(Photo from left): Dr. Praveen Aggarwal, Dr. Jannifer David, Dr. Amy B. Hietapelto
When school resumes in the fall, there will be a lot of excitement, as students, faculty, and staff get back into the rhythm of face-to-face classes. Halls, classrooms, and offices will fill once again, and LSBE will pretty much be back to the way it was prior to March 2020—except there will be one major change that may not be noticed at first. LSBE's leadership team will be different.
Dr. Praveen Aggarwal, former LSBE associate dean has stepped into the role of interim dean, and former Dean Dr. Amy B. Hietapelto, has taken on the role of UMD’s interim executive vice chancellor for academic affairs (EVCAA) as of June 21. Dr. Jannifer G. David, associate professor of Human Resource Management, has become LSBE’s interim associate dean.
This transition will be in place while a nationwide search is conducted to replace EVCAA Fernando Delgado, who has been named the President of Lehman College in New York.
Aggarwal, who has been with UMD since 1998, has served as LSBE’s associate dean for nine years, and prior to that, he was the head of the Management Studies and Marketing departments for seven years. He has a couple of master’s degrees from universities in India, and a Ph.D. in Marketing from Syracuse University in New York. He worked as a senior executive in the food industry before transitioning to academia.
“I am appreciative of being able to take the reins from Dean Hietapelto for this transitionary period,” said Aggarwal. “LSBE has made momentous strides under Dean Hietapelto’s leadership. I look forward to serving the school in this new role and welcome Dr. David as we work together in sustaining the school’s momentum.”
During his time as associate dean, Aggarwal has overseen numerous facets of the school including curriculum, AACSB accreditation, assurance of learning, communications, and advising and academic services. During his career at UMD, he has authored more than a hundred scholarly and trade publications and earned numerous teaching, service, and research awards, including the Horace T. Morse-University of Minnesota Alumni Association Award for outstanding contributions to undergraduate education.
Hietapelto’s eight years of leadership have brought about extensive growth for the school. This includes the addition of numerous hands-on student experiences, such as the Entrepreneurship Conference and BizDogs Living and Learning Community; the addition of five majors—Marketing and Graphic Design, Entrepreneurship, Financial Planning, Professional Sales, and Business Analytics—and two stand-alone minors; expanded modalities of the MBA program; increased faculty and staff support; infrastructure improvements that benefit faculty, staff, and students; two successful AACSB reaccreditations; and more.
“EVCAA Dr. Delgado has been instrumental in so many initiatives that have advanced UMD,” said Hietapelto. “We are very fortunate to have benefited from his expertise. As interim EVCAA, I will work with Chancellor Black in building upon Dr. Delgado’s impactful work.
“LSBE will remain in good hands under the guidance of Dr. Aggarwal and Dr. David. I look forward to seeing how they leverage their talents and skillsets to continue progressing LSBE’s vision and mission. We are fortunate to have capable leadership within our school ready to step into these important roles,” added Hietapelto.
David joined LSBE in 2001. During her 20 years with the school, she served five-and-a-half years as the Management Studies Department head. Beyond teaching, David has been actively involved in school and UMD committees and boards as well as a faculty advisor for two UMD chapters of national student organizations. She also led the effort to ensure that LSBE’s Human Resource Management degree is aligned with the Society for Human Resource Management’s curriculum guidelines. David holds a Ph.D. in Labor and Industrial Relations from Michigan State University.
“It’s an honor to be selected to serve LSBE as interim associate dean,” said David. “I look forward to working with Dr. Aggarwal to continue LSBE’s focus on providing exemplary education and heightening our efforts to build a more diverse and inclusive environment for students, faculty, and staff.”