Deborah Crown Named Dean of the Graziadio Business School at Pepperdine University

Project Description

CarterBaldwin Executive Search is proud to partner again with Pepperdine University in their naming of Dr. Deborah Crown as the 10th dean of the Graziadio Business School. Crown joins Pepperdine from Rollins College, where she has served as dean of the Crummer Graduate School of Business and professor of management since 2016.

“I look forward to the impact that Dr. Crown, an academic leader with a strong Christian faith, will make on the Graziadio Business School and the community of students, faculty, and staff that will be influenced by her demonstrated commitment to servant leadership and Pepperdine’s Christian mission,” says Pepperdine president Jim Gash.

Crown brings to Pepperdine nearly two decades of experience in higher education administration. As dean of the Crummer Graduate School of Business, she increased overall fundraising by close to 150 percent during her five-year tenure and secured critical grant funding for the school’s Centers of Excellence. She has also served as the dean of the College of Business and professor of strategic leadership at Hawaii Pacific University, associate dean of the Lucas Graduate School of Business and Lucas Endowed Professor of Strategic Leadership at San Jose State University, and director of domestic and international graduate programs and O’Bleness Professor of Leadership at the Ohio University College of Business.

Prior to her experience in administration, Crown has been an impassioned educator since her first teaching role at the University of Alabama, where she ultimately served as the Miles-Rose Professor of Management and coordinator of the management PhD program. The recipient of numerous awards for teaching, research, mentoring, and service, Crown has been recognized for her influential leadership in the business community and for incorporating social responsibility into her teaching and research.

Crown holds a BS in psychology from North Central College, an MS in business administration from the University of Colorado Denver, and a PhD in business administration from the University of Colorado Boulder.

To read the full release from Pepperdine University, click here.

About Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University is founded on the Church of Christ tradition and proudly upholds Christian values with the belief that they complement and support the pursuit of knowledge. Situated on a stunning 830-acre campus in Malibu, CA, Pepperdine’s main campus overlooks the Pacific Ocean and regularly ranks among the top 20 most beautiful college campuses in the US. There are four additional campuses throughout Southern California and seven permanent campuses around the globe that provide a range of international internships and programs on six continents. With 82 degree programs, Pepperdine boasts top-ranked graduate and undergraduate programs in schools dedicated to business, education and psychology, law, liberal arts, and public policy. Its NCAA athletic program is composed of eight men’s and nine women’s Division I teams.