Eli Jones
Peggy Pitman Mays Eminent Scholar Chair in Business
- ejones@mays.tamu.edu
- Wehner 201CB
Education
Ph.D., Business Administration | Marketing, Texas A&M University ’97MBA, Texas A&M University ’86
BS, Journalism, Texas A&M University ’82
Research Interest
Leadership, Professional B2B Selling, Sales Leadership, StrategyCourses Taught
MKTG 689 Strategic Sales LeadershipMKTG 436 Strategic Sales Leadership
Biography
Dr. Eli Jones is a distinguished academic and business leader recognized for his exceptional contributions to the field of marketing, particularly in sales and sales leadership. He holds the titles of Dean Emeritus, professor of marketing, and Peggy Mays Eminent Scholar. From 2015 to 2021, he proudly served as the dean of Mays Business School at his alma mater, Texas A&M University. Dr. Jones’ impressive career includes serving as dean of three nationally ranked flagship business schools for 13 years (2008-2021). He has held the Peggy Mays Eminent Scholar Chair, the Sam M. Walton Leadership Chair, and the E. J. Ourso Distinguished Scholar Chair.
As an experienced leader and educator, Dr. Jones made indelible contributions as a faculty member at the University of Houston. After earning his Ph.D. at Texas A&M, he began his academic career as an assistant professor and, simultaneously, as the director of the Program for Excellence in Selling, which was in its infancy. Later, he advanced to associate professor with tenure, founded the Sales Excellence Institute, and then to full professor and associate dean for Executive Education Programs, all at the Bauer College of Business (1997-2008).
Dr. Jones has a distinguished research record, with more than 50 publications in leading peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Marketing, the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Management Science, the Journal of Applied Psychology, and the Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management. He has also co-authored influential professional books, including Selling ASAP: Art, Science, Agility, and Performance; Strategic Sales Leadership: Breakthrough Thinking for Breakthrough Results; and his most recent book, Making Differences Work, co-authored with the co-founder and CEO of a major human resources outsourcing company. Jones also solo-authored Run Toward Your Goliaths, which explores his and his wife’s faith journey and Jones’ career path from being a first-generation college graduate to the leader of several sales teams and three nationally ranked business schools, all while being a husband and father. The book is meant to inspire others seeking to overcome life’s challenges. This book was followed by the Run Toward Your Goliaths Study Guide.
His dedication to teaching has earned him numerous Excellence in Teaching awards at the university, national, and international levels, including winning the Texas A&M Association of Former Students Teaching Award while pursuing his Ph.D. He has taught various courses, including strategic selling, advanced professional selling, key accounts selling, sales leadership, and marketing strategy at the undergraduate, MBA, Ph.D., and executive education levels.
Before beginning his academic career, Dr. Jones gained valuable industry experience in sales and sales management at three Fortune 500 companies. Currently, he serves on the boards of the American Marketing Association (AMA), First Financial Bankshares, Inc., Insperity, and the Invesco Funds Complex. Dr. Jones has received several prestigious awards and recognitions for his contributions to the field. In 2016, he was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the AMA’s Sales Special Interest Group for his sustained contributions to the sales and sales management discipline. In 2021, he received recognition from Savoy magazine and the Aggie Impact Award for his global impact on his community and profession. In 2022, he received the prestigious AMA-Irwin-McGraw-Hill Distinguished Marketing Educator Award and was named an AMA Fellow for his distinguished service and outstanding contributions to marketing education. In the same year, the Academy of Marketing Science awarded him the Distinguished Educator Award. In 2024, Jones received another Distinguished Scholar Award, this time from the Society for Marketing Advances, for meritorious contributions to the marketing discipline and career longevity. He was recognized as a Mays Business School Outstanding Doctoral Alumnus in 2009 and received the Mays Outstanding Alumni Award in 2022. Dr. Jones is a proud three-time graduate of Texas A&M University, holding a Ph.D., an MBA, and a Bachelor of Science in Journalism.
