Not One But Two Interim Deans To Lead Weatherhead

Case Western Reserve University took the unusual step of naming not one but two interim deans–an academic and an investment executive–to take over the Weatherhead School of Management while it searches for a new full-time dean. The university named J.B. Silvers, a longtime professor in healthcare finance,  and Andrew Medvedev, currently a managing director at Morgan Stanley, as interim co-deans. effective Sept. 1.

It is rare for a business school to have a split-management team and even rarer for a university to appoint interim deans for terms of three years. But university President Eric W. Kaler said in a statement that the pair “bring complementary experience and expertise to these roles. They also share deep connections to the school and are committed to accelerating its recent progress.”

Medvedev, who has also served on the university’s board of trustees, will step down from his job at Morgan Stanley to assume the interim position. He joined Lehman Brothers after graduating from Harvard Business School with his MBA in 2004 and has spent the past two decades in investment management, corporate finance and investment banking, with a significant portion of it focused on the traditional and renewable energy sectors. He joined Morgan Stanley Investment Management in 2012 and also serves as a member of the Investment Committee of Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners.

‘Honored To Lead’

Silvers, who had been interim dean before in 2012, is currently the school’s associate dean for finance, Since joining Case Western Reserve in 1979, Silvers has held leadership roles at Weatherhead in academic affairs, resource management and planning, and the Department of Banking and Finance.

The two will succeed Manoj Malhotra, who last month announced he would step down on Aug. 31 after completing a five-year term as dean. His accomplishments included a significant expansion of the school’s undergraduate enrollment, launch of an online MBA program focused on healthcare management, and, this year, the school’s highest annual fundraising total in more than two decades.

“We are honored by this opportunity to lead an organization that has played such an important role in each of our lives, and that serves as the lynchpin of the regional and management community,” Medvedev and Silvers said in a joint statement. “Weatherhead’s proud history of innovation, world-class faculty and staff, and a tight-knit alumni network will enable it to become one of the leaders in guiding the management community through these unprecedented times. We are excited to help the school capitalize on its incredible legacy and potential.”

Medvedev Earned His MBA At Harvard

An Indiana native, Silvers earned his undergraduate and master’s degrees from Purdue University, and his doctorate from Stanford University. Before joining Case Western, Silvers served on the faculties of Harvard and Indiana universities. From 1997 to 2000, he took a leave from the university to become president and CEO of the QualChoice Health Plan of University Hospitals Health System. He has published extensively on healthcare policy, finance and value, testified before Congress and state legislatures, and spent a dozen years as a member of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations (today known as the Joint Commission).

Medvedev, who immigrated with his family to Cleveland as a teenager, earned his undergraduate degree in economics from CWRU in 1997 and his MBA from Harvard Business School in 2004. Six years ago, Medvedev joined trustee and Weatherhead MBA alumnus Joe Sabatini in launching the school’s Wall Street Trek, an alumni-funded career preparatory course and trip that connects undergraduates with professional opportunities within New York City’s financial community. In 2018, Medvedev joined Weatherhead’s visiting committee, where he helped launch the school’s alumni-led career boot camp program, designed to further bolster the students’ marketplace readiness.  

“Andrew’s extensive career and relationships provide firsthand insight into the skills and knowledge today’s graduates need,” Provost Ben Vinson said. “And J.B.’s decades at Weatherhead give him unique and extensive knowledge of the school. I look forward to seeing their collaboration build on its legacy and catalyze its next chapter.”

Medvedev will step down from his roles at Morgan Stanley and the university’s Board of Trustees before starting at Weatherhead on Sept. 1.

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