Dr. Walter L. Sutton, an attorney with extensive experience in both the federal government and private industry, has been named special assistant to The University of Texas at Dallas President Dr. Franklyn G. Jenifer.
Sutton most recently served as deputy federal highway administrator in the Clinton administration. His other government duties included a term as associate administrator for policy in the Federal Highway Administration in Washington, D.C., and serving as deputy regional counsel for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Dallas.
Sutton has 19 years’ experience in the corporate law and government relations departments of such Fortune 500 companies as Fina Oil and Chemical, Texas Instruments, Tenneco Oil and Ford and was an attorney for three years with the Hughes & Luce law firm in Dallas. He also has taught at both UTD and Southern Methodist University.
“As the university continues to grow and its activities become both more numerous and more complex, we need someone with Dr. Sutton’s enormous expertise and experience to help coordinate the activities of the senior staff and the president’s office,” President Jenifer said. “Walter has exceptional organizational skills and will serve as chief of staff for the leadership team. I am very pleased that he is joining us.”
Sutton, who received a Ph.D. in management science from UTD in 1989, said he was “delighted” to be returning to the university where he earned his doctorate, “especially at a time when UTD is beginning to receive national recognition for excellence in a number of important areas.”
“UTD is a very, very good school that can only get better,” he said. “I am looking forward to making a contribution to that evolution.”
As part of Sutton’s responsibilities, Jenifer said, the special assistant also will oversee UTD’s initiatives in the area of cultural diversity.
Sutton has a B.S. in business administration degree from the University of Denver, a law degree from the University of Michigan Law School and an M.B.A. degree from the University of Dallas Graduate School of Management. He has been involved in numerous professional and community activities.
About UTD
The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart of the complex of major multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor, enrolls approximately 7,000 undergraduate and 5,000 graduate students. The school’s freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront of Texas state universities in terms of average SAT scores. The university offers a broad assortment of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs. For additional information about UTD, please visit the university’s Web site at www.utdallas.edu.