Event Speakers

Candice M. Alfonso is the State’s Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) and Director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) in the Department of the Treasury. As CDO, Candice monitors the State's public contracting process for participation by minority, women, veteran, disabled veteran, and LGBTQIA+ -owned business focusing on ways to execute strategies targeted toward greater utilization of XBE business enterprises. As CDO and Director of ODI, Candice also conducts outreach to XBE business enterprises and other entities regarding awareness of public contracting opportunities. Additionally, she is responsible for managing the final phase of the statewide disparity study to completion, reviewing the final report and collaborating with stakeholders to create a strategic plan to increase contracting opportunities based on the study's findings.

Prior to her role as CDO, Candice served as Chief of Staff of the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (NJHMFA), overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Agency, information technology systems, operations and facilities management, human capital management, marketing, budgeting and strategic planning along with other duties essential to the efficient administration of the Agency. Prior to her appointment as Chief of Staff, Candice staffed the Governor's Office of Economic Growth as a Senior Advisor for Economic Development where she helped business and industry navigate through the economic challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, advising the Governor directly on a number of important policies that impacted industry and all New Jerseyans. She also played a significant role in the Administration's successful effort to bring the 2026 FIFA World Cup™ to the New Jersey/New York region. Central to her duties was the consideration of equity and inclusion presented in the State's winning bid strategy. Candice has remained part of the Administration's World Cup team throughout her tenure with the NJHMFA and in her role as CDO in Treasury.

Candice has over 20 years of multi-disciplinary leadership experience and has served in all three branches of State government, including serving in the Judiciary as the AOC’s Deputy Compact Administrator and Chief of Interstate representing both adult and juvenile Interstate Compacts. Candice holds a BA degree in Sociology from St. Lawrence University, a Master of Public Administration from New York University, and a Juris Doctor from Seton Hall University School of Law. She is licensed to practice law in New Jersey, New York, and the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. 

 

Paul Almeida is dean and William R. Berkley Chair at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. A member of the Georgetown community for more than two decades, Almeida has served Georgetown McDonough in a number of positions, including most recently as deputy dean for executive education and innovation and, prior to that, as senior associate dean for executive education. He also serves as a professor of strategy and international business.

Almeida’s strategy research focuses on innovation, knowledge management, alliances, and informal collaborations across organizations and countries. He is interested in understanding how knowledge builds across people and organizations and how this affects performance. He has published in and served on, the editorial boards of several leading journals. Almeida also previously was chair of the Technology and Innovation Management Division of the Academy of Management. He has received Georgetown’s Faculty Research Award and the Dean’s Service Award.

Almeida has taught students at all levels at Georgetown McDonough in the areas of strategy, international business, technology, and knowledge management. He has won the Joseph LeMoine Award for Graduate and Undergraduate Teaching Excellence, Best Professor Award for Executive Programs at Georgetown University, and is a seven-time winner of the Best Professor Award for Georgetown’s Executive MBA program.

Almeida received a Ph.D. in international business and strategy and an M.A. in applied economics and managerial science from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, a PGDM (MBA) from the Indian Institute of Management, and a B.E. in electrical engineering from the University of Poona, India. He is also the parent of two Georgetown graduates.

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).

Sandy Balkin is SVP Strategy and Analytics at Royalty Pharma where he is responsible for building and managing a cross-functional team charged with leveraging data to identify and support investment identification and valuation. Prior to joining Royalty Pharma, Sandy was Managing Director and Leader of the Truist Securities’ Data Science and Engineering research team developing capabilities in data science, machine learning and alternative data and integrating them into quantamental investment research. Over his career, he has built and led advanced business analytics functions at top pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Sanofi.

Sandy has a Ph.D. in Business Administration from Penn State University, a Master of Arts in Statistics from Penn State University, as well as a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Mathematics and Economics and Music from Lafayette College, where he graduated with honors. Sandy currently holds adjunct faculty positions at New York University and Columbia University.

Keith Banks is Vice Chair and Chief Investment Officer of the Pension and Benefits plan at Bank of America. Banks is responsible for all investment related matters for the pension, and defined contribution and deferred compensation plans. 

Banks is a member of Bank of America’s Chief Executive Officer’s Management Committee. Previously, he was a member of the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Committee, the Global Diversity & Inclusion Council and a member of the Bank of America’s Charitable Foundation Board.

Most recently, he was head of the Investment Solutions Group for four years, which supports Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, Bank of America Private Bank, Retirement & Personal Wealth Solutions, and Consumer Investments encompassing $4.2 trillion in client balances. Prior to being named Vice Chair in 2017, Banks served as president of U.S. Trust for nine years.

During his career at Bank of America, he has also served as president of the Global Wealth & Investment Management division and president and CIO of Columbia Management. He joined Bank of America in 2004, following FleetBoston Financial’s merger with the company. Prior to this, Banks held the roles of CIO and CEO of FleetBoston Financial’s asset management organization.

Before joining FleetBoston in 2000, Banks was a managing director and head of U.S. equity for JP Morgan Investment Management, during his 16 years at JP Morgan, Banks served as global head of equity research, head of U.S. equity research and as a portfolio manager and equity research analyst for the chemical and textile industries. Banks began his investment career as an equity analyst at Home Insurance in 1981.

Banks earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from Rutgers University. He graduated with high honors and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. In 2019, he was inducted into the Rutgers Hall of Distinguished Alumni. Banks also earned his MBA in finance from Columbia Business School. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst.

Banks is a member of Board of Advisors of Columbia University Irving Medical Center and Columbia Business School Board of Overseers. He is Vice Chair of the Hackensack Meridian Health Board of Trustees and is also on the Board of Directors of Lincoln Center and Red Apple Group Board. Previously, he was a member of the Rutgers Board of Governors.

He is a frequent commentator on CNBC, Fox Business and Bloomberg.

Thomas A. Bartlett is the President and Chief Executive Officer of American Tower Corporation. Mr. Bartlett joined American Tower in April 2009 as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. During his prior 25-year career with Verizon Communications and its predecessor companies and affiliates, he served in numerous corporate, operations and business development roles, including President and Chief Executive Officer of Bell Atlantic International Wireless, where he was responsible for wireless activities in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia. In addition, Mr. Bartlett served as CEO of Iusacell, a publicly traded, nationwide cellular company in Mexico; CEO of Verizon's Global Solutions Inc., a global connectivity business providing lit and dark fiber services primarily to global enterprises; and as an Area President for Verizon’s U.S. wireless business, responsible for all operational aspects of the business in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states. Mr. Bartlett also served as the Corporate Treasurer and Controller with Verizon Communications, Inc. He began his career at Deloitte, Haskins & Sells. Mr. Bartlett is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) Board of Governors, the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trust (NAREIT) Executive Committee and the Business Roundtable. He served on the Board of Directors of Equinix, Inc. from April, 2013 to August, 2021 where he served on the audit committee and was chair of the finance committee. He currently sits on the Samaritans advisory council, is on the Board of Advisors of the Rutgers Business School and is on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Presidential CEO Advisory Board. Mr. Bartlett is also an ordained Deacon in the NJ Diocese of the Episcopal church. He earned an M.B.A. from Rutgers University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from Lehigh University.

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.

Jeffrey R. Brown is Josef and Margot Lakonishok Professor of Business and Dean of the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois.  Dean Brown holds a PhD in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a Masters of Public Policy degree from Harvard University, and Bachelor’s degrees in Economics and Political Science from Miami University. He is a research associate of NBER, a faculty affiliate of the Institute on Government and Policy Affairs, and a fellow of the TIAA-CREF Institute. He previously served as the founding director of the Center for Business and Public Policy at the University of Illinois. 

Brown serves as a trustee for TIAA, a Fortune 100 financial services company.  He serves as Vice Chair of the Board of Managers of UI Singapore Research LLC. He is also a member of the advisory board for the Tax Policy Center, a joint initiative of the Brookings Institution and the Urban Institute. He previously served on the board of the American Risk and Insurance Association.

Prior to joining the Illinois faculty, Brown was an assistant professor of public policy at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. From 2001-2002, he served as senior economist at the White House Council of Economic Advisers. In 2001 he also served on the staff of the President’s Commission to Strengthen Social Security. In 2006, President Bush nominated, and the Senate confirmed, Brown as a member of the bipartisan Social Security Advisory Board.  He also served on the 2015 Social Security Technical Panel.

Brown has published extensively on public and private insurance markets, including articles in The American Economic Review, The Journal of Political Economy, The Journal of Finance, The Journal of Financial Economics, and numerous other journals and books. He is the recipient of the Lumina Award for Outstanding Research in Insurance and E-Commerce, the Paul A. Samuelson Award for Outstanding Scholarly Writing on Lifelong Financial Security, the ARIA Early Career Scholarly Achievement Award, and the RIIA Achievement in Applied Retirement Research Award. He was also named a University Scholar by the University of Illinois in 2011.

A respected educator and administrator, Charles A. Brown serves as Assistant Dean and Director of Community Engagement and Service Learning at Rutgers Business School – Newark and New Brunswick.

Prior to joining the staff in the Office of the Dean at Rutgers Business School (RBS), Charles A. Brown dedicated much of his career to working with K-12 school districts across New Jersey to improve educational opportunities for NJ youth. During this period, he also served in various leadership roles with Newark Public Schools, the Urban League of Essex County, New Jersey After 3, and Junior Achievement of New Jersey. In addition to overseeing Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access programs and initiatives at RBS, Brown is also responsible for enhancing RBS’s ability to attract students from historically under-represented and underserved backgrounds and

developing the leadership abilities of undergraduate and graduate students from this population. A staunch advocate for student-centric education and exposing students to new opportunities, Brown is involved with numerous student organizations and is an active and contributing member of various University strategic planning committees and boards. Born and raised in Newark, NJ and a proud product of the Newark Public Schools, Brown is also a proud alum of Rutgers University.

As executive vice president and chief accreditation officer for AACSB, Stephanie Bryant provides vision, leadership, and oversight of AACSB’s accreditation-related services and strategic direction for the organization. Under Bryant’s leadership, AACSB adopted the 2018 accounting accreditation standards and the 2020 business accreditation standards.

Before joining AACSB in 2017, Bryant served as dean of the College of Business at Missouri State University. During her tenure, enrollment grew to 5,500 students, making it one of the largest colleges of business at any public university in the 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.

Bryant’s area of academic specialty is information technology security and control, and she has co-authored two textbooks and more than 30 academic articles. She is actively involved in civic and community activities, including Beta Alpha Psi and the American Accounting Association. Bryant received her PhD in accounting and BS in accounting from Louisiana State University and is a Louisiana CPA (inactive).

John A. Byrne is the founder of C-Change Media, a global digital media company of higher education content. C-Change now has five websites, including Poets&Quants.com, the highly popular destination for applicants to the world’s best business schools. Byrne is the author or co-author of more than ten books, including two New York Times bestsellers, and is the former executive editor of Businessweek, editor-in-chief of Businessweek.com, and editor-in-chief of Fast Company. He also is the creator of the first regularly published rankings of business schools for Businessweek in 1988 and the author of several business school guidebooks. He wrote an unprecedented 58 cover stories for Businessweek and is the only business journalist to have written covers for Businessweek, Fortune, Forbes, and Fast Company magazines.

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).

Gary is a global leader who applies business sector skills in collaboration with the public and nonprofit sectors to advance progress on challenging health and social problems.  As a result of his leadership, immunization programs are safer for children, health workers are better protected from occupational injuries, health systems capacity is stronger in sub-Saharan Africa, national governments are combatting sexual violence against children, diverse stakeholders are mobilizing to combat antimicrobial resistance, and innovation is advancing to reduce the burden of maternal and newborn mortality.

Gary is CEO and cofounder of Maternal Newborn Health Innovations (MNHI), a Public Benefit Corporation focused on innovating to improve maternal and newborn health outcomes worldwide.  MNHI is developing the OdonAssist™ inflatable device for assisted vaginal birth, designed to safely assist the delivery of newborns during circumstances of prolonged, difficult second-stage labor in childbirth.  Approximately 2.4 million newborns and 287,000 mothers died from childbirth-related causes in 2020, an additional ten million women and girls experience serious pregnancy-related complications annually, and there are 2 million stillbirths.

Gary also serves as chair of the Corporate/CDC Roundtable on Global Health Threats, board chair and founder of Together for Girls https://www.togetherforgirls.org/, and founder of the Rutgers Institute for Corporate Social Innovation https://ricsi.business.rutgers.edu/.

Gary previously had a 37-year career at BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) including 25 years as an executive officer of the company.  He also served as a UN Commissioner on Life Saving Commodities for Women and Children, as board chair of the CDC Foundation, as board director of UNICEF USA, as board director of the Accordia Global Health Foundation, and on the Scientific Advisory Board of Grand Challenges Canada.  He has been as an expert speaker at the United Nations, Vatican, World Bank, World Health Assembly, U.S. Department of State and World Economic Forum-Davos.  He holds B.A. and an M.B.A. degrees from Rutgers University.  In 2016, he was named a Rutgers 250 Fellow in association with the university’s 250th anniversary.

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.   

Senior executive & leader with a long-term record of success driving business/digital transformations & implementing change to achieve core organizational, operational/ business development targets. Expertise includes understanding business needs & identifying the right tech solutions to address them; creating new business models/capabilities & vendor partner networks; delivering service management solutions & strategic use of digital automation. Passionate about business enablement, people experience, workforce of the future & advancement of D&I (focus on Women’s Leadership & STEM).

Jane is currently SVP and CIO of corporate functions for Verizon. She is commissioned to deliver the enterprise function’s transformation agenda enabling current and future state solutions leveraging cloud and SAAS while re-engineering the business processes and Verizon operating models.

Prior to joining Verizon, Jane was SVP and CIO of corporate functions for State Street Bank in Boston. She was commissioned to deliver the enterprise function’s transformation agenda enabling current and future state solutions leveraging cloud and SAAS while re-engineering the business processes and State Street operating models. The Corporate Chief Information Officer was a newly created position focused on the global enterprise level to create a portfolio of investments that horizontally integrates the bank across lines of businesses and drives simplification and standardization improving quality, cost, reliability and regulatory compliance.

Previous to State Street, Jane had impressive tenure with Johnson & Johnson starting in 1991. She held progressive roles in Supply Chain Operations. Multiple leadership positions and achievement-based tenure culminated with her final role as VP & CIO Corporate. Appointed to serve as Sr Tech Executive on a cross- functional Board commissioned to transform/create a new operating model for J&J’s future competitiveness, provided the required thought leadership & led execution of technology strategies that delivered organizational agility, process automation & virtualization of how work gets done. Transformation included multi-functional shared service centers in all regions, creation of a talent strategy changing the demographics of future workforce strategies & the financial profile to compete globally on cost/talent. Led DI and Women’s Leadership Initiative.

Jane has her BS, Business Admin, Rider University; completed the Smith College Executive Program for Women; certified Process Six Sigma Greenbelt. She has served on the Red Cross of NJ Board and is now currently on the Rutgers University LDSP Advisory Board. Jane has also been nationally recognized by various industry organizations.

Jenny Darroch is Dean of the Farmer School of Business at Miami University of Ohio, where she also holds the Mitchell P. Rales Chair in Business Leadership and is a professor of marketing.

The Farmer School of Business is ranked as the #2 public university for student internships, top 3 for international experience participation, top 10 for early career ROI, and our entrepreneurship program is ranked as the #9 program in the world.

Darroch has proven leadership experience in a range of different contexts and countries, including her current role as dean of the nationally-ranked Farmer School of Business at Miami University. Prior to this appointment, Darroch held several other leadership roles, including Dean of the Peter F. Drucker and Masatoshi Ito Graduate School of Management at Claremont Graduate University, the only business school within the prestigious Claremont Colleges in Southern California, and Director of Entrepreneurship at the University of Otago in New Zealand.

Her scholarship is transdisciplinary and is positioned at the interface of strategy, marketing and innovation. Her work is highly cited. Darroch is most recognized for her work in knowledge management. Here, Darroch developed an instrument to measure a knowledge management orientation, its antecedents and consequences. She also worked with Professors George Day and Stan Slater to produce a special issue of the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science to honor Peter Drucker and his contribution to marketing. Darroch is also the proud author of two books: Marketing Through Turbulent Times and Why Marketing to Women Doesn’t Work (both published by Palgrave Macmillan).

Professor David holds the Collins Chair in Strategy at the Kogod School of Business in American University. He currently serves as Senior Associate Dean. He teaches strategic management. His research studies the relationship between corporate governance, corporate strategy, and firm performance. His current research focuses on the governance role of financial reporting. His research has been published in journals such as the Academy of Management Journal, Strategic Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, Management Science, and Journal of Management. He serves on the Editorial Boards of Academy of Management Journal, Strategic Management Journal, Journal of Management, and Journal of Management Governance, and on the International Advisory Board of the Journal of Enterprising Culture. He has served on the faculty at the University of Oklahoma, University of Notre Dame, and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. He earned a Ph. D. in Management from Texas A&M University. He has an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering and worked in Materials Management in the power plant equipment manufacturing industry in India.

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Leonardo (Len) DeCandia is an award-winning supply chain/procurement expert and educator with 40+ years of experience, including 25 years at the C-level at four Fortune 100 companies. Across multiple industries, Len is widely regarded as a pioneering, visionary leader with exceptional organizational skills and a stellar performance record in driving large scale transformations that deliver significant P&L impact. Len retired at the end of 2022 as Global Chief Procurement Officer at Johnson & Johnson and previously held roles as Chief Supply Officer and Chief Procurement Officer at Estée Lauder, AmerisourceBergen and Roche Pharmaceuticals. He is passionate about advancing supply chain’s global practices with a laser focus on driving growth and delivering value for positive share impact. 

As a pioneer in supply chain practices and education, Len is the Founding Chair of the Center for Supply Chain Management at Rutgers University (Established in 2000). He also helped launch both the undergraduate and graduate programs in supply chain management. He currently serves as the Vice Chair of the Rutgers Business School Advisory Board (BSME/MBA) and is an adjunct professor teaching the Rutgers Executive Education module on the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain. Len was recognized as the Global Chief Procurement Officer of the Year in 2021 for his leadership efforts during the COVID pandemic and was honored in 2022 with both the Global Procurement Leaders Lifetime Achievement Award and the Rutgers Business School Distinguished Alumni Award. 

Len currently serves as an Executive Board Advisor to Arkestro, Inc. and as a Strategic Board Member to Transparent Energy. He volunteers as an advisor to the World 50 Group where Len’s knowledge and vast experience is valued by companies seeking to transform their supply chain management processes for productivity, governance and digitization. Len resides in Princeton, NJ and enjoys spending quality time with his family. He continues to publish papers on advanced supply chain practices and technologies

Terrill L. Drake is the inaugural Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer at the Harvard Business School. As a member of the senior leadership team, Terrill oversees the development and implementation of a comprehensive strategy for inclusive excellence throughout the HBS community of faculty, staff, and students, as well as with alumni and other constituents across HBS and beyond. He works closely with the School’s leadership on strategic planning, programming, training, curriculum development, and recruiting and hiring. Additionally, Terrill builds on the work of the School’s Racial Equity Plan to focus on issues of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging around race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status, and age.

Terrill brings nearly two decades of experience in diversity, equity, and inclusion; event, program and project management; marketing; and operational management. Prior to joining HBS, Terrill was Associate Dean of Strategic Initiatives and Head Diversity Officer at the Villanova School of Business where he was responsible for developing and implementing a strategy to cultivate an inclusive environment aimed at enhancing the sense of belonging amongst faculty, staff, and students in addition to oversight of external relations, programs and events, data efforts, Dean’s Office Operations, and a number of other strategic priorities. He also previously served as Executive Director, Diversity Initiatives and Executive Director, Smith Programs and Events at the University of Maryland Smith School of Business.

Terrill currently serves on the Steering Committee for the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business’ Diversity & Inclusion Affinity Group and the Special Olympics of Pennsylvania Board of Directors.

Terrill holds a BS in business administration from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro Bryan School of Business and Economics and an MBA from the University of Maryland Smith School of Business.

Dr. Kathy Farrell became the James Jr. and Susan Stuart Endowed Dean of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Business on Dec. 1, 2017, after serving nearly a year as interim dean. She led an inclusive strategic planning process that resulted in a new mission, guiding principles and initiatives to advance the college.

Under her leadership, the college launched a business analytics major, a business and law major, the Seacrest Teaching Fellows program, the Inclusive Business Leaders program and several new online graduate and professional development programs. She also increased donor support to double the number of endowed faculty chairs and expanded student services, providing free tutoring, more scholarships and retention-focused initiatives. 

An experienced academic and business leader, Farrell was elected to the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) Board of Directors in 2023. She previously served as associate dean for four years and chair of the Department of Finance for two years. She serves on the boards of Nelnet Inc., Assurity Inc., Bryan Health and the Lincoln Community Foundation, among other nonprofit organizations.

Farrell joined the College of Business faculty in 1993 and taught corporate finance and banking for more than 20 years. She earned tenure in 2001, became a full professor in 2009 and received both the Distinguished Teaching Award and the University Distinguished Teaching Award.

Her research focuses on executive compensation, turnover and succession, and corporate governance. Her work has appeared in journals including Journal of Business, Journal of Corporate Finance, Journal of Accounting and Economics, and Journal of Banking and Finance.

Before earning her doctorate in finance from the University of Georgia, she worked as an auditor for KPMG and earned her CPA (inactive). She holds a bachelor’s degree from Kent State.

Ashish is an Indian-American business leader. He is currently Vice President of Supply Chain Strategy for GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), a global biopharm company. Ashish is a certified Six Sigma Master Black Belt and Lean Manufacturing Coach.

Ashish earned his engineering degree from NDRI in India. He started his career with  GSK Consumer Healthcare, India in 1996 as an Assistant Manager Plant Operations. Ashish worked in various manufacturing and supply chain operations positions in India before moving to China in 2005 as Supply Chain Lead for GSK Regional Pharma Sourcing. Continuing his global journey, Ashish moved to the United States in 2009 as Director of Operational Excellence and Business Change at GSK in Clifton New Jersey. In 2014, Ashish received his MBA in Strategy and Finance from The University of Chicago - Booth School of Business (Chicago, IL).

During his tenure at GSK, Ashish has worked in various leadership roles such as Head of Accelerated Delivery Program, Dermatology Strategy, and Vice President, Specialty Pharma Supply Chain, VP and Head of Pharma Supply Chain. Currently, Ashish is Vice President, Global Supply Chain Strategy, his responsibilities include Supply Chain Leadership for GSK's Medicines portfolio that includes Benlsyta, Nucala, Zejula, Cabuneva, Trelegy, Jemperli and Vaccine portfolio that including leading assets like Shingrix, Arexvy helping protect people from Shingles, RSV, Meningitis, Flu, Polio, measles and more.     

Ashish is passionate about fostering Supply Chain community in the US, Talent development and is a DEI advocate. Outside of work Ashish enjoys spending time with family, playing tennis and traveling. Ashish is a Economics geek, loves to listening to podcasts / books on Audible and is a Star Wars fanatic!

John E. Harmon, Sr. IOM has served as the Founder, President and CEO of the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey (AACCNJ), since 2007. In this role he has the responsibility of establishing, implementing and executing the mission, as well as the fiduciary oversight and governance of AACCNJ in accordance with its Bylaws. In addition, he works to identify strategic partnerships in both the public and private sectors to connect AACCNJ members and supporters to resources and opportunities to grow and sustain their goals and objectives. Moreover, Harmon serves as an advocate on behalf of the 1.1 million African American residents and the over 70,000 black-owned businesses statewide to ensure that policy at the municipal, county, and federal level provides fairness, equity and access to a level playing field in the marketplace.

Harmon is the former President and CEO of the Metropolitan Trenton African American Chamber of Commerce (MTAACC). Under his guidance, MTAACC grew its membership substantially, forged alliances with business associations/organizations and government, and forged strategic partnerships in the public and private sectors to benefit African American businesses throughout New Jersey.

John Harmon is a Board Member and the Former Chairman of the Board for the National Black Chamber of Commerce; there are 150 Affiliate Chapters of the NBCC and over fifteen international affiliates. Harmon was recently appointed to the US Chamber of Commerce – Board of Directors, the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia’s Economic Community Advisory Council (ECAC), Investors Bank Board of Directors, Hackensack Meridian Health Board of Directors. Harmon is also a Board Member of Digital Place Based Advertising Association, and is a member of the US Chamber of Commerce Committee of 100. He is the Founder and Chairman of the New York State Black Chamber of Commerce (NYSBCC). Additionally, Mr. Harmon is a Board member of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce (NJCC), New Jersey BPU, Supplier Diversity Development Council (SDDC), Opportunity New Jersey, Chairman of Crime Stoppers of Greater Trenton and a former Board Member of the American Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE), First Book, Minding Our Business (MOB), a youth entrepreneurial initiative in affiliation with Rider University.

Harmon was recently acknowledged by Return on Information-New Jersey (ROI), as the Number 1 Person of Color in New Jersey. Harmon was also acknowledged in South Jersey Journal’s list of the “Twenty-five Most Influential African Americans in New Jersey”, for the third consecutive year. Harmon was selected for ROI-NJ “2018 Power List of Influencers. Harmon is also recognized as a Center of Influence (COI) for the United States Army and was recently selected as a participant in the Joint Civilian Orientation Conference (JCOC) hosted by the Secretary of Defense. The JCOC program is the oldest and most prestigious public liaison program in the Department of Defense. Harmon was selected as one of 40 individuals (out of 230 applicants) to attend JCOC18. In addition, Harmon was the only attendee from the State of New Jersey. Harmon was recently selected to NJBIZ2018 Power 10. The criteria for selection to the Power 100 were: Identify the people impacting business in New Jersey in a positive way whose primary mission is to foster growth in the state. Harmon was the first individual selected as a member of the host committee for NFL Super Bowl XLVII held in New Jersey 2014.

Mr. Harmon holds an associate degree in Business Administration from Mercer County Community College and Burlington County College, and holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Management, Fairleigh Dickinson University, 1983. Mr. Harmon also successfully completed a one-year Fellowship on Regionalism and Sustainability sponsored by The Ford Foundation and completed the Minority Business Management Seminar at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, in 2009. Additionally, Mr. Harmon completed a four-year Chamber Executive Management Program, at Villanova University, sponsored by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, in 2014.

Prior to his twenty three year career as a chamber executive, Mr. Harmon was previously employed at The Bowery Savings Bank in New York City where he managed the bank's Residential Real Estate Department overlooking major mortgage loan transactions; and at Chemical Bank where he managed third party loan originations for New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. While working at Chemical Bank, Mr. Harmon established The Affordable Housing Loan Program. Following his banking career, Mr. Harmon founded a transportation company in 1989, called Harmon Transfer, Corp. The company transported dry goods, perishable commodities, and produce throughout the Northeast United States and Canada. Mr. Harmon has three sons, John Jr., Joshua, and Justin.

Professor John Impellizzeri retired (Jan. 2015) from a 36-year career in industry where he established himself as a C-suite executive with a reputation as an innovative strategist, effective communicator, and dynamic leader with a strong commitment to excellence. During Impellizzeri’s corporate career, he was CFO, CPO, and VP at Schindler Elevator. He had a proven track record of coordinating complex business details, overseeing multiple functional areas simultaneously, and building consensus among decision-makers and stakeholders in defining strategic initiatives and driving results.

As a supply chain executive, Impellizzeri had considerable experience in the planning, development, and leadership of processes, policies, procedures, operations, and technologies fulfilling changing business requirements, emphasizing introduction of best practices to optimize resource utilization, promote business growth, manage supplier relationships, and deliver consistently superior levels of efficiency and cost-savings.

Professor Impellizzeri is currently the Director of the Rutgers Center for Supply Chain Management and as well the Director of the UG SCM Program for our Newark campus.

 

Andrew Jack is global education editor for the Financial Times, writing on educational issues around the world and editorial lead for the free FT schools programme. He was previously head of curated content, deputy editor of the big read section, pharmaceuticals correspondent, and a foreign correspondent in France and Russia.

Gareth James became the John H. Harland Dean of Goizueta Business School in July 2022. James is renowned for his visionary leadership, statistical mastery, and commitment to the future of business education. He brings a powerful optimism and contagious enthusiasm to further Goizueta’s work, not only through the school’s stellar scholarship, but also by continuing to build strong bridges to the business community. He believes in the central role that business plays in society and the impact that Goizueta has in preparing the thinkers and innovators of tomorrow. His ambition to drive excellence and strengthen Goizueta’s future is fueled by his experience in data-informed decision making, strategy, and support. 

James is a noted scholar and researcher. His extensive published works include numerous articles, conference proceedings, and book chapters focused on statistical and machine learning methodologies. His work has been cited more than 30,000 times. James is also co-author of the extremely successful textbook, An Introduction to Statistical Learning. He has led multiple National Science Foundation research grants and has served as an associate editor for five top research journals. The recipient of two Dean’s Research Awards from the USC Marshall School of Business, he is an elected Fellow of the American Statistical Association and the Institute of Mathematical Statistics. 

His many accolades also encompass honors for his superb teaching and mentoring. James is a recipient of the Evan C. Thompson Faculty Teaching and Learning Innovation Award and three-time winner of the Marshall School of Business’ Golden Apple Award for best instructor in the full-time MBA program. He has also been awarded Marshall and USC’s highest honors for mentoring junior colleagues and graduate students, including the Dean’s Ph.D. Advising, USC Mellon, Evan C. Thompson and Provost’s Mentoring awards.

Kenneth B. Kahn, Ph.D., is a Professor and Dean of the Strome College of Business at Old Dominion University. In the role of Dean, he serves as chief executive officer for the College and strives to enhance the college’s reputation as a problem-solving leader in business education, scholarship, and research. Prior to joining Old Dominion University, Dr. Kahn was a Professor and Dean of Cleveland State University’s Monte Ahuja College of Business. He also has held leadership and faculty positions at Virginia Commonwealth University, Purdue University, The University of Tennessee, and Georgia Tech.

Kahn's teaching and research interests include product innovation, product management, and demand forecasting of current and new products. He has published more than 50 articles in prestigious journals, authored three books on product planning and forecasting, and edited the PDMA Handbook on New Product Development. Dr. Kahn is broadly recognized as one of the world's leading researchers in the field of innovation management. In Spring 2021, he was named to Stanford University's list of the Top 2% Most Cited Researchers in the World.

His industrial experience includes serving as an industrial engineer and project engineer for Weyerhaeuser Co. and a manufacturing engineer for Respironics Inc. He has extensive contacts in the private sector through his corporate consulting and training endeavors.

Kahn earned a Ph.D. in Marketing and a Master of Science in Industrial Engineering from Virginia Tech and a Bachelor of Industrial Engineering from Georgia Tech.

Professor Karolyi is a scholar in investment management with a specialization in international financial markets. He has published extensively in journals, including the Journal of Finance, Journal of Financial Economics and Review of Financial Studies, and has published several books, including his 2015 book Cracking the Emerging Markets Enigma. His research is featured in The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, The Economist, Time, New York Times, Washington Post, Forbes, BusinessWeek, and CNBC. He is a recipient of the Michael Jensen Prize for Corporate Finance and Organizations (2017), the Fama/DFA Prize for Capital Markets and Asset Pricing (2005), the William F. Sharpe Award for Scholarship in Finance (2001), the Journal of Empirical Finance's Biennial Best Paper Prize (2006), and Johnson School's Prize for Excellence in Research (2010). 

He leads executive education programs in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Asia, and is actively consulting with corporations, banks, investment firms, stock exchanges, and law firms. Karolyi is the Chair of the Working Board of Responsible Research in Business and Management (RRBM) and Vice Chair of the UN’s Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME). He serves as a Global Advisory Councilor for Accounting for Sustainability (A4S) and is a member of the Board of Directors for the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). He served as a director of the American Finance Association, is past president of the Western Finance Association, and is past chairperson of the board of trustees of the Financial Management Association International. 

Karolyi received his BA (Honors) in economics from McGill University and worked at the Bank of Canada for several years in its research department. He subsequently earned his MBA and PhD degrees in finance at the Booth School of Business of the University of Chicago.

Mike joined the Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association as president and chief executive officer in 2010 after eight years as dean of the Wisconsin School of Business. Prior to joining UW–Madison in 2002, he was associate dean and professor of international economics in the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. He also served as senior staff economist for the Council of Economic Advisers for former presidents George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton. Mike serves on the boards of American Family Insurance and Neuberger Berman Funds, where he chairs the Finance Committee and Investment Performance Committee, respectively. At WFAA, Mike has led a variety of initiatives to support the advancement of UW–Madison, most recently, the completion of the $4.2 billion All Ways Forward campaign. Mike completed his undergraduate studies in economics and mathematics at the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire and his PhD in economics at Stanford University.

Amy Kristof-Brown was named dean of the Tippie College of Business in 2020. She joined the Tippie College after receiving her Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management from the University of Maryland in 1997.

Since that time, she has been an award-winning professor in the college’s Department of Management and Entrepreneurship. In her tenure at Tippie, she has served as director of the department’s doctoral program, as department executive officer, as senior associate dean of the college, and later as interim dean until being named dean in late 2020.

Her research interests focus on the compatibility or fit between individuals and their work environments. She is the co-editor of the book Organizational Fit: Key Issues and New Directions, and has published over 20 articles in academic journals as well as several book chapters. As a mentor, she has served on 30 doctoral and master’s thesis committees.

Professionally, she served as an Associate Editor of the Journal of Applied Psychology and of the Journal of Business and Psychology. She is a Fellow of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology and the American Psychological Association. She presents regularly to companies and student groups on topics including finding a good fit during a job search, the millennial and Gen Z workforce, managing, change, and negotiating for what you need.

Amy and her husband Ken Brown live in Iowa City and are the parents of two college aged daughters.

Ralph A. LaRossa is chair, president and chief executive officer of Public Service Enterprise Group Inc. (PSEG). He is also chair of the PSE&G board and a member of PSEG’s Senior Executive Team.

Previously Mr. LaRossa was chief operating officer of PSEG from January 2020 until September 2022 at which time he became president and chief executive officer. He was president and COO of PSEG Power from June 2017 until September 2022. In his role as PSEG COO, he was responsible for overseeing all of the operating businesses of PSEG, including Public Service Electric & Gas Company, PSEG Long Island, PSEG Power and PSEG Services Corp. functions, information technology and cyber and physical security. 

In addition, Mr. LaRossa was chair of the board of PSEG Long Island from December 2020 until September 2022 and from October 2013 until 2017. From 2006 until 2017, Mr. LaRossa served as president and COO of PSE&G. 

Mr. LaRossa joined PSE&G in 1985 as an associate engineer and advanced through a variety of management positions in the utility’s gas and electric operations. 

Mr. LaRossa received his Bachelor of Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology. In addition, he completed the Harvard Business School’s Program for Management Development and MIT’s Reactor Technology Course for Utility Executives. 

Mr. LaRossa is chair of Choose New Jersey and serves on its board. He is on the board of directors for Edison Electric Institute. In addition, Mr. LaRossa is a member of the board for Montclair State University and the Electric Sector Coordinating Council, an honorary trustee of the Liberty Science Center, the past chair of the American Gas Association and past member of the board for the New Jersey Utilities Association and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. Mr. LaRossa is the recipient of the Rutgers Heldrich Center for Workforce Development Distinguished Leadership Award.

 

Lei Lei received her Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a minor in Computer Science. Her research expertise includes supply chain network design and optimization, operations planning, scheduling, process recovery after disruptions, demand-supply planning, and resource allocation optimization. Lei has over 50 refereed publications – many appeared in leading journals such as Management Science, INFORMS Journal on Computing, Interfaces, IIE Transactions, European Journal of Operations Research, Journal of Operational Research Society, and Naval Research Logistics. She was the founding Chair of the Supply Chain Management Department at Rutgers, and was listed among ROI-NJ Influencers (2021, 2022, 2023), Top 50 NJ Women in Business Influencers (2021), ROI-NJ Influencers-Higher Education (2021), NJ Difference Makers (2020), NJBIZ Top 50 Women in Business (2015, 2023), ROI-NJ Influencers-Women in Business (2025), and received the 2023 Distinguished Achievement Award from her alma mater, College of Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Lei became the Dean of Rutgers Business School (Newark and New Brunswick) in January 2015.  

Rich Lyons is UC Berkeley’s Chief Innovation & Entrepreneurship Officer. From 2008 to 2018 he served as dean of UC Berkeley's Haas School where he currently holds the William and Janet Cronk Chair in Innovative Leadership. He was acting dean of the Haas School from 2004 to 2005 and executive associate dean from 2005 to 2006. For the two years prior to serving as dean he was the Chief Learning Officer at Goldman Sachs. He received his BS with highest honors from UC Berkeley (business) and PhD from MIT (economics). Before (re)joining Berkeley, Rich was for six years on the faculty at Columbia University. His research and teaching expertise is in international economics/finance and his top applied interest is the “how and why” of setting strong institutional cultures. 

Anil K. Makhija is Dean’s Distinguished Professor of Finance, formerly till 2024, having served for ten years as dean and John W. Berry, Sr. Chair in Business of the Max M. Fisher College of Business. Makhija is recognized as an expert in the field of finance, particularly capital structure, corporate governance and valuation, and has more than 25 years of experience in academic leadership roles.

Prior to his appointment to dean in October 2014, Makhija served as senior associate dean at Fisher. He has served on the faculty of the business college since 1998 and has held the Dean's Distinguished Professorship and the David A. Rismiller Professorship in Finance. He chaired Fisher's Department of Finance and served as an associate dean of executive education programs, where he was responsible for the development of Fisher's top-ranked Executive MBA program. He was also the founding Academic Director of the National Center for the Middle Market.

Makhija has led consulting and executive development programs for dozens of leading companies in the U.S. and around the world. He has held visiting faculty appointments at respected institutions in Chile, the Czech Republic, Ecuador, Hong Kong, India and Korea.

Makhija is a respected and widely published researcher. He is also the winner of numerous teaching awards, including the Alumni Award for Distinguished Teaching and the Pace Setters Daniel Westerbeck Teaching Excellence Award - the highest teaching honors bestowed by, respectively, Ohio State and Fisher College of Business.

Makhija has been a featured expert in media outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, The New York Times, Financial Times and Bloomberg Businessweek, among many others.

He has a PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an MBA from Tulane University, and a Bachelor of Technology from the Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi.

Matusik is a distinguished scholar and educator whose professional expertise spans strategy, innovation, and entrepreneurship. As an academic leader, she has a strong record of accomplishment in critical areas, including entrepreneurship and innovation; student success; economic inclusion; and community engagement.

A first-generation college student, Matusik earned a Bachelor of Arts in economics and English with honors from Colby College and a PhD in strategic management from the University of Washington Foster School of Business.

Matusik initially had a successful career in consulting, before moving into academics. She held academic appointments at the Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University and the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado Boulder, and served as dean of the Leeds School from 2017-2022.

At Michigan Ross, she is focused on key initiatives related to financial accessibility, global visibility and impact, cross-disciplinary partnerships, and transformational research and educational experiences.  These initiatives include building out a state of the art facility for the Ross School in Los Angeles to expand select Ross School executive education operations, including the Executive MBA program that has been offered in LA for the past decade, as well as custom executive education programs with corporate partners across the West Coast and globally.   Other initiatives include an election cycle partnership with the Financial Times, innovative cross-campus collaborations with units ranging from the College of Engineering to the University of Michigan Museum of Art, aggressive fundraising efforts to support students, curriculum innovations, greater involvement in supporting the economic growth of Detroit and Michigan, and mechanisms to increase the visibility of the impactful research of Ross faculty.

At the Leeds School, Matusik launched critical initiatives, including an innovative partnership between Leeds and the College of Engineering and Applied Science; the End the Gap Initiative, aimed at supporting the success of women; and Career Impact, designed to align the student experience with skills needed for long-term career success. Her term as Leeds dean saw substantial increases in student achievement, faculty diversity, fundraising, and community engagement. 

Her research, frequently cited in top journals, focuses on strategy, innovation, entrepreneurship, and knowledge assets. She has received multiple awards for research, teaching, and service and also serves on non-profit boards, including her current appointment as Board chair of the William Davidson Institute and Board member of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

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. 

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.

Dr. Prabhas V. Moghe is executive vice president for academic affairs at Rutgers University in New Jersey. In this role, he is the chief academic officer for the institution and the second highest ranking administrative officer after the President.  

Academic affairs, the office led by the EVPAA, ensures academic oversight over the academic, research, and innovation mission across the four chancellor units and their constituent 29 decanal schools.  Academic affairs is especially focused on elevating the academic excellence at Rutgers by strengthening faculty collaborative scholarship, academic educational programs, and student academic success. 

Moghe has held several academic and administrative leadership roles since joining Rutgers in 1995, most recently serving as provost and executive vice chancellor for research and academic affairs. A scientist-scholar and educator, Moghe is also a distinguished professor of engineering (biomedical engineering;  chemical & biochemical engineering) and holds courtesy appointment at Rutgers Biomedical Health Sciences (RBHS).  

In research initiatives funded by the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, the American Hospital Association, and private foundations, Moghe has pioneered imaging nanotechnology for early cancer detection and potential therapies for cardiovascular and neurodegenerative disorders.

Moghe earned his Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of Minnesota. He has been named a fellow of the Biomedical Engineering Society, the International Union of Societies for Biomaterials Science and Engineering, and the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering.

Mr. Moroney is a Partner in Apollo's Credit Business and currently serves as Co-Head of Global Corporate Credit and Head of Sustainable Finance. He joined Apollo in 2008 as the Head of Apollo’s Global Performing Credit Group. Mr. Moroney's investment management career spans 29 years, with experience at leading financial services firms including Aladdin Capital Management, Merrill Lynch Investment Managers and MetLife. Mr. Moroney graduated from Rutgers University with a BS in Ceramic Engineering and is a Director Emeritus of the Rutgers University Foundation. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst and a member of the NYSSA

Dr. Venkat Mummalaneni serves as the Senior Associate Dean at the Reginald F. Lewis College of Business, Virginia State University. Currently, he is also the Chair of the Department of Management and Marketing. He received his MBA degree from IIM, Calcutta and Ph. D. IN Marketing from The Pennsylvania State University. His research interests lie at the intersection of Relationship Marketing, Business-to-Business Marketing and emerging technologies, areas critical to the understanding and adapting to the rapidly evolving business landscape.

He taught at universities in New York and Singapore earlier in his career. For the last 15 years, he has been deeply involved with the AACSB accreditation efforts of the College of Business at Virginia State University and played a key role in the preparation of self- evaluation reports.

Ann Olazábal is a professor of Business Law and currently serving as Interim Dean at Miami Herbert Business School at the University of Miami in Miami, Florida.

With over two decades of experience at the university, she has made significant contributions to teaching, research, and leadership. Dean Olazábal's primary scholarly expertise is doctrine related to securities fraud liability; her work has been published in the nation's top law reviews as well as industry-specific journals. In addition to her administrative roles, serving as Vice Dean of Lifelong Learning & Executive Education in 2022, Vice Dean of Undergraduate Business Education from 2011 to 2021, and Chair of the Business Law Department from 2017 to 2021, she continues to teach both graduate and undergraduate students, typically in courses that explore the legal and ethical dimensions of business decision making.

Professor Olazábal earned her JD from the University of Notre Dame Law School and, a decade later, an MBA from the University of Miami.

Paul Pavlou is the Dean of the University of Miami Patti and Allan Herbert Business School. He is also the Leonard M. Miller University Chair Professor. Paul’s research has been cited more than 90,000 times by Google Scholar, and Thomson Reuters recognized him among the World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds’ based on an analysis of Highly Cited Researchers. Paul was ranked No. 1 globally in publications in top Information Systems journals from 2010 to 2016. He earned a Ph.D. in Information Systems and a master’s in electrical engineering from the University of Southern California.

Paul is a Distinguished Fellow of the INFORMS Information Systems Society. He won several Best Paper Awards for his research, including the Sheth Foundation Award for Long-Term Contributions to Marketing’s published in the Journal of Marketing (2019), and the Maynard Award for the Most Significant Contribution to Marketing in the Journal of Marketing (2015), to name a few. Paul received $3,500,000 in grants from funding agencies, such as the National Science Foundation (NSF). His research appeared In top journals and his research spans several disciplines (information systems, data science, marketing, operations management, and management sciences) with emphasis on artificial intelligence, business analytics, and digital strategy.

Dr. Joyce E. A. Russell is Dean Emeritus and Professor of Management at the Villanova School of Business (VSB) where she continues her writing, coaching and teaching. She served as The Helen and William O’Toole Dean of VSB from 2016 to 2023. In this role, she served as the chief executive, academic and fiscal officer for VSB and represented the school locally, nationally, and globally to the University community and to all external constituencies. 

Prior to joining VSB, Dr. Russell served as both Senior Associate Dean and Vice Dean at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. In these roles, she was a major force in shaping the student experience at all levels. Her duties included oversight of the school’s undergraduate, MBA, Specialty Masters and executive programs, and the development of the school’s global, university and corporate partnerships. She was also consistently honored for being one of UMD’s outstanding teachers. Before UMD, she was a tenured full professor in the College of Business at the University of Tennessee, where she received many teaching and research awards. 

Dr. Russell is a sought-after keynote speaker and is a licensed Industrial and Organizational Psychologist and Executive Coach and has over 30 years of experience consulting with numerous global organizations. Her expertise is primarily in the areas of leadership development, negotiation tactics, executive coaching, and organizational climate and culture. She was honored with the 2021 Patricia Flynn Distinguished Woman in Business Education Award, given annually by the Women Administrators in Management Education (WAME), AACSB. She also received the 2018 Women of Distinction Award from the Philadelphia Business Journal for her professional achievements. She has served in many leadership roles on professional boards in business education.

Dr. Russell writes a column on Leadership and Careers for Forbes.com and previously wrote a weekly “Career Coach” column and answered reader questions in a monthly online chat for The Washington Post. She has published more than 50 articles, books or book chapters, and has presented her research at national and regional conferences. She serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Vocational Behavior and previously served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Applied Psychology, Human Resource Management Review and Performance Improvement Quarterly. She received her PhD and master’s degrees in industrial and organizational psychology.

Vallabh (Samba) Sambamurthy is the Albert O. Nicholas Dean of the Wisconsin School of Business. Recognized as an impactful administrator, attentive leader, and preeminent scholar in the areas of innovation and digital strategy, Dr. Sambamurthy brings extensive experience to the dean position.

Prior to his current role, Dr. Sambamurthy served as Eli Broad Professor and associate dean of the MBA and professional master’s programs at the Broad College of Business at Michigan State University. He previously served as the school’s associate dean for outreach and engagement and chair of the accounting department, leading the launch of the top-10 MS program in business analytics. He previously held faculty appointments at the University of Maryland and Florida State University.

A leading expert on how businesses compete in the digital economy, Dr. Sambamurthy’s work has been featured in leading academic journals. Several Fortune 500 firms have engaged him as a consultant. Working with executive clients and academic colleagues in China, Taiwan, Singapore, India, and Hong Kong, he has focused on digital business transformations, strategic alignment, governance, and innovation. He has co-authored several books on digital transformation.

Dr. Sambamurthy has been recognized for his contributions to teaching, research, outreach, and mentoring. The Association of Information Systems honored him with the LEO Lifetime Achievement award. He was selected as distinguished fellow of the Information Systems Society at INFORMS, and he received the William Beal Distinguished Faculty Award the highest honor accorded by Michigan State University.

Dr. Sambamurthy received his PhD from the University of Minnesota, his MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, and his B.E. from the National Institute of Technology (Tiruchirappalli, India).

Simon Sheather became the eighth dean of the Gatton College of Business and Economics at the University of Kentucky in July 2018. He currently holds the Truist Chair in Data Analytics.

Prior to joining the University of Kentucky, Dean Sheather served for 13 years in various senior leadership roles at Texas A&M University, including being the Academic Director of MS (Analytics) and Online Programs in the Department of Statistics. While at Texas A&M, he personally started two professional Master’s programs, both of which make innovative use of technology.

Under Dean Sheather’s leadership the number of incoming freshman at the Gatton College have more than doubled. Since Fall 2019, Dean Sheather has started 10 new academic programs at the Gatton college, including an MS Strategic Human Resource Management and Analytics. In addition, he has lead development efforts which have raised more than $85M.

In 2021, Professor Sheather earned the distinction of being named among the top 2% of researchers worldwide, as measured by the impact of his research publications over a twenty-year period. According to Google Scholar, his research work has been cited more than 16,000 times.

Matt Slaughter is the Paul Danos Dean of the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, where in addition he is the Earl C. Daum 1924 Professor of International Business.  He is also a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research, a member of the Aspen Institute’s Economic Strategy Group, and an academic advisor to the McKinsey Global Institute.

Ash Soni is Dean Emeritus of the Kelley School, having served as the Dean from 2022 to 2025, and holds the SungKyunKwan Professorship. Previously he served as Executive Associate Dean for Academic Programs for 10 years, strengthening all of Kelley's programs, creating new degree offerings, expanding options for customization, and brokering key partnerships with notable universities, corporations, and organizations in the U.S. and abroad. In 2018, he was presented with Indiana University's John W. Ryan Award for Distinguished Contributions to International Programs and Studies for his work in creating global programs and partnerships. He previously served as Associate Dean for Information Technology, and as Chair of the Department of Operations & Decision Technologies.

Dean Emeritus Soni's areas of expertise are business analytics, emerging technologies, and enterprise systems. He has been one of the lead instructors for Kelley's executive MBA Programs, Kelley Direct Online MBA Program, and various Business Analytics certificate programs.  He is the recipient of more than 20 teaching awards. 

Dean Emeritus Soni received his education first in the United Kingdom with a B.S. in Aeronautical Engineering from Manchester University and an M.S. in Operations Research from Strathclyde University. Later, he completed an MBA and a doctorate in Quantitative Business Analysis and Operations Management at the Kelley School. Prior to graduate work at Indiana University, he was a management consultant in the UK for four years.

Deborah joined Kent State University as dean in 2013. Prior to her academic career, she was the marketing research director of a publishing company and, later, worked for consulting firms specializing in marketing research and strategic planning. She has served on the Initial Accreditation Committee (IAC) of AACSB, as President of the MidAmerican Business Deans Association, and as Executive Director of the Society for Marketing Advances. She is a 2021 recipient of the American Marketing Association - Higher Education SIG – Lifetime Achievement Award. She completed the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Institute for Educational Management (IEM) program and earned her PhD in marketing from the University of Alabama.

Alex Triantis joined the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School in 2019 as its third dean. During his tenure, he has led the revision or launch of a large suite of graduate degree programs, including Full-time, Accelerated, Flexible and Executive MBA programs, seven MS programs offered in both full-time and online formats, and over a dozen dual degree programs. Carey’s reputation for innovative interdisciplinary research and impactful outreach has been further enhanced through its unique positioning in the Business of Health and in AI, its eight new centers of excellence, and its high-profile events featuring corporate and government leaders in Baltimore and at the Hopkins Bloomberg Center in Washington, D.C.

Before 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. He previously served on the faculty at the University of Wisconsin and was a visiting scholar at MIT’s Sloan School of Management. Triantis received his PhD 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 served on the board of AACSB, the global association of business schools, from 2019-2025 (and as board chair in 2023-2024).

Dale is a Higher Education Industry Advisor at Salesforce, where he works with college and university leaders to help them understand the value of Salesforce for higher education. Before joining Salesforce, Dale had a 30-year career at the University of Maryland, College Park where he held a number of leadership positions in academic affairs, student affairs, and research administration. In his last role as assistant dean and COO of the Robert H. Smith School of Business, Dale led a comprehensive Salesforce implementation and was also instrumental in getting the campus to adopt Salesforce as its campus-wide CRM.

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.

Anthony R. Wheeler serves as a professor of management and Dean of the School of Business Administration at Widener University in Chester, PA. He has previously held professor and administrative positions at West Chester University, Bryant University, and the University of Rhode Island. Professor Wheeler began his academic career as a human resources professor at California State University, Sacramento before assuming a similar position at Bradley University. He completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Maryland, College Park and earned both his masters and doctoral degrees at the University of Oklahoma.

Dr. Wheeler has extensive HRM and change management consulting experiences for non- and for-profit organizations, including government agencies, small manufacturing companies, high tech companies, and Fortune 500 companies. His research focuses on employee turnover and retention, employee stress, burnout, and engagement, and leadership. He recently authored the book entitled “HR without people? Industrial evolution in the age of automation, AI, and machine learning.”

Dr. Wheeler has made several appearances in international, national, and local media, including the Washington Post, the Financial Times, Inside Higher Education, and BBC Radio. Dr. Wheeler also serves on the Curriculum Innovation advisory board for the Future Talent Council in Stockholm, Sweden.

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.