ASU Emeritus College welcomes new dean

An internationally recognized expert in supply chain management and entrepreneurship at Arizona State University, William Verdini has been chosen as dean of ASU’s Emeritus College.

He returns to ASU from India, where he served as associate dean and director of external relations for the MYRA School of Business. 

Verdini first came to ASU in 1976, as an assistant professor in the College of Business, now the W. P. Carey School of Business.

Since his hire, he has served in many key leadership roles, including as chair of the Department of Supply Chain Management, founding director for the Center for the Advancement of Small Business, which became W.P. Carey’s Spirit of Enterprise Center, and associate dean for the College of Extended Education. Verdini was also a member of Barrett, The Honors College faculty, until his retirement in 2011. 

“Dr. Bill Verdini has been a supporter of the Emeritus College since its inception,” said ASU Provost Robert E. Page Jr. “His long history of university service, entrepreneurial expertise and people skills make him an ideal selection as dean.”

The Emeritus College was established in 2004 by the university provost. It is the academic home to more than 490 retired university professors and includes emeritus associates from other institutions, as well as from ASU. For elite scholars from a range of academic backgrounds, the college offers continued intellectual, creative and social engagement with the university and opportunities for public service in the Valley.

Emeritus College members provide more than 180 courses or lectures throughout the metro Phoenix area, ranging from poetry, humor and wellness to love, politics, science and history of indigenous peoples. 

Verdini replaces interim dean Elmer Gooding, who supported and advocated for the college since July 2014.

“I am looking forward to the opportunity and excited about working with the membership of the Emeritus College to rally our significant expertise, experience and connections to promote the vision and mission of ASU: to be inclusive, to foster the success of those we include, to conduct research and discovery of public value, and to contribute to the economic, social, cultural health of our communities,” said Verdini. 

In addition his university service, Verdini is on the board of directors for the Better Business Bureau for Arizona, Dineh Cooperatives and the Arizona Bach Festival. He also serves on the Arizona Supreme Court Case Processing Standards Steering Committee. He received his bachelor’s in chemical engineering at Case Western Reserve University, and his master’s in economics and doctorate in decision sciences at Kent State University.