How hard work Pays Dividends — Erika H. James, Dean of Penn’s Wharton School
Let everyone be judge by their intellect and character and not by skin color
Today marks a very special day, in the midst of such unrest and pandemic. Good news makes the world go around better and the heart leaps with joy for equality for one becomes or means equality for many others. Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania was founded in 1881 as the world’s first collegiate business school.
Was elated to hear of the good news, the promotion of Dr. James as Dean of a very prestigious school. Listening to her interview, confirmed why she was chosen for that post. Her verbiage communicated that she possessed all the tools and some to affect and effect as she builds Wharton School to a more successful level in its journey. She shared a few of her aspirations for Wharton School, i.e. systemic racism, and inequality.
Dr. James earned her title by being an award-winning scholar and teacher who had shown herself to be a strong and focused leader who prior served as dean of the Goizueta Business School at Emory University. While being a trailblazer she possessed the skills to lead Wharton into its next historical journey with her scholarship.
As a dean of Goizueta Business School, she was innovative in building an innovative and entrepreneurship lab open to all students on campus, growing the campus by twenty five percent. With the support of faculty, she expanded corporate engagement by creating a research based corporate think tank.
Dr. James worked diligently applying her insight from scholarship in the areas of leadership development, organizational behavior, gender and racial diversity and crisis leadership to foster a work culture that permitted and encourage all to thrive personally and professionally. Her varied background afforded her the opportunity to conduct faculty and student workshops on a myriad of topics, i.e. unconscious bias, and building trust across divides. Her credentials commanded the attention of many of the nations largest and most prestigious firms who sought her consultation skills.
Dr. James has earned her Ph.D. and master’s degree in organizational psychology from the University of Michigan and received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Pomona College of the Claremont Colleges, in California. Other professorship and deanship included Emory, UVA , Tulane University, Harvard Business School, and University of Virginia Darden School of Business. Also, as a past and present board member, SurveyMonkey Board, Graduate Management Admissions Council, Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, she had gained much notoriety being awarded the Earl Hill Jr. Faculty Achievement and Diversity Award from The Consortium.
Also, her credentials had earned her to be named one of the Top 10 Women of Power in Education by Black Enterprise and as one of the Power 100 by Ebony Magazine. Her goal in her new position, “The scope and platform of the Wharton School provides an opportunity to create far reaching impact for students, scholars, and the business community.”
In conclusion, Dr. James is the perfect example that hard work pays off and making a difference in her endeavor is the key to a better world for others to follow and emulate.” In summary, “Each one teach one and that one teaches another.”
EP McKnight a writer, teacher, stage playwright, fitness coach and constant dreamer. She is a GCU doctorate student in Performance Psychology, Graduate and Undergraduate in Educational Psychology and Communications at Fordham University New York, New York. She’s on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and you can read more of her on www.epmcknight.com
