Following a national search, William T. Chittenden, Ph.D., has been selected president and CEO of the SW Graduate School of Banking (SWGSB) Foundation, headquartered at the Southern Methodist University Cox School of Business in Dallas. Chittenden, whose new role took effect earlier this month, most recently served as chief academic officer of SWGSB and associate dean for graduate programs in the McCoy College of Business at Texas State University. The selection follows previous President and CEO Jeffrey R. Schmid’s appointment to president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City last August.
“The board of trustees is extremely excited for Dr. Chittenden’s leadership after serving as our chief academic officer and more than two decades on our faculty,” says Jill Castilla, chair of the SWGSB board of trustees and president and CEO of Edmond, Oklahoma-based Citizens Bank of Edmond. “Dr. Chittenden advanced SWGSB’s reputation as a nationally recognized leader in financial institution executive education and enhanced our curriculum with innovative offerings and esteemed faculty.”
Chittenden has a long and respected academic career, having previously taught at the University of Colorado–Denver and Northern Illinois University, specializing in short-term financial management and financial markets and institutions. A past president of both the Academy of Financial Services and the San Antonio Treasury Management Association, Chittenden currently serves on the investment committees for both Comal and Hays counties and is an ex-officio member of the Texas Association of Counties’ county investment education committee. He is widely published and quoted in the media around the world and has served as a consultant to regional, national and international financial institutions. Chittenden earned a BBA degree in finance and an MS degree in economics from the University of Texas– El Paso, and a Ph.D. degree in finance from Texas Tech University.
“As a longtime SWGSB faculty member, I am proud to take on this leadership role,” Chittenden says. “SWGSB changes the trajectory of careers with an executive education experience like no other. In collaboration with the prestigious Cox School of Business, we have exciting plans for SWGSB, the Assemblies for Bank Directors and the Certified Community Bank Director’s Program in 2024 and beyond. I am honored to continue to be a part of providing this transformational experience that builds effective leaders and well-informed bank boards nationwide.”
Established in 1957, the mission of the SW Graduate School of Banking (SWGSB) is to be the most trusted educational source for loan officers, bank directors, regulators, commercial lenders, operations officers, marketing officers, and management professionals. SWGSB is a nationally recognized leader in bank management education at the corporate level, serving financial services professionals with banking education, bank leadership development and bank director training programs.
