Saonee Sarker to start July 1
Saonee Sarker to start July 1
Courtney Mabeus-Brown// February 27, 2023//
Saonee Sarker, a professor at Sweden’s Lund University, will serve as the next dean of the Virginia Tech’s Pamplin College of Business following an international search.
Virginia Tech announced Sarker’s new role Monday. She has been a professor in Lund University’s Department of Informatics in the School of Economics and Management since 2021, and is also a visiting professor at the London School of Economics’ management department. Sarker, who succeeds interim dean Roberta “Robin” Russell, will start her new position July 1.
The new role also marks a return to Virginia for Sarker, though it comes with a twist. She previously served at the University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce from 2013 to 2021, where she worked in roles including senior associate dean for academic affairs, area coordinator of IT and professor of IT.
“Saonee’s strong academic leadership experience, global perspective, and commitment to recruiting and retaining a diverse community of business faculty is well aligned with the goals and priorities of the Pamplin College of Business and the university,” Virginia Tech Executive Vice President and Provost Cyril Clarke said in a statement. “I look forward to her joining our leadership team and supporting her efforts to lead the college and advance Virginia Tech’s land-grant mission and global reputation.”
Sarker earned a bachelor’s degree from Lady Brabourne College at Calcutta University in India, an MBA from the University of Cincinnati, and a Ph.D. from Washington State University, where she worked for 11 years in a variety of roles, including as a professor, a Ph.D. program coordinator and as chair of the management and information systems department.
Sarker is also senior editor emeritus and director of diversity, equity and inclusion for MIS Quarterly, a peer-reviewed academic journal covering research in management information systems and IT and she also serves as senior editor of the Journal of the Association for Information Systems. Her research interests include smart infrastructure and sustainability, health care information technology and technostress, technology-enabled collaboration and more.
“I am honored to join the Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Tech as its next dean,” Sarker said in a statement. “The college is experiencing tremendous positive momentum, and I look forward to partnering with new colleagues, alumni, and industry partners to advance a world-class business education ecosystem with far-reaching societal impact.”
Russell has served as interim dean since July 2022 following the retirement of Robert Sumichrast. She is also retiring after a 40-year career at the university.
“I would like to thank Robin Russell for her outstanding leadership and guidance as interim dean and for continuing to elevate the Pamplin College of Business during this transition,” Clarke said. “I know that she will continue to be a valuable resource for the new dean and will advocate for and support the college’s future growth and success.”
This is the second announcement of new leadership at Virginia Tech colleges in less than a week. On Friday, the university announced it had hired Tsai Lu Liu to lead the College of Architecture, Arts and Design.
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