September 30-October 2, 2025
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Ready to lead a business school? Or just wondering what it really takes?
The 3-day Future Deans Virtual Summit is your space to ask bold questions, connect with real leaders, and imagine what’s possible in your next chapter.
Sep 30-Oct 2, 2025 | Virtual (Zoom)
WIBE MEMBERS: Free, included with your annual membership fee
NON-WIBE Members: $199 USD
Dean-ing in 2025 is a Whole New Ballgame.
Today’s deans are expected to be strategic visionaries, financial stewards, political navigators, and community builders, all while staying human.
Join us for three days of interactive sessions, practical insights, and honest conversations designed to help you lead with clarity, confidence, and guts.
The Virtual Summit is free for WIBE Members and only $199 for non-members, learn more about how membership can help you launch your career.
Not yet ready to register, but want to keep up to date on future deans programming? Join Our Mailing List for updates here.
What You’ll Gain
- Insights from current and new deans (the good, the bad, and the unexpected)
- A safe space to ask questions and get real answers
- Strategies to navigate your first 90 days and beyond
- A community of fellow future deans you can actually lean on
No Gatekeeping
We believe the path to the dean’s chair shouldn’t be shrouded in mystery or guarded by an exclusive club.
Whether you’re a faculty member curious about leadership, a department chair thinking about your next step, or an associate dean ready to see the bigger picture, you belong here.
Who Should Attend?
We’ve made the summit accessible so that anyone with the ambition to lead can join the conversation.
If you are waiting for permission to lead, then this is it! This is your invitation to get the insight, strategies, and connections that can shape your leadership journey.
If you’re dean-curious, dean-bound, or just dean-adjacent, then get into our (Zoom) room.
While the focus is on Business School Deans, our sessions are equally relevant for Future Associate Deans, Assistant Deans, or anyone exploring the fine art of dean-ing in any form in any department.
FREE for all WIBE members, and only $199 for non-members.
Not yet ready to register, but want to keep up to date on future deans programming? Join Our Mailing List for updates here.
AGENDA
Day 1: Foundations of Bold Leadership
September 30, 2025
This day is all about helping you define your leadership style, set realistic expectations, and build the foundation for a sustainable and intentional deanship. All times are Eastern Time (New York)
10:00-11:00am
What Kind of Dean Would You Be?
Designing Your Leadership Path with Rangapriya (Priya) Kannan.
11:30Am-12:30PM
Your First 90 Days
How to Lead Before You Know What You’re Doing with Bertie Greer and Melissa Gruys. Moderated by Lucy Swedberg of Harvard Business Impact.
1:30-2:30PM
Dean Without Burnout
Surviving the First Year with Deborah Compeau.
Day 2: Navigate the System
October 1, 2025
Understand the institutional power dynamics, hiring process, and people management at the heart of the dean role. All times are Eastern Time (New York)
10:00 – 11:00am
Budget, Politics, and People
What No One Tells You Before You Start with Michael Bedell and Kathryn Birkeland. Moderated by Emily McMahon of Eduvantis.
11:30am-12:30pm
Working with Search Firm
What They’re Really Looking For with Tiffany Weber of Isaacson, Miller
1:30-2:30pm
How to Build Your Dream Team
and Keep Your Sanity with Mary Louise Lo Re.
Day 3: Own Your Narrative
October 2, 2025
Understand the institutional power dynamics, hiring process, and people management at the heart of the dean role. All times are Eastern Time (New York)
11:30 am-12:30 pm
Brand (New) You
Positioning Yourself for the Dean Role with Lisa Leander.
1:30 pm – 2:30 pm
From Faculty to Dean
The Identity Shift No One Prepares You For with Thomas Aicher.
“You’re not here to fit into the system. You’re here to rewire it.”
-Lisa Leander, Founder & CEO, Where Imagination Builds Excellence
Speakers
Meet Our Speakers
Melissa Gruys
Dean, Monte Ahuja College of Business at Cleveland State University
Michael Bedell
Dean, Northeastern Illinois University
Deborah Compeau
Phyllis J. Campbell Endowed Dean, Carson College of Business Washington State University
You don’t have to wait for the title to start leading like a dean.
Priya Kannan
Dean, Lucas College of Graduate School of Business at San Jose State University
The future of dean-ing is gutsy, strategic, and a little less lonely. Join us.
Mary Louise Lo Re
Dean, Touro University Graduate School of Business
Bertie Greer
Rist Family Dean, Manning School of Business, UMASS Lowell
The dean you become starts with the leader you already are.
Thomas Aicher
Dean, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs
Kathryn Birkeland
Dean, College of Business, North Dakota State University
Becoming dean should not require a secret handshake or a second mortgage.
Lisa Leander
CEO, Where Imagination Builds Excellence (WIBE)
WIBE Members
Free with Membership
(Log-in required)
Non-Members
Not yet ready to register, but want to keep up to date on future deans programming? Join Our Mailing List for updates here.
You don’t need another leadership seminar.
You need a space to be curious, bold, brave and unapologetically ambitious.
This is it.
What Our Members Say
The energy and inspiration I get from WIBE has been so uplifting and incredible.
WIBE is a wonderful support system for all business academics. The professional development, upskilling, and networking opportunities are phenomenal.
Wonderful summit! There were so many ideas shared and connections made that I can’t wait until the next one
Academia can be lonely and isolating, WIBE provides a great platform to build connections to other academics around the world.
About WIBE Network
WHERE IMAGINATION BUILDS EXCELLENCE
WIBE Network is a global community for bold, creative leadership in business education.
We bring together deans, senior faculty, and academic innovators who are ready to reimagine what leadership looks like in higher education, and then we make it happen.
Originally launched as Women in Business Education, WIBE has evolved into a dynamic space for both men and women leaders who believe that imagination is not just a skill but a strategic advantage.
We shape the future of business education with creativity, courage, and community.
Through leadership summits, peer networks, and year-round programs, WIBE helps members connect, share ideas, and turn vision into reality.
Corporate Partner
Thank you to our corporate members who champion our WIBE Members
Frequently Asked Questions
What if I can’t attend a session live?
No problem! All sessions will be recorded and available to registered participants after the event. You can watch (or re-watch) at your own pace on our private membership site up to six months.
Who should attend?
Sessions are designed for aspiring, incoming, and current leaders in business education, including associate deans, assistant deans, and anyone interested in the realities of academic leadership.
Come be curiuos and learn more!
Men and women are encouraged to register (and join our membership)
Although started as Women in Business Education, we are now Where Imagination Builds Excellence (WIBE) and open to all who want to lead with curiousity and creativity.
Is the summit open to non-members?
Yes! While WIBE members get access to our full slate of benefits year-round, the Future Deans Summit is open to anyone ready to learn, connect, and lead boldly.
Can I join WIBE membership?
Absolutely! Joining WIBE means you’ll not only attend the summit, but also gain year-round access to workshops, networking opportunities, and our global community of bold, creative leaders in business education. You can join at any time through our membership page.
www.wibenetwork.com/membership
After registering as a member, head to the events page and then RSVP to the Future Deans Summit for the Zoom link and calendar invites.
What makes WIBE different from other professional associations?
No gatekeeping. No “members-only if you’ve been in the club for 20 years.”
We’re fresh, welcoming, and obsessed with giving you real tools and connections you can use now.
Plus, we mix in a whole lot more imagination and fun.
Is the summit for men and women?
Yes it sure is! Men and women are invited to join us.
We started as Women in Business Education, but WIBE is open to all leaders in business education who believe creativity and connection are the future.
Are there group discounts if a university wants to send a group of non-members?
Yes! Please email membership@wibenetwork.com if you’d like to send three or more participants from your institution, and we’ll provide group pricing details.
How do I join the sessions?
After you register, you’ll receive a confirmation email with your personal Zoom link. We’ll also send reminders before each day’s sessions so you’re ready to jump in.