Positions shift with associate dean’s retirement at UMD business school

After more than 44 years in teaching and administrative roles at the University of Minnesota Duluth Labovitz School of Business and Economics, Wayne Jesswein retired as the school’s associate dean.

Jesswein served 23 years as head of the economics department and 11 years as associate dean of the business school. He has left an indelible mark on the school, fulfilling numerous leadership roles, including the co-author of the proposal that created the School of Business and Economics in 1975. He was a member of the planning committees for the school’s expansions, and president and first grievance officer for the University Education Association.

“Wayne has been a guiding force for LSBE’s growth and development and contributed tremendously to the school over the years,” said LSBE Dean Kjell R. Knudsen. “We’ve been incredibly fortunate to have had Wayne as our associate dean, and he will be greatly missed.”

Dr. Praveen Aggarwal, who has been with LSBE Marketing Department for 14 years, will take Jesswein’s place as interim associate dean. He served as the chair of the business Department of Marketing for seven years before assuming this new role. Aggarwal received his doctorate in marketing from Syracuse University. He brings a wealth of experience and education to his new position, including several years working as a senior executive in the food products industry in India.

Aggarwal hands over his position as chair of the marketing department to Dr. Stephen Castleberry, an marketing professor of 20 years.

Castleberry received his doctorate from the University of Alabama. Prior to LSBE, Castleberry held positions at Northern Illinois University and the University of Georgia. He has done consulting work for regional and international businesses, published 44 refereed journal articles in national publications, and appeared in eight segments of a PBS special on personal selling. Castleberry has served as department head at UMD and NIU.

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