Western Kentucky University announced Evelyn Thrasher as the new Gordon Ford College of Business dean on Friday.

Thrasher has served as interim dean of the college since July 2023 and will assume her new position on July 1.

“I cannot put into words what it means to be the new dean of the Gordon Ford College of Business,” Thrasher stated in a news release. “As a first-generation college graduate, I have experienced firsthand the impact of a college education. The upward momentum of the GFCB inspires me, and I am excited about the opportunities to build upon that momentum as the College begins its next chapter.”

Thrasher began at WKU in 2008 as an assistant professor in information systems. She served as an associate professor in Information Systems from 2013 to 2019, director of the Professional Education and Knowledge Program from 2015 to 2018 and a Knicely Faculty Fellow in Leadership from 2015 to 2019.

She was previously a faculty member at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth from 2005 to 2008 and a systems analyst for Eastman Chemical Company in Tennessee.

Provost Bud Fischer stated in a release that Thrasher has been “a valuable member of our faculty, admired by students and colleagues alike.”

“She is a collaborative leader and has demonstrated her commitment to the success of the GFCB and WKU, especially during her time as interim dean of the College,” Fischer said. “I have no doubt she will continue to advance the mission of GFCB and will provide unparalleled support for the College’s students, faculty, and staff.”

Thrasher enters the role as construction continues on a new three-story, 113,000 square-foot GFCB building at WKU, slated to finish before fall 2025.

Former GFCB Dean Christopher Shook served from 2019 to 2023 before taking a position at the University of Alabama at Birmingham as dean of the Collat School of Business.