Chris Westley was named Dean of the Lutgert College of Business in January 2020 following service as Interim Dean, Director of Lutgert’s Regional Economic Research Institute, and Professor of Economics. A native of Naples, Florida, he studied at the University of Florida and St. Mary's University of San Antonio, Texas, before receiving his Ph.D. in economics from Auburn University. A prolific writer, his scholarly articles have appeared in Economics and Politics, Constitutional Political Economy, the Eastern Economics Journal, the American Journal of Economics and Sociology, and the International Journal of Social Economics. In addition, Dean Westley has published more than 100 economics columns in his career in national and regional news outlets as well as in business and public policy journals throughout the United States.

Dr. Westley is a member or past member of the American Economic Association, the Eastern Economic Association, the Southern Finance Association, the Florida Council of Business Economists, CyberFlorida, and the Southern Business Administration Association. He also serves as an adjunct scholar for the Acton Institute in Grand Rapids, Michigan and as an associated scholar for the Ludwig von Mises Institute in Auburn, Alabama.