Dena Cox, Professor Emeritus of Marketing, and Anthony D. Cox, Professor Emeritus of Marketing
Kelley Biz Blog: How did you meet?
Professor Dena Cox: Tony and I were both assistant professors at Georgia State when we met. Our offices were next to each other, and we became friends and eventually started dating. We had a very small, non-traditional wedding, and a big party in Atlanta six months later, followed by a honeymoon in Maine.
Kelley Biz Blog: How did you both end up working at Kelley Indianapolis?
Professor Dena Cox: We were both hired at the same time as assistant professors at Kelley in 1988. We came to Indianapolis with two young boys, a one year old and an 8 year old. We were hired and both received tenure in the Kelley Bloomington Marketing department. Back then, we did not have the current system we do now (Indianapolis as a separate unit).
Kelley Biz Blog: Are you able to conduct research or work on specific projects together?
Professor Dena Cox: Because Tony had an undergraduate degree in history and I had a master’s degree in microbiology, we approached research differently. We have worked together almost exclusively while at Kelley. When we first arrived, the Kelley Indianapolis faculty was very small with very few research colleagues, so we worked together. Later, we started collaborating with researchers in the IU School of Medicine. We generally talk about the project, jointly generate hypotheses and map out the design of the study. From there, I usually take the lead in writing the questionnaire, gathering the data and taking a first look at the data. I generally write up the first draft of the paper, and Tony does additional analysis to fine tune it as he is such a good writer.
Kelley Biz Blog: What is your favorite thing about the Kelley School?
Professor Dena Cox: Kelley has provided us with many opportunities to conduct our research and present it around the world. For that, we are grateful.
(This blog was posted in 2017 and updated in 2019 and 2020.)