Scheller College Welcomes New Dean

Maryam Alavi, Ph.D., current interim dean of Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, has accepted Georgia Tech’s offer to serve as the next dean of the Scheller College of Business. Her appointment will begin July 1.

As an expert in information technology innovations and strategic applications, Alavi is the John and Lucy Cook Chair in Information Strategy at Emory. During her tenure at the Goizueta Business School, she has served in multiple leadership positions, provided strategic direction for several academic programs, and assembled a world-class faculty with a leading-edge research and teaching portfolio.

Alavi’s research and thought leadership in technology-mediated learning were the guiding forces behind the development of Goizueta Business School’s Modular Executive MBA format. She is also the architect of the concepts and approach forming the leadership development curriculum across the School’s educational programs. 

In announcing the appointment, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Rafael L. Bras cited the breadth of Alavi’s academic and administrative experience, and its alignment with the leadership needs for the Scheller College of Business.

“I am thrilled to welcome Dr. Maryam Alavi to the Georgia Tech family,” Bras said. “The Scheller College of Business is in a perfect position to benefit from Dr. Alavi's scholarship, experience, and deep knowledge of business education and research. She has a clear understanding of the competitive advantage of the Scheller College of Business under the umbrella of the Georgia Tech brand, culture, and, vision – and of how to realize the benefits of that advantage.”

During her career, Alavi has held faculty positions at the University of Houston, University of Maryland at College Park, and was a Marvin Bower faculty fellow at Harvard Business School. She has authored more than 70 published papers and is a past recipient of the Association for Information Systems Fellow Award. Alavi was a two-time gubernatorial appointee to the board of the Georgia Technology Authority.

“I am delighted and honored to join the Scheller College of Business as dean. In taking on this role, I am particularly excited by the synergistic possibilities presented by the fusion of Georgia Tech’s brand and intellectual assets with Scheller College’s capabilities and resources. Our current era of technology growth and technology-driven innovation, coupled with the dynamic Atlanta business environment, uniquely positions the Scheller College to excel rapidly and contribute significantly to business and society.”

Alavi earned her master’s degree in computer and information science and doctoral degree in information systems from the Ohio State University. Her undergraduate degree in mathematics and computer science was earned at the State University of New York-Buffalo.

Steve Salbu, who has led the College since 2006, will resume his faculty role as the Cecil B. Day Chair in Business Ethics and director of the new Cecil B. Day Program in Business Ethics. 

“I want to take the opportunity to express my gratitude to Dean Steve Salbu for having led the College so well for eight years,” Bras said. “He leaves the College moving in an increasingly positive direction, with positive momentum to climb to the next level in a progressively competitive environment.”