ASU has named Gary Waissi dean of the School of Global Management and Leadership. He begins his appointment in August.

For the past seven years, Waissi served as dean of the School of Management at the University of Michigan-Dearborn.

“Dr. Waissi will provide the academic and organizational leadership and judgment needed to make our management programs as strong as they can possibly become,” says Mark Searle, vice president and provost of ASU’s West campus. “He shares our vision of strengthening our research and scholarship base, positioning the business faculty to influence the development of the field, and preparing students to succeed in a global, multicultural marketplace.”

Before his appointment as dean at UM-Dearborn, Waissi served as chair of the Department of Management. Before that appointment, he worked with Philipp Holzmann AG in its headquarters in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, and in Nigeria. More recently, he has consulted with higher-education institutions in developing countries such as Rwanda and Uzbekistan.

“I am honored to serve as dean of the School of Global Management and Leadership, and I am excited about the opportunity to work with faculty, students, staff, alumni and business supporters in leading the school to its next stage,” Waissi says. “The school has a strong portfolio of academic programs, faculty members who are nationally recognized scholars and teachers, a collegial culture that embraces constant innovation, and a supportive network of alumni and friends in the business community.”

During his tenure as UM-Dearborn’s dean of the School of Management, the school experienced a significant programmatic and enrollment growth. Under his leadership, Waissi directed the development of five new graduate degrees, 12 new program concentrations and international partnerships with universities in Italy, Spain, France and Hong Kong.

“I see ASU’s School of Global Management and Leadership as uniquely positioned to meet the growing demand for business leaders,” Waissi says. “We face the challenge of developing innovative academic programs supported by leading-edge research. The successful people and organizations of tomorrow will invent the future. It is very exciting to be involved in that process.”

Waissi speaks five languages – English, Finnish, German, Russian and Swedish – and is a member of the board of trustees for Finlandia University, located in Hancock, Mich. He serves as Michigan’s Honorary Consul of Finland.

Waissi earned his doctorate in engineering, with an emphasis on operations research, from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.
In 2005, Waissi taught at the International Business School in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. During this time, he also participated in an executive education general management program and delivered faculty workshops on such topics as online learning and interactive teaching techniques. Other international and domestic projects include assessing degree program curricula for Tampere University of Technology, Finland; conducting online teaching and learning sessions for Bankworld Inc. executives in Washington, D.C.; and statistical evaluation and modeling of defaulted Discover, VISA/Mastercard, and private-label credit-card accounts for Asset Acceptance Corp. in Troy, Mich.

“Dr. Waissi brings exceptional academic and management background to this position,” Searle says. “He is a creative and strong leader who is well-positioned to lead the School of Global Management and Leadership to achieve its goals – and, through that, those of the New American University.”