Fayetteville, Ark. - Matthew A. Waller, an associate professor in marketing and logistics, has been appointed the Oren Harris Chair in Logistics in the Sam M. Walton College of Business, University of Arkansas.

"We are excited to make this appointment. Dr. Waller has had an outstanding record not only in leading-edge logistics research, but also in his work with private industry," Dean Doyle Z. Williams said.

Thomas Jensen, Wal-Mart Lecturer in Retailing and chair of the marketing and logistics department, said: "Matt Waller is a respected researcher in inventory management including, for example, forecasting, replenishment and safety stock as it relates to customer satisfaction. He brings his knowledge of logistics modeling and his business experience into his classes at the undergraduate, graduate and executive levels. Matt does a great job in bridging the gap between academic theory and applied business practices."

Waller joined the Walton College in 1994 where he teaches logistics and supply chain management. He received a B.S., summa cum laude, from the University of Missouri and an M.S. and a Ph.D. from The Pennsylvania State University. His research focuses on replenishment, forecasting, and consumer products supply chain management. He is often involved in projects to improve supply chain management processes at leading consumer products companies.

His research has been published over the past 14 years in journals such as Decision Sciences, Journal of Business Logistics, Journal of the Operational Research Society, Transportation Journal, International Journal of Production Economics and many others. He is an inventor on a patent issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, involving replenishment, assortment and space optimization: Waller, M.A. and Dulaney, E.F. System, Method and Article of Manufacture to Optimize Inventory and Merchandising Shelf Space Utilization, Patent No. US 6,341,269 B1: Date of Patent Jan. 22, 2002.

In 1970, the Arkansas Transportation Commission established the Oren Harris Chair in Transportation. In 1999, the endowment was divided into two chairs to establish the Oren Harris Chair in Logistics. Walton College faculty member John D. Ozment, professor in marketing and logistics, currently holds the Oren Harris Chair in Transportation.

Oren Harris was a nationally recognized leader and contributor in the field of transportation. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 1940 and subsequently reelected to Congress for 13 terms, representing the Fourth District of Arkansas for over 25 years. On January 3, 1957, he became chair of the committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce in the House of Representatives. Upon appointment by President Lyndon B. Johnson, Harris began serving as United States District Judge in early 1966. He became chief judge of the Western District of Arkansas and served on the executive and budget committees of the Judicial Conference of the United States.