Russell Zaretzki, associate professor of business analytics and Business Analytics Scholar, has earned the designation of Heath Faculty Fellow in the UT College of Business Administration.
The goal of the Heath Faculty Fellowship is to enhance the relationship between the UT colleges of business and engineering. It was established by Ralph and Janet Heath through a gift made from the Heath Family Charitable Fund in the Community Foundation of North Texas. Rupy Sawhney, professor of industrial and information engineering, is the fellow in the UT College of Engineering.
Zaretzki is co-director of the UT Business Analytics Forum and an active member of the UT Intercollegiate Graduate Statistics Program in which he frequently collaborates with engineering students and faculty on a wide range of research topics. He teaches in the UT master’s and PhD business analytics programs and specializes in marketing analytics and computational statistics. In 2013, he was awarded the George and Margaret Melton Faculty Award in Business Analytics from the UT College of Business Administration.
Ralph Heath, retired president of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, received his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering in 1970 and his MBA in 1975 from UT. He is a founding and current member of the UT College of Business Administration’s Aerospace and Defense Advisory Board, a lifetime member of the college’s Advisory Council to the Dean, a member of the UT College of Engineering’s Board of Advisors and a recipient of the UT Alumni Professional Achievement Award. He inspired the UT College of Business Administration to create its unique Aerospace and Defense MBA program.
“I believe strongly that engineering and business need to become more engaged at the university level so that when our graduates begin to practice and lead in industry they are better prepared,” said Heath.
Janet Heath graduated in 1976 with a degree in food systems administration through the university’s registered dietitian program. She collaborated with her husband on the proposal for the joint faculty fellowship.
“There is great wisdom, foresight and creativity in this gift from Ralph Heath, born from his lifetime of management experience in both engineering and business,”
said Steve Mangum, dean of the UT College of Business Administration. “The Heath Faculty Fellowship program provides specific opportunities for two leading faculty members from these two colleges to permeate barriers, be innovative and initiate constructive dialogue and programming.”
