David DeCenzo has been named dean of the E. Craig Wall Sr. College of Business Administration at Coastal Carolina University, effective July 1.

DeCenzo comes to Coastal from Towson University, in Towson, Md., where he has served as director of partnership development in the College of Business and Economics since 1999. DeCenzo was responsible for outreach activities for the college and for blending practical applications from contemporary organizations into the curriculum.

"Coastal Carolina University is very pleased that David DeCenzo, who has extensive experience in academia and the business world, is joining the Coastal family," said Coastal President Ronald R. Ingle. "The Wall College of Business has developed a strong reputation through the years of producing quality graduates and we are confident that David will continue to enhance those efforts as well as increase our collaborative relationships with businesses throughout South Carolina and the world."

While at Towson, he also served as associate dean of the College of Business and Economics from 1998 to 1999, chair of the department of management from 1996 to 1998, and vice chair of the department of management from 1987 to 1996. From 1981 to 1984, DeCenzo was assistant professor of management at the University of Baltimore.

DeCenzo is an experienced industry consultant, corporate trainer and public speaker and has served a wide variety of clients including Citicorp Global Technology, Inc., Moen, Inc., Motorola, Inc., and others.

As a professor of management at Towson, DeCenzo's major teaching and research interests focused on general areas of human resource management, management and organizational behavior. He is the author of numerous textbooks that are used widely at colleges and universities throughout the United States and the world. They include Fundamentals of Management, Human Resource Management, Fundamentals of Management, Supervision Today!, Human Relations, Essentials of Labor Relations, and Employee Benefits.

In addition, DeCenzo has published articles in journals such as the Harvard Business Review, Business Horizons, Risk Management, Hospital Topics, and Performance and Instruction. He serves as an editorial board member of the Society for the Advancement of Management's Advance Management Journal. His background also includes serving as contributing editor of Audio Human Resource Report, a senior human resource training and development specialist with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Maryland, and executive editor of American Journal of Small Business.

DeCenzo earned a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Maryland and a master's degree and Ph.D. from West Virginia University.

Since 2001, DeCenzo has been on the board of directors for the Baltimore County Chamber of Commerce and the Small Business Resource Center, Central Maryland Region.

DeCenzo and his wife, Theresa, have four children.