeks Advisors, where he serves as an advisor to C-level executives at public companies and high-profile private equity firms and conducts and implements strategic alternatives analysis to maximize agility in fast-changing markets. From 2012-23 Willoughby served on the College of Business Administration Dean’s Council.
“I’m confident that Mike’s expertise and his passion for ACU’s mission will be an excellent addition to our academic team,” said Dr. Susan (Lester ’92) Lewis, provost and vice president for academic affairs. “I’m looking forward to the new energy and opportunities for growth his leadership will bring to COBA.”
As dean, Willoughby will report to the provost and be responsible for leading the college’s strategic direction, engaging with stakeholders, and driving substantial growth in endowment and institutional impact. He will work closely with the college’s dean for academics.
“I’m very inspired by the university’s expansive and ambitious 2027 strategic plan to deliver a world-class education in an intentionally Christ-centered environment, as well as the laser-focused commitment to further elevate ACU’s academic brand to that of a world-class, faith-based national university,” Willoughby said. “I’m excited for the dramatic growth implications for COBA of the six-pillar university strategy, and I’m encouraged by the strong academic foundation already in place, built by the faculty, staff and previous deans, as I partner with the dean for academics and the entire COBA team to take the college and the university to new heights.”
The College of Business Administration includes the Department of Accounting, Department of Management Sciences, Dukes School of Finance, the School of Information Technology and Computing, as well as the Griggs Center for Entrepreneurship and Philanthropy and the Lytle Center for Faith and Leadership. The college has been continuously accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International since 2004.
— Wendy Kilmer
Oct. 29, 2024