Veteran financial journalist and author Alan Deutschman has been named Reynolds Endowed Chair in Business Journalism at the Donald W. Reynolds School of Journalism at the University of Nevada, Reno, the school announced on Wednesday.

Deutschman, 45, has covered Silicon Valley and other business topics for years. He was Fortune's Silicon Valley bureau chief from 1992-95. He also wrote about Silicon Valley and other subjects for GQ, New York Magazine, Fast Company and Vanity Fair. One of Deutschman's four books, “The Second Coming of Steve Jobs,” was about Silicon Valley, and he is at work on a major new book about the valley.

Deutschman also has written for TheDailyBeast.com and for Salon.com.

“With more than 20 years of experience in business journalism, Alan will be a boon for our students,” said Jerry Ceppos, dean of the Reynolds School. “And his deep knowledge of Silicon Valley will help us move closer to world leaders in technology who are only 45 minutes away by air and should be involved with our school.”

Deutschman will teach business and other journalism courses beginning in January, develop a program in business journalism and research contemporary issues in the subject. Some of the courses will emphasize the coming “green economy” because of its importance to Nevada.

“I'm excited by the opportunity to build a program in business journalism at a time when global business is undergoing dizzying change driven by the upheavals of the digital revolution and the challenges of sustainability,” Deutschman said. “The Reynolds School's innovative culture and its puddle-hop proximity to Silicon Valley make it an ideal place to study these historic shifts as they're taking place.”

In addition to writing about Silicon Valley, Deutschman also has established a reputation for expertise in leadership and change. The Wall Street Journal called his 2009 book, “Walk the Walk: The #1 Rule for Real Leaders,” an “engaging reminder of some leadership basics that aren't necessarily taught in business school.” The Miami Herald and Strategy + Business magazine both named “Walk the Walk” one of the best business books of 2009. LeadershipNow.com called it one of the best leadership books of 2009.

AudioFile said that the audio version of Deutschman's 2007 book, “Change or Die,” features strategies that “are innovative and seamlessly supported by riveting business stories.” “Change or Die” has been translated into Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Italian and Indonesian.

Deutschman has taught a leadership course at Emory University in Atlanta, Ga., and lectured widely on the subject, including speeches at General Electric's executive training center in Crotonville, N.Y., and keynote addresses to leadership conferences for organizations such as National Public Radio.

Deutschman and his wife, the novelist Susan Rebecca White, author of “Bound South,” will move from Atlanta to Reno. Deutschman succeeds the university’s first chair in business journalism, David Morrow, who died in February.

The Donald W. Reynolds Foundation granted more than $2.2 million to the school in 2008 to develop courses in business journalism. Deutschman will work with Reynolds business chairs at Washington & Lee University, the University of Missouri and Arizona State University and with the Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism at ASU on articles, research projects and training seminars.