UAH and Keel Point Launch $100,000 Professorship in Family Wealth, Welcome Dr. Frank Mullins
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (August 1, 2025) – The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) College of Business has partnered with Keel Point, a leading independent wealth advisory firm, to establish the $100,000 Keel Point Professorship in Family Wealth. The collaboration, celebrated on July 9, 2025, at UAH’s Business Administration Building, marks a significant step in advancing business education and research in Huntsville. Dr. Frank Mullins, a distinguished researcher and educator, returns to UAH to serve as the inaugural professor, starting in the fall 2025 semester.
This strategic partnership underscores UAH’s commitment to fostering innovation in business education and aligns with Keel Point’s mission to empower families through wealth management. The initiative is poised to enhance Huntsville’s reputation as a hub for academic and economic growth, attracting top talent and prospective students to the region.
A Milestone Partnership for UAH and Keel Point
During the check presentation ceremony, UAH and Keel Point leaders highlighted the transformative potential of the professorship. “The Keel Point Professorship in Family Wealth is important and impactful,” said UAH President Dr. Charles Karr. “When you have a name like Keel Point associated with UAH, it’s a stamp of approval, not just for our faculty but also for prospective students and other faculty members we’re trying to recruit. We really appreciate this, and we’re excited about joining with you and serving this role. Certainly, we are extremely excited that Dr. Mullins will be serving as the inaugural Keel Point Professor in Family Wealth.”
Dr. Jason Greene, dean of the College of Business, emphasized the role of such partnerships in elevating UAH’s academic offerings. “Getting great faculty to work with our students, to mentor them, to teach them, that’s really important, and professorships are a key component of that,” Greene said. “We partner with those in our community to build innovation in business and business education. I think this professorship really exemplifies that kind of partnership and that kind of collaboration.”
Keel Point CEO Robert C. Mayes, a UAH alumnus, expressed pride in the collaboration. “I’m very fortunate to work among 80 men and women who have an incredible heart and a desire to care for clients,” Mayes said. “We serve over 1,200 families, mainly throughout the southeast United States, and 30 or more of those families require family office services. We have to help these clients be able to harness their wealth to live with peace and purpose, and that, to us, is total alignment with the research and innovation that you, Dr. Mullins, bring to UAH. We’re excited to be a part of this, and we simply say, ‘Welcome home.’”
Dr. Frank Mullins: A Homecoming and a Visionary Leader
Dr. Frank Mullins’ return to UAH is a homecoming for the Huntsville native, who earned his undergraduate degree at Oakwood University before working at IBM and obtaining his Ph.D. from Syracuse University. Mullins joined UAH’s faculty in 2017, left briefly in 2023 to teach at the University of Rhode Island, and returned in summer 2024 to take on this prestigious role.
Greene praised Mullins’ academic achievements, noting his publication of over 10 articles, including five in a journal on the Financial Times’ Top 50 list. “That speaks to the influence of his research and the recognition that it gets,” Greene said. “He’s also been a guest editor for the journal Human Resource Management on that Top 50 list. That’s a privilege very few academics get, and it’s in recognition of his leadership in the field.” Greene also highlighted Mullins’ teaching excellence, citing positive student evaluations.
For Mullins, the professorship represents the culmination of a bold career decision made two decades ago. “It was 20 years ago this month that I left a promising career as a future HR executive at IBM to pursue a dream of becoming a business professor,” Mullins recalled. “Now that I’ve had the opportunity to reflect on my career, I’ve come to the conclusion that this risk that I took proved to be worth it.
“I found that not only was I educating students, but I was inspiring students as well. Not only was I producing research or publishing articles, I was also impacting organizations. Not only was I sitting on committees, but I was also influencing policy and practice in both academic and professional settings. While I found these activities to be personally rewarding, I never imagined I would one day merit an honor such as this. Yet, here I stand, and for this I am extremely grateful.”
Mullins expressed gratitude to Keel Point and UAH leadership, specifically acknowledging Mayes and Greene. “To Robert Mayes, I would like to personally and publicly thank you for your gift and for believing in my research, which places a strong emphasis on family businesses and broad-based employee ownership. I look forward to partnering with you and the Keel Point team in the months and years to come,” he said. “To Jason Greene, my dean, I would like to thank you for your persistence and efforts in helping to make this happen.”
Mullins also credited his family—wife Dr. Maquisha Mullins, children Jared, Darin, and Caleb, and mother Deborah Mullins—as well as his faith, for his success. Closing with a nod to UAH’s spirit, he declared, “Go Chargers!”
Driving Economic and Academic Growth in Huntsville
The Keel Point Professorship in Family Wealth is expected to bolster UAH’s College of Business by supporting cutting-edge research and mentorship in family business and wealth management. Mullins’ focus on family businesses and employee ownership aligns with Huntsville’s growing economy, where small and family-owned enterprises play a vital role.
This initiative also strengthens ties between UAH and local industry leaders like Keel Point, fostering collaborations that drive innovation and economic development. As Huntsville continues to attract businesses and talent, such partnerships position the city as a leader in business education and wealth management expertise.
For more information about UAH’s College of Business, visit uah.edu/business. To learn about Keel Point’s wealth advisory services, visit keelpoint.com.
