Department Chairs Named At Baylor

July 31, 2006

Media contact: Julie Carlson, senior staff writer, (254) 710-6681
A number of Baylor University faculty will step into roles of chairs of academic departments for the upcoming academic year. Most chair positions will take effect Aug. 1.
New department chairs in the College of Arts and Sciences are Dr. Jaime L. Diaz-Granados, chair of the department of psychology; Dr. J. David Garrett, chair of the department of communication sciences and disorders; and Col. Danny Leonard, chair of the department of aerospace studies. Dr. William H. Bellinger was named chair of the department of religion on June 1.
New department chairs in the Hankamer School of Business are Dr. Timothy R. Kayworth, chair of the department of information systems, and Dr. J. Allen Seward, chair of the department of finance, insurance and real estate.
Diaz-Granados joined the Baylor faculty in 1996 and has been interim chair of Baylor's psychology and neuroscience department since January. He has long been engaged in research on the long-term effects of alcohol abuse in adolescents and the developmental changes occurring in adolescent brains.
An expert in the area of voice conditions and treatment, Garrett often speaks to medical schools, physicians, health professionals and teachers about the latest advancements in communication sciences and has worked with opera singers, international royalty, American entertainers and other voice professionals. Before coming to Baylor, Garrett taught at the University of Wisconsin and Baylor College of Medicine.
As chair of aerospace studies, Leonard will serve as commander of Baylor Air Force ROTC. A graduate of the University of Texas at Arlington, Leonard recently served as vice commander of the 65th Air Base Wing, Lajes Field, Azores, and has more than 4,300 command flying hours.
Kayworth joined the management information systems faculty at the Hankamer School of Business in 1996. He has prior industry experience in information systems consulting and has also held positions as MIS director and operations manager for private sector firms. Kayworth's research interests center on the management of IT in organizations, and his most recent research projects have included such topics as leadership in global virtual teams, the impact of organizational culture on knowledge management practice, and the role of culture in information systems research.
A Baylor graduate, Seward served as a lecturer in the economics and finance departments until deciding to continue his education at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned his master's and doctoral degrees. He then returned to the Hankamer School of Business in 1987. Seward's research and teaching interests are currently focused on risk and insurance issues, and he has refereed publications in the areas of insurance regulation and insolvency, health care, forensic economics, and real estate.
New interim chairs include:
• Dr. Sara Alexander, interim chair of the department of anthropology, forensic science and archaeology;
• Dr. Clark Baker, interim chair of the department of journalism;
• Dr. Larry J. Browning, acting chair of the department of curriculum and instruction in the School of Education;
• Dr. William English, interim chair of the department of communication studies;
• Dr. Ken Hafertepe, interim chair of the department of museum studies;
•Dr. Michael Long, interim chair of the department of modern foreign languages;
• Dr. Christopher Marsh, interim chair of the department of church-state studies;
• Dr. David Pennington, interim chair of the department of chemistry and biochemistry.