About Us
Welcome to the new WIBE
WHERE IMAGINATION BUILDS EXCELLENCE
We are not your typical leadership network.
We are a global community for business school leaders who refuse to lead by someone else’s outdated rules.
We replace the old guard’s playbook with new ideas, real strategies, and an open door for anyone ready to lead.
Our Story
WIBE started as Women in Business Education, a space built to connect, develop, and champion women in higher education leadership.
But we also knew that creativity and bold leadership aren’t only women’s work. The challenges facing business education require all of us, men, women, and everyone in between, thinking differently, leading differently, and supporting each other fiercely.
So we evolved.
We became WIBE, Where Imagination Builds Excellence, expanding our reach to welcome anyone in business education leadership who’s ready to reimagine what’s possible.
What We Believe
Creativity Is Leadership — Innovation isn’t a side project; it’s core to the future of higher education.
Connection Over Competition — Our members share ideas, celebrate wins, and help each other through challenges.
Access For All — We make leadership development affordable, approachable, and open. No secret handshakes required.
Courage Counts — We champion leaders who challenge the status quo and design better systems.
Who Joins WIBE
Current deans seeking candid peer conversations without the politics
Aspiring leaders ready to prepare for their first big role
Faculty and administrators building programs, partnerships, and influence
Anyone in business education who wants to lead with vision and creativity
Meet our Founder, Lisa Leander
I’ve never been one to wait for an invitation. In fact, when I saw the leadership world in business education was too often exclusive, slow to change, and allergic to bold ideas… I built my own club, and invited the people who wanted to make a real difference.
For more than 20 years, I’ve worked with business school leaders across six continents. I’ve seen it all, the politics, the pivots, the power struggles, and I know exactly where the opportunities for creativity and connection live.
In 2020, I founded WIBE to do something radically simple. I brought together leaders who want to think bigger, lead differently, and have a whole lot more fun doing it.
What started as Women in Business Education has grown into a global hub for bold, creative leadership open to anyone ready to reimagine the future of higher ed.
My gift is building communities where people feel seen, supported, and ready to make big leaps.
When I’m not running WIBE, you’ll probably find me playing tennis, driving my two kids around volleyball practice, or designing a program that makes you think differently before it’s even over.
If you’re reading this, consider it your personal invitation to join our community.
You’ll be welcomed exactly as you are, and I can’t wait to connect with you.
-Lisa Leander, Founder & CEO
Where Imagination Builds Excellence (WIBE)
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