Stanford Names An Interim MBA Admissions Chief

While Stanford’s Graduate School of Business continues to search for a new MBA admissions chief, the school has put its career center director in the role on an interim basis.

Jamie Schein, who earned her MBA from Stanford in 1991 and has been serving as the assistant dean & director of the Career Management Center, agreed to assume responsibilities for admissions and financial aid. The job, which involves leading and managing the work of 25 to 40 continuing and contingent staffers, has been vacant since the departure of Kirsten Moss who stepped down at the end of 2022. Moss announced her intention to leave on Sept. 28th.

Schein has been with Stanford for slightly more than ten years, joining the school in April of 2013 as director of strategy and curricular support for the MBA and MSx programs. She took on the role of career management in June of 2019. After earning her Stanford MBA in 1991, she became a product line manager for Silicon Graphics. Before returning to her alma mater,  Schein had been a partner at Force Five Partners, LLC, where she worked with corporate and education-oriented clients on marketing strategies.

GINA JORASCH WILL FILL IN AS INTERIM LEADER OF CAREER MANAGEMENT

Filling in for Schein in career management is Gina Jorasch, director of career advising, who will serve as interim assistant dean & director of the career management center during Schein’s time in admissions and financial aid. News of the appointments came in the form of an email to the Stanford GSB community from Paul Oyer, senior associate dean for academic affairs. “Please join me in thanking Jamie and Gina for stepping into these critical roles,” wrote Oyer in the email dated May 26. “I’m confident they will maintain the high level of capability in these important departments until the conclusion of our search.”

Stanford and Harvard Business School both found out that their MBA admissions chiefs would step down last September, coincidently on the very same day. Though eight months have passed since those public announcements, neither school has been able to find a successor for the post. Only last week, Harvard appealed to alumni for the names of potential candidates.

The job specs for the Stanford post include an advanced degree, with the MBA preferred, academic and/or industry experience and expertise in recruitment and talent assessment, experience leading the highly-selective admissions process, and proficiency with Excel, Google Suite and admissions technology (i.e, Slate).

SEEKING SOMEONE AT EASE WITH BEING ‘ON CAMERA’

Stanford expects candidates to bring the following attributes to the job:

• Communications Excellence: At ease with being the “on camera” representative of the institution, able to clearly and effectively communicate information to a wide array of internal and external audiences. Able to present data in a manner that enables a clear understanding of interests and options. Ability to facilitate candid discussion of details and adjust thinking.
• Analytical Strength: Proven success and rigor in reviewing and analyzing complex marketing, talent and financial data to inform strategy and decisions. Includes experience with significant and complex budgetary / financial management. Understanding of underlying technological needs and requirements.
• Operational Leadership: Proven success as an inclusive leader and managing complex operations. Ability to establish credibility and effective working relationships across the organization. Superior ability to exercise judgment, discretion, and initiative in managing multiple broad-impact projects. Success creating processes that accelerate decisions and bring initiatives to closure.
• Relationship Skills: Extensive interpersonal, negotiation and political acumen with the ability to cultivate strong collaborative relationships. Knowledge of protocol and careful attention to detail when handling sensitive topics with members of academia, business, and the public.
• Institutional Affinity: Knowledge of policy development and processes in academia and able to maneuver its complexity. Understanding and appreciation for regulatory compliance. Ability to foster a collaborative and inclusive environment that is respectful of people and encourages and values diverse points of view in the service to our core mission of education and research.
• Flexibility: Energy, resilience and good humor. Ability to commit to seasonal schedules requiring evenings and weekends, and flexibility to travel regionally and internationally.

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