Michael Galbreth recently joined the Haslam College of Business as the new head of the Department of Business Analytics and Statistics and the Pilot Chair of Excellence. He assumes the position this summer.
Galbreth joins Haslam from the University of South Carolina, where he held various professorship and administrative roles within the management science department over the previous 12 years. His research has been published extensively within the field of analytics and operations management, and he currently serves on the editorial boards of four leading research journals.
“Mike’s research acumen is renowned,” Charles Noble, associate dean for faculty and research and Jerry and Kay Henry Professor, says. “He has chaired a department previously, and he has also won multiple teaching awards. His expertise will propel business analytics and statistics at Haslam across every level.”
Galbreth, an undergraduate alumnus of Haslam, says that he has been watching the achievements of Haslam and the business analytics and statistics department for a while. In particular, he noted the college’s recent receipt of the Smith Prize as an indication of its prowess.
“The Smith Prize is a confirmation of what I (and many others) have known for years — that the Haslam MSBA is one of the elite analytics master’s programs in the world,” Galbreth says. “The BAS department is doing amazing things with its undergraduate and PhD programs as well. I can’t think of a more exciting place to be right now.”
Galbreth succeeds Chuck Noon as department head. Noon, who has served in the role since 2014 and is also the Regal Entertainment Group Professor of Business, will step back into a teaching position within executive education programs.
“It is an honor to follow in the footsteps of Chuck Noon, and Ken Gilbert before him, in providing leadership to this department,” Galbreth says. “They, along with numerous faculty and staff, poured their hearts and souls into this department and its programs, and the result is a truly world class department. I’m honored to have the opportunity to be a part of it.”
Galbreth holds a doctorate from Vanderbilt University. He helped found the business analytics initiative at University of South Carolina’s Moore School of Business, developing executive, graduate and undergraduate programs in the field. He also has served as an advisor and on multiple committees at the undergraduate, MBA and doctoral programs at Moore, and presented at the INFORMS Analytics Conference, among other national speaking engagements.
