Sylvia Maxfield joined the Providence College School of Business (PCSB) in 2012 after a distinguished career in higher education, at Simmons College and Yale University, and on Wall Street. During her time at the PCSB, she has built both a physical home for the school – the Ryan Center for Business Studies – as well as a robust framework for strategically improving the PCSB. 

 

Under Dr. Maxfield’s leadership, the PCSB developed innovative programs that define the student experience, including the Ethics in Business Education program, the Friar Leadership & Immersion program, new career tracks, and an increased focus on analytical skills, both applied and theorical. Opportunities for experiential learning have multiplied through Dr. Maxfield’s encouragement. The PCSB has seen greater participation in regional and national competitions, more internships, a doubling of student-led business clubs, and an increase in undergraduate fellowships. 

 

Dr. Maxfield is a thought-leader in the intersection of finance and society, exploring how, when, and why financial markets and institutions serve the public interest. She expounds on this interest through research and scholarly writing on the topic, as well as by translating her research for non-academic audiences. In addition, she serves as a board member for the State Investment Commission of Rhode Island and for Berkshire Bank, which focuses on community banking in under-served neighborhoods. 

 

Dr. Maxfield is a graduate of Cornell’s School of Arts and Sciences and earned her M.A. and Ph.D. degrees at Harvard University. She is fluent in Spanish and has lived or worked in virtually every country in Central and South America. She has three adult children and is a resident of Boston, Mass., and Jamestown, R.I. 

strategic plan and the need for a process evaluation. The purpose of the strategic plan follow-up was to create incentives for continuous improvement, data on the impact of activities, and information for decision-making. To this end, key revisions were made to our mission, vision, and plan that reflect our capacity (intellectual and physical), culture, and aspirations. To anchor the new mission, vision, and strategic goals, Dean Casson inaugurated the following “Pillars of Thought”:

1. IDENTIFY AND STRENGTHEN THE COLLEGE OF BUSINESS’ STRATEGIC COMPETITIVENESS. Focus on identifying and building strategic/selective areas of expertise to sustain our relevance and competitiveness and to help strengthen and diversify regional economic sectors, thus contributing to the communities’ and regions’ economic development and global competitiveness.
2. SERVE REGIONAL HUMAN CAPITAL AND WORKFORCE NEEDS. Consider human capital development to mean the cultivation of intellect, general knowledge, career/occupation skills, life / civic responsibility, and global citizenship—and encompassing diverse populations (age, race, and ethnicity) served directly or indirectly.
3. CONTRIBUTE TO THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF THE COMMUNITY AND PEOPLE THE COB SERVES. Share responsibility with many other organizations in DSU’s communities and regions for achieving health, wellness, and social well-being of people and communities.
4. ENGAGE IN REGIONAL INNOVATION ECOSYSTEMS. Help create and be active in an interconnected, regional ecosystem (formal framework of knowledge, services, capital, and resources) that supports innovation-based economic development and comprises elements provided by the government, business, industry, not-for-profit, and institutional collaborators.
5. WE ARE STUDENTS OF PROBLEMS, NOT DISCIPLINES. Create an academic environment that fosters interdisciplinary approaches to solving the challenges faced by today’s society.

Dean Casson captured this transformational change in mission, vision, and thought by establishing the Office of Student Engagement (OSE). The OSE was created to provide targeted co- and extra-curricular programming to business school students during the 80% of the time they are outside the classroom. OSE has been a trailblazer in this area and has garnered unprecedented private and public sector support for such innovative initiatives as the Executive POD (Pipeline of Diversity) Mentoring program and DEEP (Delaware Executive Exchange Program) Day. This strategic initiative was developing concurrently with Dean Casson’s Place-Making strategy. Dean Casson’s Place-Making strategy entailed creating a “Learn, Work, Play” environment that transformed the COB’s building into a shared workspace and community lounge environment inviting students, faculty, and staff to engage in healthy and stimulating discussions outside of the classroom.

To uniquely complement the Place-Making strategy, Dean Casson, in partnership with corporate partner Rap Snacks, impelled the development of Innovation Café (iCafé). iCafé’s mission is to provide educational, experiential, and collaborative café space that develops and fosters food entrepreneurship, product development/design, health and wellness, and sustainability.

Moreover, the iCafé serves as the innovation “water cooler” for our community of creators and entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Driven by the philosophy that, “It is better to create a job than find a job.” Dean Casson has uniquely spearheaded public-private partnerships, which have created a robust entrepreneurial ecosystem starting with a revised innovative and student mission for the College’s traditional outreach arm, the Delaware Center for Enterprise Development. Additionally, Dean Casson has instituted a one-of-a-kind ideation, innovation, and maker’s space called the Garage. The Garage, driven by the Thought Pillar - “Student of Problems, Not Disciplines,” leverages the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals to drive global awareness and solutions to the world’s most challenging problems.

Moreover, and in line with COB’s community engagement thought pillar, Dean Casson, in partnership with NCALL LLC, has extended the entrepreneurial ecosystem into Downtown Dover, DE (a socially and economically distressed community) via the establishment of the Center for Urban Revitalization and Entrepreneurship (CURE). The mission of CURE is to create a shared workspace to cultivate and invest in community development and entrepreneurs and inspire community collaboration for economic growth. Additionally, Dean Casson has ensured the COB and University’s place in the regional innovation ecosystem via our inclusion in the NSF I-Corps Diverse Emerging Entrepreneurial Partnership (DEEP) Tech Hub. This groundbreaking Hub represents a $15M investment by NSF with DSU’s COB charged with leading the Hub’s effort in bringing diverse communities to the ecosystem.

Finally, Dean Casson has spurred the creation and revitalization of Centers of Excellence that uniquely leverages and deploys the human and physical capital of the COB for community and economic development in regional economies. This is evidenced by the impactful work conducted by the Center for Financial Innovation and Technology (CFIT) and the most recent partnership with the Charles Schwab Foundation to launch the College’s Financial Literacy Institute (FLi).

As executive vice president and chief accreditation officer for AACSB, Bryant is a part of AACSB’s executive leadership team and provides vision, leadership, and oversight of AACSB’s accreditation-related services, including the coordination of nearly 550 volunteers from business schools and businesses who play an essential role in helping schools achieve their mission through accreditation. As an established thought leader, Bryant acts as a spokesperson and advocate for the advancement of quality business and accounting education and engages business stakeholders to help business schools prepare future leaders with the right skills and mindset to lead in a changing, diverse, and global world.

Before joining AACSB in 2017, Bryant served as dean of the College of Business at Missouri State University. Under her leadership, the AACSB-accredited school rose to become the 34th largest college of business in the United States. During her tenure, enrollment grew by 890 students to 5,500 students, making it one of the largest colleges of business at any public university in the central Midwest. Previously, she was director of the University of South Florida’s School of Accountancy, overseeing a program of nearly 1,000 undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral accounting students. With over two decades of experience as a professor and in college administration, she is a highly respected researcher and scholar. Her area of academic specialty is information technology security and control, and she has coauthored two textbooks and more than 30 academic articles. She is actively involved in civic and community activities, including Beta Alpha Psi, an honor organization for financial information students and professionals, and the American Accounting Association.

Bryant received her PhD and BS in accounting from Louisiana State University and is a Louisiana CPA (inactive). A proven leader, innovator, and global thinker, Bryant was the 2016–17 chair of the AACSB Accounting Accreditation Committee (AAC), previously served as a member of the 2016–18 AACSB Board of Directors, the AACSB Committee on Accreditation Policy (CAP) and the AACSB Accounting Accreditation Task Force.

Mark V. Anquillare was the president and chief operating officer of Verisk Analytics through January 2023. Verisk (Nasdaq: VRSK) is a leading strategic data analytics and technology partner to the global insurance industry. It empowers clients to strengthen operating efficiency, improve underwriting and claims outcomes, combat fraud and make informed decisions about global risks, including climate change, extreme events, ESG and political issues. Through advanced data analytics, software, scientific research and deep industry knowledge, Verisk helps build global resilience for individuals, communities and businesses. 

While at Verisk, Mark was responsible for executing the company’s strategic and operational plans. He brings more than 30 years of financial and executive leadership—developing and implementing the company’s short-and long-term plans and executing its vision. Mark’s deep experience in the insurance industry and focus on driving growth, combined with his analytical and data-focused perspective, kept Verisk at the forefront of the changes shaping the industry. His passion for innovation and smart investments in technology moved the company forward. 

Mark served as Verisk’s CFO starting in 2007 through 2016. He led company’s efforts through the IPO in 2009, including preparing SEC filings, financial statements (10Q and 10K) and ensuring Sarbanes-Oxley compliance. Since 2016, he’s served as Verisk’s COO and led the company’s insurance vertical. Through these roles, he’s been instrumental in growing the company’s insurance vertical and aligning the company’s enterprise risk assessment and management with its core operations. 

His earlier Verisk positions include controller from 2000 to 2007 and director of financial systems from 1992 to 2000. Before joining Verisk, Mark worked at Prudential Financial, focusing on life insurance and property and casualty operations.

Mark holds an MBA from the Rutgers Business School and a BBA from the University of Notre Dame and is a Fellow of the Life Management Institute (FLMI).

Ian O. Williamson is dean of The UCI Paul Merage School of Business. During his 22-year career, Williamson has served on several academic committees and on the boards of directors for a variety of nonprofit organizations. In addition, he has provided expert insights in the areas of organizational innovation and employee recruitment and retention to executives in more than 20 countries across six continents for companies such as CBRE, PwC, Lockheed Martin, Nestle and Accenture. 

Sabyasachi “Saby” Mitra, Dean of the University of Florida Warrington College of Business began his tenure on August 1, 2020. Dean Mitra received his doctorate in business administration (management science) from the University of Iowa in 1990, and his Bachelor of Technology degree in mechanical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur, India in 1985.

Dean Mitra came to UF Warrington College of Business from Georgia Tech where he served as Senior Associate Dean of Faculty and Research from 2019-2020, and prior to that senior associate dean of programs from 2015 to 2019.  Saby held other positions at Georgia Tech for 27 years with extensive background in administration and scholarly work in information technology, electronic commerce and online search.  

Dean Mitra’s research interests include IT security management, online consumer search, innovation in technology industries, the digital divide, IT outsourcing, IT governance, as well as areas of design science including optimization and artificial intelligence methods for IT infrastructure design and cloud computing. His research has appeared in top journals, including “Information Systems Research”, “Management Science”, “Journal of Marketing”, “MIS Quarterly” and “Journal of Management Information Systems.” He previously served as senior editor and associate editor of “Information Systems.

Jake Cohen is Senior Associate Dean for Undergraduate and Master’s Programs and Senior Lecturer in Accounting and Law. He oversees MIT Sloan’s portfolio of degree programs, as well as the Offices of Admissions, Student Life, and Career Development. 

From 2008 to 2011, Jake was Dean of the MBA Program at INSEAD, directing strategy and operations for campuses in France, Singapore, and Abu Dhabi. Under his leadership, INSEAD expanded its degree programs and received its highest rankings ever.  Prior to serving as dean, Jake served as director of the INSEAD-PricewaterhouseCoopers Research Initiative on High Performance Organizations, the school’s largest research center.

In 2012, he spent his post-deanship sabbatical teaching financial management as a Judge Fellow at Cambridge University Judge Business School and as a Research Fellow studying CSR and ESG reporting at Oxford University’s Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment.

Jake started his academic career as a Senior Teaching Fellow at Harvard Business School in the Accounting & Management Group where he taught MBAs and in Exec Ed programs.  

Jake holds a JD in corporate law from Syracuse University, an MS in accounting from Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University, and a BS in accounting from Lehigh University. He has completed six executive certificates at Harvard Business School, the AVIRA certificate, for senior-level executives, at INSEAD, and the Leader to Leader (L2L) program at MIT. 

As an academic, he has consulted for a number of organizations including: BCG; Bain; Blackstone; ArcelorMittal; Schlumberger; L3Harris, Accenture, and BMO Capital and is a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Tsinghua University’s Schwarzman Scholars Program.   

William “Bill” Boulding is an accomplished scholar with a passion for helping advance business as a force for good. 

Bill has advocated at the top levels of government, industry and academia for ways that enable business to improve society. His passionate belief in creating future business leaders who have the ability to bring people who are very different together to work toward a common goal led to the school’s number-one ranking by Bloomberg Businessweek in 2014. He is a sought-after expert by the media on leadership trends and the qualities needed to succeed today, and has been interviewed by CNBC, Bloomberg, the Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times, among others. He shares his insights regularly on LinkedIn and was named a Top Voice on the platform in 2016. He also writes for Fortune and Harvard Business Review.

Bill is currently chair of the Board of Directors of Duke Corporate Education, board member of The New York Climate Exchange, and serves on Swarthmore College’s Board of Managers.

Bill has a research interest in evaluating how managers make decisions and how consumers respond. His recent work focuses on the domain of health care, examining the role of the patient experience, clinical adherence to standards and managerial activity in determining the quality of delivered care. His work has been widely published in a number of journals and Bill has been the recipient of numerous research and teaching awards. 

Bill received his BA in Economics from Swarthmore College and his PhD in Managerial Sciences and Applied Economics from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

Alexander Triantis became the third dean of Johns Hopkins Carey Business School in 2019. He has built a reputation throughout his career as a strong, personable, and pragmatic leader skilled at building consensus around a strategic vision.  

During his tenure as Carey’s dean, the school has revised and launched several programmatic initiatives, including its full-time MBA with emphasis in the fields of health, technology, innovation, leadership and business analytics; a distinctive flex MBA program allowing for specializations and dual degrees within the stellar Johns Hopkins University system; new programs for working professionals;  

and the Women and Leadership Academy. Additionally, Carey has achieved gender parity in its overall student body and across most of its programs, and has advanced its comprehensive and ambitious commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.  

Prior to joining Carey Business School, Triantis served as dean of the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland from 2013 to 2019, and chair of the Finance Department from 2006 to 2011. Previously, he was a visiting scholar at MIT’s Sloan School of Management, and an assistant and associate professor of finance at the University of Wisconsin. Triantis received his PhD in industrial engineering (with a specialization in finance) from Stanford University and his BASc and MEng degrees from the University of Toronto. 

An expert in the areas of corporate financial strategy and valuation, Triantis has published articles in numerous prestigious academic journals, served on several journal editorial boards, and has consulted and led training for many multinational corporations. Businessweek named Triantis an Outstanding Professor at the University of Wisconsin and the University of Maryland, and he is a two-time recipient of Maryland Smith’s top teaching award for faculty.

Triantis became vice chair and chair-elect of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business Board of Directors on July 1, 2022. He has also served as vice president for global services for the Financial Management Association International. 

GJ de Vreede serves as the interim dean for the Muma College of Business and a professor in the School of Information Systems and Management. He has taught undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and executive courses in areas such as agile software development, systems analysis and design, teamwork/facilitation and research methods.

His research focuses on AI, crowdsourcing, and collaboration engineering. His work has been cited over 10,000 times and appeared in journals such as the Journal of Management Information Systems, the Journal of the Association for Information Systems, Management Information Systems Quarterly Executive, Information & Management, Small Group Research, and the Communications of the ACM. Throughout his career, he has received more than $6.5 million in funding as (co)-principal investigator from federal, state, industry, military and private sources. His h-factor (51) places him in the all-time top-100 in his discipline. A Stanford University study identified him as a top 2% researcher worldwide across all fields of study, based on his career-long citation impact up until the end of 2020. In 2011, he received the GDN Section Award from the INFORMS Group Decision & Negotiation Section for accomplishments and contributions both to the research area of group decision and negotiation as well as to the INFORMS GDN section.

He received both a PhD and a MS in Information Systems from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands.