Erika James, Dean of Goizueta Business School, was recently named to Ebony magazine’s Power 100 list. James, the first African-American female dean of a Top-25 business school, said she is humbled and honored by the recognition.
“EBONY magazine has honored the heroes of the Black community for over 70 years. Today, the EBONY POWER 100 celebrates the world’s most inspiring African Americans,” says organizers via the award website. “EBONY recognizes those who lead, inspire and demonstrate through their individual talents, the very best in Black America.
James was appointed dean on May 19, 2014.
Prior to this prestigious appointment, James served as Senior Associate Dean for Executive Education at the Darden Graduate School of Business (Virginia). She introduced the Women’s Leadership Program at Darden, which has the top-ranked faculty for open enrollment programs (Financial Times, 2014). Open enrollment programs at Darden are currently ranked No. 3 in the world (Financial Times, 2014).
James is a published researcher, award-winning educator, admired administrator, regarded speaker and proven consultant. Her expertise in workplace diversity and crisis leadership has led to recognition in scholarly journals and mainstream media. She has also taught and consulted on topics including decision making under pressure, trust and change management.
James grew up in Texas and completed her undergraduate work at Pomona College (Calif.). While fulfilling coursework James started in the field of organizational psychology and pursued an M.A. and Ph.D. in the subject at the University of Michigan. She served as an assistant professor at Tulane University’s Freeman School of Business and Emory before joining the faculty at Darden. James also spent one year as a visiting professor at Harvard Business School.
In more than a decade of service at Virginia, James worked in various roles including Associate Dean of Diversity — the first to hold the position. She was also course head for the MBA core organizational behavior course and served as area coordinator for the Leadership and Organization Behavior unit at Darden. For the university, James was a member of the executive council of the Faculty Senate.
