Sarah Soule Becomes The First Woman To Be Named Dean Of Stanford GSB

Stanford’s Sarah Soule was named the Graduate School of Business’s new dean on January 15: “There is and will continue to be a central role, even in an age of AI, for the individual, transformational experience we offer at the GSB in creating leaders”

Stanford Graduate School of Business on Wednesday (January 15) announced that Sarah Soule, a long-time OB professor and member of the school’s leadership team, will be the B-school’s next dean — the first woman appointed to the job. An outspoken champion for DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion), she officially begins office as Philip H. Knight Professor and Dean on June 16, more than 14 months after her predecessor Jonathan Levin left to become Stanford’s president.

The appointment now puts two of the world’s big three business school brands–Stanford and Wharton–in the hands of female leaders. Harvard Business School has yet to name a woman in the top leadership job, having missed the opportunity when it turned to a senior associate dean and long-time HBS veteran Srikant Datar as dean in 2021. Soule will be the third female dean of an M7 (Magnificent 7) business school, the other being the Kellogg School of Management which has had two women serve as deans.

The announcement is being greeted with excitement by many, some of whom have taken to social media to express their pleasure at the news. “This is what gives me hope: A brilliant, kind and inclusive leader–Sarah Soule–is set to be the dean of one of the most prestigious business schools in the world,” wrote Lori Nishiura Mackenzie on LinkedIn. “My phone won’t stop buzzing with excited texts from people sharing the news.” Mackenzie is one of Soule’s co-authors on a recent Harvard Business Review essay entitled How DEI Can Survive This Era of Backlash.

“At the GSB, we have always been in the business of transformation, and in particular, the transformation of our students into purposeful and principled leaders,” Soule says in a news release. “It’s humbling to think about our graduates, their roles globally, and what they have been able to achieve for the world. I am deeply proud of that legacy and honored to be asked to help shepherd it.

“There is and will continue to be a central role, even in an age of AI, for the individual, transformational experience we offer at the GSB in creating leaders.”

PUBLIC FACE OF A HIGHLY PUBLICIZED LISTENING TOUR

Well-liked and highly admired, the Vermont-born Soule holds a Ph.D. and MA in sociology from Cornell University and a BA from the University of Vermont. She was a professor of sociology at the University of Arizona and Cornell University before joining Stanford in 2008 as a professor of organizational behavior. She joined former Dean Levin’s leadership team when he became dean in 2016, initially overseeing executive education, global innovation programs, and finance, and in time taking on a lead role in the B-school’s diversity initiative. In 2020, after a “listening tour” of Black stakeholders in the B-school community, Levin and Soule made a highly publicized series of commitments to racial equity.

In an academic environment where scholarly research often is placed above teaching, Soule has been outspoken about her affinity for teaching–and has won more than two dozen endorsements on her LinkedIn profile for her prowess in the classroom. “I think what I love about teaching is that these students give so much energy back to us,” she has said. “It’s sort of like holding up a mirror, and watching all of their positive vibes, coming right back at us. You get such a charge out of it.”

Among the subjects Soule has taught: strategy, organizational design, redesigning work, and sustainable food systems. Among her many other roles, she is also a former co-director of Stanford’s Center for Social Innovation. She served as the school’s senior associate dean for academic affairs from 2016 to 2023; since September 2023, she has been the Sara Miller McCune Director of Stanford’s Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences.

Soule continues in the news release that she is now “excited to be part of the broader leadership community in the university. I’ve been impressed with Jon and (Stanford Provost) Jenny (Martinez) and the broader leadership team in place at Stanford. Jon brought the GSB closer to Stanford, and I find that absolutely the right thing to do.”

‘THE GSB IS IN EXCELLENT HANDS’

Soule’s historic appointment comes as the Graduate School of Business celebrates the centennial of its opening in 1925.

“I’ve worked and collaborated closely with Sarah for many years, and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to do so again in her new role as incoming dean,” says Professor Peter DeMarzo, who has been serving as interim dean of the school since Levin stepped down last spring. DeMarzo is also the John G. McDonald Professor of Finance in the school.

“In addition to being a proven leader and a great researcher, Sarah brings an authentic, principled, and personable style. She connects well with students, faculty, staff, alumni – pretty much everyone. The GSB is in excellent hands.”

The search for the new dean began last May with the appointment of a search committee composed of GSB faculty, student, and alumni members. The panel was co-chaired by Provost Jenny Martinez and Professor Neil Malhotra.

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