May 23, 2016
Villanova is in the midst of a banner year.
The Wildcats won the 2016 NCAA men's basketball championship in dramatic fashion and the university's School of Business was ranked the best undergraduate business program in the United States.
On Monday, Villanova University announced that it will turn a new leaf for the School of Business, appointing Joyce E.A. Russell as the Helen and William O'Toole Dean of the Villanova School of Business, effective August 1.
Russell comes to Villanova from the University of Maryland, where she served as Senior Associate Dean of the Robert H. Smith School of Business. She was selected after a national search led by a committee of faculty, administrators, students and alumni.
Joyce E.A. Russell, PhD, named The Helen and William O'Toole Dean of the Villanova School of Business.
An award-winning educator and researcher, Russell led the creation of several new graduate programs at UMD and launched the university's Office of Transformational Learning, an initiative aimed at refining business pedagogy and curriculum. She is a widely published author who writes a weekly career coaching column for The Washington Post.
Before her role at UMD, Russell was a professor in the University of Tennessee's Department of Management. She earned a Ph.D. and M.A. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from the University of Akron and her B.A. from Loyola University Maryland.
In her new role as chief administrator of the Villanova School of Business, Russell will oversee an annual budget of more than $30 million. Her work will encompass strategic and long-term academic planning, curriculum development, faculty research support, student services, fundraising and alumni initiatives.
“It is a tremendous honor and privilege for me to be named The Helen and William O'Toole Dean of the Villanova School of Business,” said Dr. Russell. “The Villanova School of Business is highly regarded for its academic rigor based on a strong liberal arts foundation and firm grounding in ethics, as well as for its hands-on experiential learning opportunities and impressive commitment to creativity and innovation. I look forward to working with VSB faculty, students, staff, alumni and many others across the University community to continue to move the School of Business forward as one of the most prestigious in the country.”
