Jim Dean
Dean, Sarah Graham Kenan Distinguished Scholar, 
and Professor of Organizational Behavior
James W. Dean Jr., became the Dean of The University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School on Aug. 1, 2008. Before being appointed Dean, Dean was a professor of organizational behavior and strategy and senior associate dean of academic affairs at UNC Kenan-Flagler.
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 Inc., Boeing Co., Corning Inc., DuPont, Exxon Mobil, General Electric Co., Honeywell International Inc. and the U.S. Navy.
He has served in key leadership roles at UNC Kenan-Flagler. Dean assumed the business school’s top academic position, senior associate dean for academic affairs, on July 1, 2007. He also served as associate dean of executive development and associate dean of the master of business administration (MBA) program.
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 Exxon Mobil Corp., the U.S. Navy, Duke Energy Corp., Cisco Systems Inc. and Nucor Corp., 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.
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.
He served as 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.
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.
