Senior Leadership Team Update

In the years ahead, we will continue to build on the successes of the past, while pursuing bold new initiatives enabled by our status as a premier business school on the flagship campus in the state U.S. News ranks as #1 for education. In many ways, our work this year will set the table for this next chapter. This includes ensuring that we are organized in a way that will enable us to pursue the opportunities that lie before us.  To this end, I have news today regarding the school’s Senior Leadership Team, which is made up of the Dean and the Associate Deans who report to the Dean. In particular, I want to share with you a few changes and additions to this team.

Lisa Masteralexis will take on the new position of Senior Associate Dean.  In this role, Lisa will provide executive-level oversight for the day-to-day execution of the strategic plan and priorities established by the Dean in service of the school’s mission and vision. Specifically, this will include providing executive guidance to, and oversight of, the Chairs of the school’s seven academic departments, and leading the school’s faculty affairs and development activities at large. She will work to ensure that the day-to-day functioning of the school aligns with the Dean’s cultural, strategic, and operational priorities. At all times, Lisa will work in close consultation with the Dean, ensuring a shared, common, and current understanding of all aspects of the school’s activities. Lisa is an Associate Professor in the Sport Management Department, where she also served with distinction as Department Chair for 17 years.

Bradley Bennett will take on the new position of Associate Dean of Administration.  Bradley will oversee administrative operations in the Isenberg School, including Budget, Planning, and Finance; Technology Services and Support; Organizational Metrics; and Facilities. Bradley is well-suited for this position:  in addition to having work in KPMG’s audit practice, Bradley spent three years as Assistant Controller for Millsaps College.  Bradley is an Associate Professor in the Accounting Department.

George Milne, currently Director of the Isenberg Ph.D. program, is being promoted to Associate Dean of Research.  In this new position, George will build and support the school’s research affairs. We have great scholars on our faculty and George will work not only to highlight this thought leadership, but also develop programs that will help faculty build and extend their research competencies. Over the past five years, George has provided exceptional leadership for the Isenberg Ph.D. program, which he will continue to oversee in this new role.  George is a Professor in the Management Department.

The leadership positions that Lisa, Bradley, and George will fill are all roles that have, in some manner, been represented among the school’s leadership in the past. Today, I am very excited also to announce the creation of a new Associate Dean position on the Senior Leadership Team.  Nefertiti Walker, currently Isenberg’s Director of Diversity & Inclusion, will be taking on the newly created position of Associate Dean for an Inclusive Organization. In this role, Nef will work to build, promote, and support a diverse and inclusive culture across all aspects of the Isenberg’s activities (i.e., teaching, research, operations, etc.).  In recognition of the fact that all of the school’s human resource policies and procedures must be inclusive, Isenberg’s Human Resources department will also report in through Nef, as will a newly created department of Diversity and Inclusion headed by a Chief Diversity Officer (whom we will look to hire in Fall 2018).  Nef is an Associate Professor in the Sport Management Department.

Linda Enghagen and Bill Brown will continue to serve on the Senior Leadership Team in their current roles of Associate Dean of Professional Programs and Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs, respectively.

While Lisa, Bradley, and George will formally begin their new positions September 1, they will start work immediately in their new areas of responsibility.  Nef will formally begin her position on January 1, 2019.  This one semester delay will allow her time to build the team that she will work with in this new Associate Dean Role. Between now and January 2019, Nef will chair a search for the new Chief Diversity Officer and work with Lisa on transitioning the HR Department to the new leadership structure.

Please join me in congratulating Lisa, Bradley, George, and Nef on their new positions!