Faces of Michigan

David Wooten: Honored for recruiting and mentoring efforts

David Wooten, associate professor of marketing at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business, was one of six faculty members recognized in spring 2007 for his contributions to the development of a culturally and ethnically diverse campus community.

Honorees of the award, which was established in 1996 in honor of Johnson, dean emeritus of the School of Social Work, receive $5,000 to further their personal research, teaching and scholarship activities.

Wooten advises the Black Business Student’s Association (BBSA) at the Ross School. He also plans and executes activities sponsored by the BBSA and is a leader in the school’s mission to attract and retain a diverse student body. He serves on the Board of Trustees for the Consortium for Graduate Study in Management, which contributes to the Ross School’s success in attracting students who are committed to diversity.

Wooten, who earned an M.B.A. and Ph.D. from the Ross School and B.B.A. degree from Georgia State University, also is curriculum director of the summer three-week Leadership Education and Development Program (LEAD) for high school students.

“The students get a real-life campus experience and learn basic business ideas,” wrote Ross School Associate Dean Kathleen Sutcliffe. “David devotes many hours to planning this program and his efforts have paid off; many LEAD participants have chosen Michigan for their undergraduate education.”

Wooten worked as a marketing research analyst at General Mills Inc. and taught at Columbia University and Warrington College of Business at the University of Florida before joining the Ross School faculty in 1998. Wooten, who teaches consumer behavior and marketing management, uses psychological and sociological theories and methods to examine social influences on consumption activities, self-presentation and consumer behavior, and impression management and firm reputation.

Excerpted from The University Record and Ross School Web site.