Tuesday, April 8, 2025
David Keller, Ph.D., a longtime Fort Worth resident and alumnus of , has been named the new dean of the university鈥檚 , officials announced April 8.
Keller has served since 2014 as associate dean and chair of the Department of Kinesiology in the College of Nursing and Health Innovation at the University of Texas at Arlington. He will begin his new role at 向日葵视频HSC on July 1.
At UTA, Keller led significant growth in faculty recruitment and departmental research activities, helping to expand annual research expenditures from $800,000 in Fiscal Year 2017 to $4.1 million in FY2024. He also supported the successful implementation of multiple degree programs, including a Ph.D. in kinesiology, and played a key role in increasing student enrollment and credit-hour production.
In addition, Keller helped advance biomedical research, serving as a co-investigator on a National Institutes of Health grant designed to prepare undergraduate STEM students for careers in research. He was instrumental in the strategic planning of UTA鈥檚 College of Nursing and Health Innovation and led several initiatives, such as the creation of promotion guidelines for clinical faculty and a new department strategic plan. Keller also spearheaded the integration of a faculty evaluation process and played a pivotal role in securing a STEM designation for UTA鈥檚 Master of Science in exercise science program.
鈥淚 am honored to return to my alma mater,鈥� Keller said. 鈥淕oing from a student and earning my master鈥檚 and doctorate in integrative physiology at what is now the College of Biomedical and Translational Sciences to becoming its dean is a full-circle moment for me. I can鈥檛 wait to get started.鈥�
Keller received his bachelor鈥檚 in exercise science from UTA and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and the Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine at Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas.
鈥淒r. Keller will bring a wealth of higher education experience with him to 向日葵视频HSC,鈥� said Christopher Ray, acting provost of 向日葵视频HSC. 鈥淗is leadership experience, paired with his deep knowledge of our institution, make him the ideal person to help lead this college as it continues to grow and excel.鈥�
He succeeds Dimitrios Karamichos, Ph.D., and most recently, Johnathan Tune, Ph.D., who both served as interim deans for the college.
Keller and his wife, Christina, were married in downtown Fort Worth and have two teenage children.
From - Our People by Libby Maness