Source: Thomas A. Wright, 785-532-5672, thomaswr@k-state.edu
http://www.k-state.edu/media/mediaguide/bios/wrightbio.html
Photo available. Contact media@k-state.edu or 785-532-6415.
News release prepared by: Katie Mayes, 785-532-6415, kmayes@k-state.edu

Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009

K-STATE'S THOMAS A. WRIGHT NAMED A FELLOW OF THE AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION

MANHATTAN -- Thomas A. Wright, Kansas State University's Jon Wefald Leadership Chair in Business Administration, has been named a Fellow of the American Psychological Association.

To become a Fellow, individuals must have made outstanding contributions to the field of psychology and that person's work must have had national impact on the field of psychology.

In addition to the American Psychological Association, Wright is a Fellow of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology and the Association for Psychological Science. He is the first K-State scholar to achieve Fellow status in each of these three prestigious professional organizations, an honor thought to belong to only about 80 people worldwide.

"It is truly an honor to be recognized by election to Fellow status in the American Psychological Association," Wright said. "One way for K-State to achieve a top 100 or even top 50 national academic ranking is to attract and retain scholars who are widely recognized by their peers. It was truly humbling to learn that many top-tier schools do not have scholars who have achieved Fellow status in all three organizations. I am very proud to bring this positive recognition to K-State."

At K-State, Wright is a professor of management and is director of the College of Business Administration's Center for Character-based Leadership.

He is best known for his innovative thinking on psychological well-being, which can affect job performance and turnover. He has been published in many of the leading business and social science journals, and has been widely cited by print, radio and television outlets including Time magazine, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, USA Today, New York Daily News, Science Daily, Science Week and many others. The winner of many teaching and research awards, he also has served as associate editor for two leading management journals, the Journal of Management and the Journal of Organizational Behavior.

Wright joined K-State in 2007. He earned his doctorate in organizational behavior and industrial relations from the University of California at Berkeley.