A closer look into the life and career of Dr. Charlene Kalenkoski, Dean of the School of Business & Communication and Professor at Mount St. Joseph University.
Dr. Charlene Kalenkoski, Ph.D., is the Dean of the School of Business & Communication at Mount St. Joseph University. She is also a professor who will bring her expertise to the classroom this spring, teaching microeconomics. Dr. Kalenkoski’s life started in Pennsylvania but her schooling and career have taken her to several states across the U.S. In addition to being the Dean of the School of Business & Communication at the Mount and a professor, she also has a lengthy list of research projects and publications.
Early Life & Career:
Charlene Kalenkoski grew up in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania. She earned her B.S., M.Phil., and Ph.D. in Economics from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. After completing her studies, Dr. Kalenkoski began her academic career at Ohio University, where she served as an Assistant and later Associate Professor of Economics. She then joined Texas Tech University as an Associate and later Full Professor of Personal Financial Planning, also directing the Ph.D. Program in that field. It was during that time that she gained her certified financial planner certification (CFP®). Most recently, she held the position of Department Head and Full Professor of Economics at James Madison University before moving on to her current role.
Cincinnati & the Mount:
Charlene moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, in the summer of 2025 to begin her role as Dean of the School of Business & Communication at Mount St. Joseph University. In addition to her duties as Dean, she will teach Intermediate Microeconomic Theory this spring. As Dean, Dr. Kalenkoski oversees curriculum development, faculty recruitment, strategic partnerships, and student-engagement initiatives. She also champions hands-on learning experiences—such as internships and student-run enterprises—that align with MSJ’s mission to develop competent professionals.
Charlene’s favorite courses she has taught in her previous academic positions are those that examined the unique role of women in the economy. She describes these as, “courses that applied microeconomic theory to women’s decisions about how they spend their time at home and in the workforce, and examined how various government and institutional policies affect women’s economic choices.” (Dr. Charlene Kalenkoski, Ph.D.)
Dr. Kalenkoski has an extensive list of research projects and publications. She will be presenting a paper titled “How Did Older Americans’ Time Use and Well-Being Change after the COVID-19 Pandemic?” coauthored with Leslie Stratton, Virginia Commonwealth University, at the Southern Economic Association Annual Meeting in November in Tampa, FL. She will also be presenting a paper titled “Weeding Out Labor? Marijuana Laws and the Time Use of Young Adults” coauthored with Sara McCarty, Samford University, and Tim Diette, Hampton Sydney University, at the Allied Social Sciences Association Annual Meeting in January in Philadelphia, PA.
When asked about her favorite publication she’s worked on, she references Kalenkoski, Charlene Marie and Thomas Korankye (2022), “Enriching Lives: How Spending Time with Pets Is Related to the Experiential Well-being of Older Americans,” Applied Research in Quality of Life, Vol. 17, pp. 489–510. She adds, “It is my favorite because it focused on how pets can enrich our lives, and I co-wrote the paper with one of my favorite Ph.D. students.”
Serving the Student Experience:
Dr. Charlene Kalenkoski has had an extensive career in higher education, serving at multiple universities in a variety of roles. She believes it is important to invest in student growth and success because students are the future. She recalls, “When I left my position as Ph.D. Program Director at Texas Tech University, I realized I was leaving a scholarly community that I helped build. I have maintained contact with many of these students and still engage with them professionally.”
Personal Life:
In Charlene’s personal time she enjoys spending time with her family. She also enjoys reading detective novels and historical fiction.
The School of Business at Mount St. Joseph University continues moving FORWARD thanks to leaders like Dr. Charlene Kalenkoski. Her extensive career in higher education, advanced degrees in economics from bachelor’s to Ph.D., significant research contributions, and deep commitment to student success all make her uniquely qualified to serve as Dean of the School of Business & Communication. Mount St. Joseph University is grateful for her leadership, dedication, and the lasting impact she has on students, faculty, and the campus community.
