Dr. Dana L. Gibson
President
National University
Dr. Dana L. Gibson became the third overall President and first female President in National University history on July 9, 2007. She was appointed by the Board of Trustees and Dr. Jerry C. Lee, who served as President of National University from 1989 to 2007. Dr. Lee will continue to guide the strategic direction of the affiliates of the National University System as Chancellor, a title he has held since 2001.
Dr. Gibson joined National University from Southern Methodist University, where she served as Vice President for Business and Finance since June 2005. Dr. Gibson has a strong background in academic administration and teaching in the fields of accounting and information systems.
Prior to joining SMU, Dr. Gibson served as Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance at the University of Colorado at Denver. Beginning in 2004, she held a similar position at the university's Health Sciences Center, with responsibility for consolidating the administrative structures of the two campuses in Denver. Highlights of her administration included facilitating implementation of a new budget model, working closely with the provost and deans to determine the financial impact of changes to academic programs and developing a strategic plan for administration and finance.
From 2000 to 2002, Dr. Gibson gained valuable nonprofit experience as Vice President of Finance and Administration and Chief Financial Officer of the YMCA in Denver.
From 1986-2000, Dr. Gibson held several positions at Texas Woman's University. In addition to being a member of the accounting and information systems faculty, she served as Speaker Pro Tem of the Faculty Senate. Her duties at Texas Women's University included lecturer (1986-89); Assistant Professor of Accounting and Information Systems (1989-1995); Special Assistant to the Vice President for Finance and Administration (1996-97); and tenured Associate Professor of Accounting and Information Systems (1995-2000). After serving three years (1997-2000) as Associate Vice President for Finance and Administration and Controller, she became Vice President for Academic and Information Services in 2000.
Dr. Gibson has received numerous awards and special assignments. She was invited to serve on the Texas Comptroller's Task Force to redefine financial reporting in the state. She has received the "International Award for the Innovative Use of Imaging Technology in Higher Education" and was recognized by the American Accounting Association for "Notable Contribution to Information Systems Literature" for her work on the 1996 publication: "The Effect of Socio-Economic Background on Computer Anxiety and Performance: Evidence from Three Experiments."
Dr. Gibson has served as associate editor for Advances in Accounting Behavioral Research and a reviewer for the Accounting Forum and the Journal of Information Systems.
Dr. Gibson earned both a Bachelor of Science degree in Business-Accounting and an MBA from TWU. She also holds a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Arlington, with a major field of business accounting and minor fields of information systems and research methods. She has been a Certified Public Accountant since November 1984.
Dr. Dana L. Gibson, President, National University
Dr. Dana L. Gibson became the third President in National University history in July, 2007.