The spring 2023 semester welcomed a new dean for The Bill Munday School of Business. Alexis Stokes joins the hilltop after 18 years at Texas State University. Stokes is excited to utilize her many years of teaching, law work and administrative responsibilities to achieve St.Edward’s student mission.
“There’s so much opportunity here for impact and to transform lives,” Stokes said. “Coming to an institution that has a Holy Cross mission was very appealing. I embrace the Holy Cross mission. Being here is a reconciliation of my personal and professional values.”
Stokes describes The Bill Munday School of Business as “promising, opportunistic, with a lot of potential,” as she begins to settle in and begin her journey here at St.Edward’s.
Stokes has gathered a cumulative amount of knowledge and strategies in her previous employment and education that she brings to the hilltop as the new dean. She received her Bachelor of Arts in economic and political science from Rice University, located in Houston, Texas. Stoke’s attended Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts where she obtained her Doctor of law. Being a litigation associate at two different firms has further expanded her range of skills.
During one of the many years that Stokes practiced law, she started a new role as an adjunct professor of law at the University of Houston where she says she “got the teaching bug.” Stoke’s direct time and work with students “was very impactful.”
After discovering her interest in collaborating with students she began a tenure-track position at Texas State University where she served for 18 years. Starting off as an assistant professor of business law, Stokes then began taking on administrative responsibilities that she feels “suited her skillset.”
Stokes’ previous hands-on experience and education in law allows her to harness her “communication, organization and ability to crystalize and plan strategically” skills to help shape business education.
Stokes’ future plans for St.Edward’s include more one-on-one experiences with students to be able to build connections with them. One of the ways she plans on connecting and meetings with students is a recurring donuts with the dean starting November.
“It’s really important to be present and visible because I can’t serve the students unless I get to know them,” Stokes said.
Stokes mentioned that one of the goals and strategies of The Bill Munday School of Business is to increase graduate school pathways. What Stokes hopes the pathways will do is “making it easier for our students to earn graduate degrees, less time more affordability.”
“We are working on building robust professional development programming for all of our business students so that our students will be well prepared for the launch into their careers,” Stokes said. “The students’ best interest is my first and last thought everyday”
