Rollins Names New Dean of the Crummer Graduate School of Business

Deborah Crown has been named dean and professor of management at the Rollins College Crummer Graduate School of Business, effective July 1, 2016. She will succeed Thomas McEvoy ’80 ’85MBA, who has served as interim dean since July 2014.

“Dr. Crown has accrued an impressive record over her 25-year career in higher education,” says Grant Cornwell, president of Rollins College. “Her leadership and global experience will ensure that Crummer continues to grow as a destination for students and employees looking to thrive in today’s diverse and changing landscape.”

“I am honored to be joining an exceptional faculty, staff, alumni, board, and community of supporters who have created a Rollins College Crummer Graduate School experience that is recognized as a national leader and regional powerhouse in business education,” says Crown. “It is clear they have created an environment that is steadfast in its commitment to student learning and success, and one that has been built on their unwavering dedication to developing business and community leaders.”

Since 2011, Crown has served as dean of the College of Business and professor of strategic leadership at Hawaii Pacific University, the state’s largest private university. As dean she has led the development and implementation of the college’s strategic plan; increased net revenue, scholarship funds, and retention and graduation rates; and spearheaded the transition to a comprehensive, student-centered facility. In 2008, she was named associate dean of the Lucas Graduate School of Business and Lucas Endowed Professor of Strategic Leadership at San Jose State University, and previously at Ohio University was the O’Bleness Professor of Leadership and director of the graduate programs at the College of Business, with offerings in China, Hungary, and Italy.

The recipient of numerous awards for teaching, research, mentoring and service, Crown began her career at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, where she was named Miles-Rose Professor of Management and coordinator of the management Ph.D. program. She has taught both undergraduate and graduate courses, including doctoral seminars in organizational behavior and an interdisciplinary, inter-institutional course on professional ethics. Crown has been a reviewer for the National Academy of Management and the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology as well as numerous professional journals, and her own work has been published many times. She has been featured in national media outlets for her expertise, including CNN, ABC News, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today, and Entrepreneur.

Crown received an undergraduate degree in psychology from North Central College in Naperville, Illinois, and MS and PhD degrees in business administration from the University of Colorado.

Cornwell added, “On behalf of the Rollins community, I want to share our gratitude to Tom McEvoy for serving as interim dean. As an alumnus himself, Tom took genuine interest in the success of every student, faculty member, and staff member at Crummer and assured the school’s continued growth and progress.” During McEvoy’s term, Crummer extended its record of outstanding rankings: Bloomberg Businessweek No. 1 part-time MBA in Florida and top 20 in the nation, Forbes No. 1 private business school full-time MBA in Florida, 52nd in the nation, Leadership Excellence No. 3 leadership center in the nation, and a Princeton Review “Best Business School.”