Before assuming his current position, Cal Kent was Vice President for Technology Commercialization and began the Institute for Entrepreneurial Advances (IDEA) that began the commercialization of science and technology at Marshall University. He also served as Dean and Distinguished Professor at the Lewis College of Business for ten years. During that time, the business school received international accreditation, placing it among the top 20 percent of the nation's business programs.

Cal Kent came to Marshall University from Washington, D. C. where he was appointed by the first President Bush and unanimously confirmed by the Senate as Administrator of the Energy Information Administration of the US Department of Energy. In addition to an extensive background in energy, Dr. Kent is one of the nation's best known economic and entrepreneurship educators.

Prior to his stay in Washington, he held the Herman Lay Chair in Private Enterprise at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, where he founded and directed the Center for Private Enterprise and the National Center for Entrepreneurship Education, and was an adjunct professor at Baylor's School of Law. Recognized by 20 outstanding teaching awards, he was named one of the ten outstanding college teachers in Texas in 1988. The only individual twice elected President of the National Association of Economic Educators, he also holds Freedom Foundation's Highest honor, the Leavey Award for Excellence in Private Enterprise Education and the John Schramm Distinguished Service Award from the National Council on Economic Education.

Before his work at Baylor, he was Chief Economist to the South Dakota Legislative Research Council and Professor of Economics at the University of South Dakota. He initiated seven businesses and has consulted for over 100 corporations. He has lectured at 57 American universities and on campuses in 10 other nations.  He has received seven outstanding teacher awards.

He has been Mayor of Woodway, Texas, President of the Vermillion, South Dakota City Council. He is a former chair of the Huntington, West Virginia City Council, sits on the Tri-State Airport Authority and Huntington Municipal Development Authority, and served as vice chair of the Governor's Commission on Fair Taxation.

His undergraduate degree is from Baylor, His Ph.D. is from the University of Missouri-Columbia with post doctorate work at Virginia, Chicago, Rice and Wichita State Universities. Listed in Who's Who in America, he has written 18 books and over 150 articles. He and his wife, Nita Sue, have two grown daughters, three grandsons, and one brand new granddaughter.