Beck A. Taylor, Ph.D.

Dean, Samford University School of Business

Dr. Beck A. Taylor is Dean and Professor of Economics for the School of Business at Samford University. He joined Samford University in August, 2005. In his previous post, Dr. Taylor was Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development and W.H. Smith Professor of Economics for the Hankamer School of Business at Baylor University in Waco, Texas.

After earning his undergraduate degree from Baylor in 1992, cum laude, with majors in economics and finance, Dr. Taylor was employed as an economic and financial analyst for Andersen Consulting (now Accenture) in Houston, Texas. Dr. Taylor then went on to earn the M.S. and Ph.D. in economics from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.

As a researcher, Dr. Taylor has published in prestigious economics journals such as Review of Economics and Statistics; Journal of Labor Economics; Journal of Human Resources; and Journal of Money, Credit, and Banking, as well as in the world’s premier publications in public health and child developmental psychology, American Journal of Public Health and Child Development. His primary research interests are in the areas of applied microeconomics, industrial organization, health economics, regional economic development, and the economics of child development and child care.

Dr. Taylor’s research has been featured in publications such as The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Christian Science Monitor, Education Week, The Houston Chronicle, CFO Magazine, The Harvard University Gazette, and Chief Executive Magazine. His research has also been hailed by organizations as diverse as The National Center for Children and Poverty at Columbia University, The Center for Law and Social Policy, The Center for the Advancement of Health, The National Institute for Child Health and Human Development, and The Heritage Foundation. Dr. Taylor has appeared on several network television and radio affiliates in Waco, San Antonio, Dallas, Boston, and Birmingham as well as on CBS Radio, ABC Radio, and the Associated Press Radio Network.

Dr. Taylor received the Young Researcher Award from the Hankamer School of Business in 2000 and was subsequently named the first holder of the W.H. Smith Professorship in Economics at Baylor. In 2002, Dr. Taylor was named Visiting Scholar by Harvard University and spent a year in-residence at the prestigious Harvard Graduate School of Education. In 2005, he was named Baylor University’s Outstanding Professor. Most recently, Dr. Taylor was named as one of Birmingham’s “Top 40 Under 40” by the Birmingham Business Journal.

Dr. Taylor is a member of numerous professional and academic organizations including the American Economic Association, International Atlantic Economic Society, Western Economic Association International, Southern Economic Association, Society of Labor Economists, Industrial Organization Society, Association of Christian Economists, Beta Gamma Sigma, Omicron Delta Epsilon, Beta Alpha Psi, and the Southern Business Administration Association. Additionally, he served for six years on the editorial board of the Atlantic Economic Journal.

Dr. Taylor is a featured speaker at numerous industry conferences and special sessions. He is considered to be an expert on the oil and gasoline, convenience store, and agricultural services industries, and he is called upon regularly to meet with company presidents from these industries. In 2002, Dr. Taylor presented research findings concerning retail gasoline pricing before the U.S. Federal Trade Commission in Washington, DC. Dr. Taylor has been a consultant for organizations such as ARCO, CITGO, ABB Vetco Gray, and the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Additionally, Dr. Taylor is a partner in two consulting firms, Finance and Resource Management Consultants (Bellingham, Washington) and AgriFocus, Inc. (Monument, Colorado), and he currently consults with more than 40 companies. Dr. Taylor serves as a director of the NASDAQ-listed firm, Goldleaf Financial Solutions, Inc., and he also serves on the board of McPherson Oil Company, a private fuel and oil distribution company in Birmingham. Dr. Taylor is a trustee of the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce, serves on the Birmingham Council of Economic Advisors, is a member of the Birmingham Council of the Southern Institute for Business and Professional Ethics, and is a member of the Birmingham Downtown Rotary.

Dr. Taylor lives in the Birmingham area with his wife, Julie, and his children, Zachary (10), Lauren (8), and Chloe (<1). They are members of Dawson Memorial Baptist Church, where Dr. Taylor teaches an adult Sunday School class.