Dr. Chris Westley has served as Dean of the Lutgert College of Business at Florida Gulf Coast University since January 2020, where he has brought a strong commitment to academic excellence and industry engagement. Under his leadership, Lutgert successfully completed AACSB reaccreditation in 2023. Dr. Westley is an experienced AACSB peer review team member and an advocate for continuous improvement in business education. He currently serves on the Board of Governors for the Beta Gamma Sigma International Business Honorary Society and on the board of the Southern Business Administrators Association.

Dean Westley’s research has appeared in leading journals, including Economics and Politics, Constitutional Political Economy, and the International Journal of Social Economics. He is affiliated with the Acton Institute in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the Ludwig von Mises Institute in Auburn, Alabama, and has held memberships in several professional organizations, including the American Economic Association, the Southern Economics Association, and CyberFlorida.

Originally from Naples, Florida, Dean Westley lives with his wife, Michelle, and has two children, Justin and Catherine.