People and Places: July 2026

Article

29 July 2026

Nine schools announce new leaders and Flinders University to launch Australia’s first MBA specializing in AI strategy and leadership.

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McMaster University in Canada has appointed Khaled Hassanein as dean of the DeGroote School of Business for a second five-year term. During his first term as dean, Hassanein led the diversification and growth of the school’s faculty—adding 36 new full-time positions and 10 research chairs—and oversaw the successful transition and development of a renewed strategic direction. Several graduate and undergraduate programs were also redesigned to emphasize integration and experiential learning. Hassanein’s second term began on 1 July after more than two decades in various teaching and leadership positions at DeGroote.

Saby Mitra has been announced as dean of Goizueta Business School at Emory University in Atlanta. He has spent the last six years at the University of Florida (UF) in Gainesville, where he has been a professor and dean for the Warrington College of Business. Mitra joins Emory on 1 August. Until then, Jesse Bockstedt, a professor and senior associate dean of graduate programs, will oversee the school’s day-to-day operations. Gareth James previously served as dean of Goizueta Business School from 2022 to June 2026, when he became dean of the Anderson School of Management at the University of California, Los Angeles. (James’ new appointment was previously featured in our January 2026 People and Places posting.) At UF, Gary McGill will assume the interim role upon Mitra’s departure. He will serve in the role for at least a three-year term to provide stability to the college. McGill has been a member of the Warrington College faculty for 40 years, having joined the Fisher School of Accounting as an assistant professor in 1986. Most recently, he has led the college as senior associate dean and director of the Hough Graduate School of Business.

Last month, the Aspen Institute announced that Ángel Cabrera has been named the incoming president and CEO. He has spent nearly seven years at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, where he is currently the president of the research university. Under his leadership, the institution grew to serve more than 56,000 students—a 55 percent increase—and secured funding to support 1.4 billion USD of research expenditures. Cabrera also oversaw the development of new research centers in artificial intelligence, neuroscience, and space, and championed Georgia Tech’s role as an anchor of innovation and economic development in the community. He was also president of the Thunderbird School of Global Management, now part of Arizona State University in Phoenix, and, before that, was dean of IE Business School in Madrid. Cabrera will begin his new role on 1 November. During the interim period from 3 July through October, Maria Acebal will serve as interim president and CEO.

The National University of Singapore (NUS) has appointed Teo Chung Piaw as dean of NUS Business School. Chung Piaw, an alum, has served as the Stephen Riady Professor and co-director of the SIA–NUS Digital Aviation Corporate Laboratory. He was also formerly the executive director of the NUS Institute of Operations Research and Analytics, a role he relinquished when he became dean. Chung Piaw assumed the position on 1 July, succeeding Sun Yeneng, who served in the role for six years and will return to his academic pursuits at the university.

Sean Edmund Rogers has been selected as the new dean of the Brimmer College of Business and Information Science at Tuskegee University in Alabama. He joins Tuskegee after serving as dean and the Alfred J. Verrecchia-Hasbro Inc. Leadership Chair in Business at the University of Rhode Island’s College of Business. Rogers also has more than 25 years of experience in finance, industrial engineering, and marketing for several airlines and transportation companies, such as U.S. Airways, AirTran Airways, and UPS. He is a U.S. Army combat veteran and currently serves in the U.S. Air Force Reserve as a medical service corps officer. Rogers assumes the role from Kai Koong, who has served as dean since 2017.

Kutztown University in Pennsylvania has named Deborah Kidder as dean of the College of Business. Kidder most recently served as dean of the Turner College of Business and Technology at Columbus State University in Georgia from 2021 to December 2025. Previously, she was a long-serving faculty member and administrator at the University of Hartford’s Barney School of Business. Her roles included appointments as associate dean, accreditation coordinator, and chair of the Department of Management, Marketing, and Entrepreneurship. Her academic career also includes faculty appointments at Towson University in Maryland and the University of Connecticut. The new appointment began last month. Kidder replaces Anne Carroll, who was dean for nine years and is now retiring.

On 1 July, Deirdre Sartorelli became dean of the Gerrish School of Business at Endicott College in Massachusetts. Sartorelli joined Endicott in 2011 as an adjunct faculty member and was appointed assistant dean and executive director of the Angle Center for Entrepreneurship in 2015. She most recently served as an entrepreneur-in-residence at the School of Business. Prior to her leadership roles in higher education, Sartorelli built a distinguished career in the technology and telecommunications sectors, serving in executive positions with Verizon, Cisco Systems, and Avaya. Sartorelli succeeds Thomas Kushner, who has served as dean since 2022 and is now retiring.

Yael Grushka-Cockayne has been appointed as dean of the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia (UVA) in Charlottesville. A faculty member at the Darden School since 2009, Grushka-Cockayne has also served as senior associate dean for the full-time MBA program and the academic co-director of the LaCross Institute for Ethical Artificial Intelligence in Business. She will begin her deanship on 1 August, becoming the first woman permanently appointed to lead the school in its 70-year history. Scott Beardsley previously served as dean of the Darden School from 2015 until January 2026, when he became president of UVA. Mike Lenox has been serving as interim dean of the school.

Brooklyn College of the City University of New York has named Shalei Simms as dean of the Murray Koppelman School of Business. Simms joins Brooklyn College after serving as dean and associate professor at the State University of New York at Old Westbury. (Simms’ appointment at SUNY Old Westbury was previously featured in our January 2024 People and Places posting.) The interim dean role will be filled by Bruce E. Marx, the director of graduate programs. At Brooklyn College, she follows Qing Hu, who in 2024 was named the Marilyn and Gerry Cameron dean at Portland State University’s School of Business, and interim dean and associate professor of management and law, James Lynch.

Simon Sheather has stepped down as dean of the Gatton College of Business and Economics at the University of Kentucky (UK) in Lexington. Sheather, who has served as dean since July 2018, will return to Melbourne, Australia, to be closer to family and loved ones. Under his deanship, the business school expanded its academic offerings for learners at all stages of their academic careers in high-demand fields, from supply chain management to business analytics. Sheather also oversaw the creation of the Gatton Emerging Leaders Board, which aims to strengthen alumni engagement and deepen connections with industry partners. Chris Clifford, department chair and DuPont Endowed Chair in Banking and Financial Services, will succeed Sheather as interim dean. Clifford began at UK as an assistant professor of finance in 2008 and was appointed the Clark Materials Endowed Fellow in 2015. He became an associate professor and Phillip Morris Endowed Professor in 2016.

Taking over as dean at Alfred University’s College of Business is Todd Harrison. He joins Alfred from Heidelberg University in Ohio, where he was dean and Adams Family Endowed Chair in the School of Business. Harrison spent 17 years at St. John Fisher University in New York, where he has held a variety of posts, including interim associate dean. During his tenure at Fisher’s School of Business, he supported the school’s reaffirmation of AACSB accreditation and built a new student recruitment strategy. Harrison replaces Mark Lewis, who was dean for 14 years and is now retiring.

New Programs

This fall, the School of Business at St. Bonaventure University in New York will offer a Bachelor of Business Administration in Healthcare Management. The new degree option is designed to help students develop a strong foundational understanding of core business disciplines as they apply to healthcare systems, with a focus on management, finance, law, ethics, information systems, and healthcare delivery. The university will also offer experiential learning projects and internships.

Starting in September 2027, Fudan University International School of Finance in China will offer a new program that combines financial expertise with emerging technologies, including data analytics and artificial intelligence. The two-year Advanced MBA in Fintech (AMF) will enable experienced professionals to develop capabilities in analysis, decision-making, innovation, and leadership. The AMF will be taught in a part-time format, with weekend classes. The new program emphasizes experiential learning through coursework, case studies, and practical projects, while assessment methods focus on analytical thinking, innovation, and comprehensive decision-making skills. Participants will receive both an MBA degree and a graduation certificate from Fudan University.

ESSEC Business School in France has redesigned its Master in Management program to encourage peer learning, enhance its existing curriculum to meet evolving market demands, and grow students’ international outlook. The updated approach was designed to align with the institution’s four-year strategy that went into effect in 2024. Starting in September, all students will be placed in “squads” at the beginning of their program. These cohorts are expected to have around 40 students each and are “diversity incubators,” with each cohort a blend of nationalities, cultures, and backgrounds. ESSEC will also begin aligning the academic calendar for all incoming students during their first two trimesters and will introduce them to their studies as a solid unit. The program can also adapt to students’ career goals through the business school’s network of dual degrees and international partnerships. In addition, students will participate in a mandatory seminar titled The Future of Business. The seminar is an immersive experience that aims to empower students to understand the transformations redefining the economy and companies.

Flinders University has launched Australia’s first MBA program in artificial intelligence at the newly established Flinders Business School. Available online or at the school’s City campus in Adelaide, the courses are designed to emphasize transformation and help participants develop AI-driven mindsets alongside practical, in-demand leadership skills. The two-year program is designed for business professionals across a wide range of disciplines, not just technical fields. Foundational concepts, including data analytics, machine learning, and AI applications, are taught from the ground up, ensuring participants are prepared for an AI-enabled workforce regardless of their prior experience with technology.

Suffolk University in Boston received approval to establish an applied bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration and innovation that students can complete in three years instead of four. The 94-credit pilot program is a purposefully designed reduced-credit degree that maintains academic standards and learning outcomes comparable to Suffolk’s existing Bachelor of Science in Business Administration at Sawyer Business School (SBS). The approved pilot curriculum was jointly developed across all three of Suffolk’s schools—Suffolk University Law School, the College of Arts and Sciences, and SBS—around demonstrated competencies rather than credit accumulation. The curriculum will equip students with a comprehensive understanding of the U.S. healthcare system—its structure, financing, and delivery. Students will learn to navigate healthcare’s legal, regulatory, and policy environments, drive operational and systems improvement, and advance patient-centered and equitable care.

Collaborations

The Smith School of Business at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, has announced its continued partnership with Scotiabank, a multinational banking and financial services company headquartered in Toronto, to close skills gaps and help students adapt to technological change and participate fully in the economy. Scotiabank is investing 2.5 million USD over five years in the renewed partnership to provide ongoing support to the Scotiabank Center for Analytics and AI (formerly the Scotiabank Center for Customer Analytics) at Smith. Founded in 2016, the center brings together faculty, graduate students, and industry experts to collaborate on research and prepare students for careers building and deploying enterprise AI. The new gift will also support activities and initiatives focused on AI innovation, ethics and governance, access to graduate education for equity-deserving candidates, and community-centered AI literacy.

Grants and Donations

The Pennsylvania State University has received a 1.5 million USD commitment to support the Department of Finance at the Smeal College of Business. The benefactors have chosen to remain anonymous. Two-thirds of the gift, 1 million USD, will create an endowed account. The rest of the money will be paid over five years and is distinguished as current-use funds. Together, these commitments will provide annual resources to advance faculty excellence, expand research impact, and enhance the student experience. Resources also may support the recruitment of doctoral students and research assistants, as well as opportunities to host visiting scholars.

The University of Chicago Booth School of Business has received a “generous” commitment from university trustee Steven Wymer. In acknowledgment of Wymer’s philanthropy, Chicago Booth has established an endowed deanship administered by the current dean, Madhav Rajan, and all future deans. This is the first endowed deanship in the university’s history. Wymer is a portfolio manager in Fidelity Investments’ equity and high-income division.

Centers and Facilities

The University of Mannheim in Germany has established the Mannheim Center for Corporate Behavior and Regulation Analysis (COBRA) at Mannheim Business School to allow students, faculty, and external research partners to explore how economic policy and regulation shape business, markets, and society. Research efforts will cover the full range of corporate strategy, governance, financial marketing, innovation, and taxation topics. In addition, COBRA will support the development of early-career researchers through dedicated infrastructure, funding, and research programs. The center was founded by Marcel Olbert, a professor and chair in taxation, accounting, and finance.

Last month, Nile Business School, with its main campus in Abuja, Nigeria, announced the formal opening of its Lagos Liaison Office. The strategic move reflects the university’s efforts to expand access to executive education by providing working professionals with the knowledge and skills to apply classroom concepts within real organizational contexts. The expansion aims to create a unique platform for collaboration that bridges executive education with regional opportunity.

Other News

The University of Delaware in Newark received approval to restructure the Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics, aiming to strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration and support emerging areas of business education. The new plan transitions the previous five-department structure into a six-department institution and formally establishes the Neil Book School of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. (The announcement of the Book School was previously featured in our June 2026 People and Places posting.) The new academic departments include accounting; business analytics, operations, and information technology; economics; finance; hospitality and sports business; and marketing, management, and global business.

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