About the Dean

Rama Yelkur is Executive Dean of the Merrilee Alexander Kick College of Business and Entrepreneurship at TWU, where she provides strategic vision across all facets of the College. She is recognized for over 25 years of research on the effectiveness of Super Bowl Advertising. Yelkur has nearly three decades of consulting experience in sports marketing, advertising, and sponsorships, with organizations such as Kimberly Clark, NBC Universal, and the NFL. Her work on Super Bowl advertising, has been cited in national media including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Forbes Magazine, Fortune, Kiplinger and USA Today. She is also frequently contacted by CNBC, CNN, FOX TV, and producers of shows and media buyers regarding Super Bowl advertising. Her research appears in premier journals including International Business Review, Journal of Advertising Research, and Business Horizons.

As a globally recognized business leader, Yelkur has consulted and conducted corporate training across four continents and established strategic partnerships with universities in Greece, Ireland, Netherlands, China, and India. She has secured multiple U.S. Department of Education grants to advance global competency for businesses and students.

She has served on the Board of Directors of the National Women’s Hall of Fame, Junior Achievement of Central Upstate New York, Junior Achievement of Dallas and serves on the board of KERA of North Texas. She is past President of the International Society of Marketing, past chair of AACSB's Women Administrators in Management Education, and a Certified Global Business Professional.  

She holds a Doctorate in Marketing, an MBA and has completed Harvard's Management in Leadership Education program.

Previously, she served as dean at St. John Fisher University and Saginaw Valley State University, and also held leadership roles at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and Texas A&M International University.