Prestigious Wharton School of Business names its first-ever African American and woman as dean in its 139-year history
- Erika James succeeds Geoffrey Garrett as dean of Wharton School of Business
- She becomes the first-ever African American and woman to head the school
- Announcement was made on Wednesday by the University of Pennsylvania
- James was first African American woman dean at Goizueta Business School
- She is credited with boosting the number of women hired as Emory faculty
The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania has named its first-ever African American and woman dean to head the prestigious institution.
Erika James will assume the post beginning on July 1, the Philadelphia-based Ivy League school announced on Wednesday.
‘Erika is an award-winning scholar and teacher and a strong, proven leader who serves as dean of the Goizueta Business School at Emory University,’ said Penn President Amy Gutmann.
The Wharton School was founded in 1881. It has never had a black woman as dean.
‘A passionate and visible champion of the power of business and business education to positively transform communities locally, nationally and globally, she is exceptionally well prepared to lead Wharton into the next exciting chapter of its storied history.’
Erika James is the first African American and the first woman ever to be named dean at the prestigious Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania
In 2014, James also made history when she was the first-ever African American woman to be appointed dean at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School.
She is credited with growing the Goizueta faculty by 25 per cent by the end of her first term.
By 2019, the school had one of the most gender-diverse faculty populations in higher education.
‘This is an exciting time to be in business education,’ James said.
James will assume the post beginning on July 1, the Philadelphia-based Ivy League school announced on Wednesday
‘The scope and platform of the Wharton School provides an opportunity to create far reaching impact for students, scholars, and the business community.’
James is an active member of the SurveyMonkey board of directors.
Before becoming dean at Emory, she was senior associate dean for executive education at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business.
James earned a Ph.D. and master’s degree in organizational psychology from the University of Michigan Detroit Center.
She also has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Pomona College in Claremont, California.
James has been tapped to replace Geoffrey Garrett, who was recently named dean of the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business in Los Angeles.