James W. Dean Jr.

James W. Dean Jr. will become the next dean of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler Business School effective Aug. 1. Dean is a professor of organizational behavior and strategy, and senior associate dean of academic affairs at UNC Kenan-Flagler.

"Jim Dean is a proven educator, business thinker and administrator," said Chancellor Holden Thorp. "We’re so pleased to attract him to the top job at Kenan-Flagler Business School."

"Jim Dean has a compelling vision for future excellence at Kenan-Flagler," said Bernadette Gray-Little, executive vice chancellor and provost. "He knows the school exceptionally well after serving with distinction as a faculty member and senior administrator."

Dean succeeds W. Steven Jones, who completes his five-year term as dean on July 31.

The appointment was approved today by the UNC Board of Trustees. Following a national search, a committee chaired by School of Public Health Dean Barbara Rimer recommended Dean to the provost and chancellor.

A member of the UNC Kenan-Flagler faculty since 1997, Dean’s research, teaching and work with companies focus on leadership, organizational change, strategic decision making, international management and organizational performance improvement. He has participated in research, teaching and/or consulting projects with many companies, including ALCOA, Boeing, Corning, DuPont, ExxonMobil, GE, Honeywell and the U.S. Navy.

Dean has served in key leadership roles at UNC Kenan-Flagler. He was:

• Senior associate dean for academic affairs, the school’s top academic position, since July 1, 2007
• Associate dean of Executive Development from 2002-007
• Associate dean of the MBA Program from 1998-2002

As associate dean for Executive Development, he increased the number and global reach of UNC’s non-degree programs, which are ranked among the world’s best. The school is especially well known for its custom-designed programs and has developed programs for ExxonMobil, the U.S. Navy, Duke Energy, Cisco and Nucor, among others.

As associate dean of the MBA Program, Dean led an innovative curriculum redesign, created corporate advisory boards and developed a strong professional team to guide admissions, student services and career services.

He was program director of the National Science Foundation research program, Transformations to Quality Organizations, which was jointly sponsored by the government and the private sector. He served as an examiner for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for six years.

His research has been published in top academic and business journals, including the Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, Harvard Business Review, Organization Science and Strategic Management Journal.

Dean earned his Ph.D. and master’s degrees in organizational behavior from Carnegie Mellon University. He earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from The Catholic University.

UNC Kenan-Flagler, one of the nation’s oldest accredited business schools, provides top-ranked programs for students and executives. Its degree programs include the MBA, MBA for Executives (Evening, Weekend and OneMBA Global), Master of Accounting, undergraduate BSBA and Ph.D. Programs. Executive development programs are taught at the Paul J. Rizzo Conference Center at Meadowmont. The Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise, founded at Kenan-Flagler in 1985, promotes private enterprise worldwide and leverages private-sector resources and expertise to serve the public interest.