Leadership and Governance
AACSB Board Nominations and Elections
Support AACSB’s vision to achieve positive societal impact through business schools.
AACSB International is seeking candidates for the vice chair-chair elect and director positions for the January 2027 AACSB Board of Directors election.
Support of our mission to elevate the quality and impact of business schools globally requires active participation of business education’s most qualified leaders. We invite those in our network to identify and submit the names of nominees they recommend for this position. The term for these positions will begin on 1 July 2027, and the vice chair-chair elect will accede to the position of board chair in the following year.
- Board Vice Chair-Chair Elect: Eligible nominees must be current or former AACSB board members and the official representative of an AACSB-accredited organization. The individual selected will serve for one year as vice chair-chair elect, accede to board chair for the following year, and then serve for one year as immediate past chair.
- Director: Eligible nominees must be official representatives of AACSB member organizations and satisfy the requirements associated with the applicable member-elected or board-elected position.
Requests for nominations have been communicated to members through email. All nominations must be submitted by 18 September 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. It is important that we receive all nominations by this date in order to meet timelines for review by the Nominating Committee and board of directors. The role and responsibilities of the vice chair-chair elect can be found in the AACSB Policy Governance Manual. Please direct any questions about the nomination process to governance@aacsb.edu.
Thank you for your continued support of AACSB International and its vision to achieve positive societal impact through business schools.
Board Election Timeline
Nominations
2 September 2026–18 September 2026
Nominations for the 2027–2028 Board of Directors are now open.
Board Governance and Responsibilities
AACSB governance is grounded in stewardship of AACSB mission, clarity of roles, and accountability for outcomes. Effective governance depends on a well-balanced, productive, and mutually respectful relationship between the Board and the staff. The Board governs through oversight, strategic guidance, and delegated authority, while management is empowered to execute within defined boundaries.
The Board is AACSB's policy-making body. It sets strategic direction, approves the strategic plan and budget, and establishes standards and policies through its committees, councils, and task forces. The Board also maintains the Governance Manual, oversees accreditation policy, and approves revisions to the AACSB Global Standards for Business Education™.
Directors are expected to act as fiduciaries, serve AACSB's interests first, maintain confidentiality, and avoid conflicts of interest, always focusing on what's best for business education as a whole.
Core Qualifications for Every Board Member
The qualification threshold is applied before a nominee’s contribution to the collective Board is considered.
| Required qualification | Standard |
|---|---|
| Eligibility and standing | Meets membership, official-representative, term-limit, Board-service, and position-specific requirements. |
| Strategic and analytical judgment | Distinguishes governance-level issues from operations, evaluates complexity, challenges assumptions, and communicates sound reasoning. |
| Governance and fiduciary maturity | Understands oversight, policy direction, fiduciary duties, delegation, enterprise risk, and the Board–management boundary. |
| Integrity and independence | Demonstrates honesty, ethical judgment, earned credibility, candor, independence, and willingness to place AACSB’s interests first. |
| Global perspective | Contributes beyond one institution, country, constituency, or region and works effectively across cultural, regulatory, and market contexts. |
| Collaborative leadership | Listens to and values differing perspectives, challenges respectfully, supports collective decisions, and contributes without dominating. |
| Commitment and capacity | Can meet preparation, attendance, travel, confidentiality, committee-service, leadership, and full-term expectations. |
Collective Board Competencies
Every Director should understand AACSB’s mission and values.
| Competency | Demonstrated experience may include |
|---|---|
| Accreditation, quality assurance, continuous improvement, and impact | Standards, accreditation, institutional quality, learner outcomes, continuous improvement, and credible evidence of impact. |
| Capacity building, learning, and quality improvement | Educational and professional learning, school development, capacity building, quality-improvement services, and member outcomes. |
| Strategy, innovation, growth, and adaptable business models | Enterprise strategy, portfolio development, transformation, scalable offerings, value propositions, growth, pricing, and organizational adaptability. |
| Data, insight, foresight, and technology | Benchmarking, research, data strategy, AI, cybersecurity, emerging trends, scenario thinking, and responsible technology governance. |
| Convening, partnerships, and collective action | Bringing together schools, business, government, associations, and society; building alliances and translating dialogue into action. |
| Voice, influence, reputation, and external affairs | Advocacy, public policy, communications, reputation, stakeholder engagement, and amplifying the value and impact of business schools. |
| Financial stewardship, enterprise risk, and sustainability | Financial oversight, audit, investment, risk governance, resource allocation, organizational sustainability, and performance measurement. |