Professor Porter has enjoyed a long career in social science research, university teaching, and as an executive in government, universities, and business.

Professor Porter was born in the U.S. state of Idaho.  He graduated with B.S. and M.A. degrees from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, and received the Ph.D. degree in political science from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University in the state of New York.

His first academic appointments were at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, and the University of California Riverside (UCR).  While at UCR, he undertook two special assignments.  In the first (1972-73), he was named a Public Administration Fellow, American Society for Public Administration, working in Washington D.C. at the U.S. Office of Management and Budget and the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare.  During the second, he was appointed a Research Fellow at the International Institute of Management, Science Center Berlin in West Berlin, Federal Republic of Germany (1975-77).  His research contributed to inter-organizational theory, education policy, housing policy, and active labor market policy.

On returning from Berlin, Professor Porter served on the faculties of George Washington University and the University of Texas at Austin.

Professor Porter made the decision in 1980 to engage in practical politics and government administration.  He was campaign manager for the first campaign by Richard Stallings for the U.S. Congress.  Congressman Stallings served three terms (six years).  Professor Porter was appointed Director of the Idaho Department of Commerce by Idaho Governor John V. Evans, and served from 1983 to 1986.  As director, Professor Porter’s primary responsibilities were to promote economic development and tourism.  He was often the Governor's representative in negotiating the expansion and relocation of businesses into Idaho.  He also took the lead for the State in hosting international government and business delegations.

In 1986 Professor Porter resumed his academic career as the dean of the School of Business and Public Administration at California State University San Bernardino.  Under his leadership, the School designed and developed a five-story building for classrooms, faculty offices, and research centers.  The School also upgraded its faculty and curricular resources as part of their successful effort to gain accreditation from the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).  In 1993 Professor Porter was appointed Dean of the School of Management at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, a position he held for four years.

In 1997 Professor Porter chose to refocus his professional efforts on university teaching, delivering courses in organization theory, organizational behavior, international business and small business creation and management.

Professor Porter will combine his duties as Dean of the Kochi International Business School with a major new research project.  Professor Porter is currently a Visiting Scholar at the Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana.  His research is a fundamental effort to apply management research and theory, drawn from the three fields of business administration, public administration, and education administration to the processes of coordinating the coproduction of educational services in American elementary and secondary schools.