Prominent Business and Academic Leaders to Help University of Miami School of Business Boost Stature
School Names 11 to Serve on Visiting Committee
Coral Gables, Fla. – March 12, 2009 – The University of Miami School of Business Administration today announced the appointment of 11 members to its Visiting Committee. The appointments include some of Miami’s most prominent business leaders and philanthropists, as well as academic leaders who direct or have directed programs at the world’s top business schools including the Wharton School and Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. The committee will consult with the School on strategy and support its fundraising efforts as it moves forward on its vision to achieve recognition as a globally preeminent business school. The committee includes:
- Adrienne Arsht, a respected national business leader and well-known South Florida philanthropist;
- Tere Blanca, the senior managing director and branch manager for Cushman & Wakefield of Florida Inc. and chair of The Beacon Council, Miami-- Dade County’s official economic development partnership;
- Norman Braman, a prominent Miami businessman and former owner of the Philadelphia Eagles;
- Wayne E. Chaplin, the president and chief operating officer of Southern Wine and Spirits of America Inc., the nation’s leading wine and spirits distributor;
- Charles E. Cobb, the CEO and senior managing director of the investment firm Cobb Partners Ltd, a former U.S. ambassador, and a former undersecretary at the U.S. Department of Commerce;
- Miguel (Mike) Fernandez, the chairman of Coral Gables private equity firm MBF Partners LLC and a prominent healthcare entrepreneur;
- Dany Garcia, the founder and former CEO of Miami-based investment firm JDM Partners LLC, the founder and president of The Beacon Experience, A Foundation for Success, and co-founder and vice president of The Dwayne Johnson Rock Foundation;
- Patrick T. Harker, the president of the University of Delaware and a former dean of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania;
- Robert C. Newman, the owner of Denver-based venture capital firm Greenwood Gulch Ventures, and cofounder of software company J.D. Edwards, which is now Oracle;
- Jonathan Spector, the CEO of The Conference Board Inc and a former vice dean of the Wharton School; and
- Richard Staelin, the Edward and Rose Donnell Professor of Business Administration and former deputy dean at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business
“We are extremely fortunate to have such a stellar group of individuals to consult with and help guide the UM School of Business Administration as we move forward on our bold agenda to become one of the world’s great business schools,” said Barbara E. Kahn, dean of the School of Business Administration. “The School will benefit immensely from the counsel of these distinguished business and academic leaders, especially in this challenging economic environment. I know they can help us achieve our ambitious goals despite the challenges we face right now.”
The establishment of the School’s Visiting Committee follows Kahn’s appointment as dean in 2007 and the development of a strategy to significantly boost the School’s stature. Under Kahn, who joined the School after 17 years at Wharton, the School has enhanced its research caliber by recruiting academic “superstars,” developed innovative cross-disciplinary academic programs, and more actively engaged with the community through such initiatives as its Global Business Forum held in January. The Visiting Committee will weigh in on these and other initiatives that support the School’s strategy.
Committee members Blanca, Chaplin, and Garcia are alumni of the School of Business Administration. Chaplin and Garcia, along with Arsht, Braman, Cobb and Fernandez, also serve on the University’s Board of Trustees.
About the University of Miami School of Business Administration
The University of Miami School of Business Administration is a leading
business school, offering undergraduate business, full-time MBA,
Executive MBA, MS, PhD and non-degree executive education programs. One
of 12 colleges and schools at the University of Miami, the School is
located in a major hub of international trade and commerce and
acclaimed for the global orientation and diversity of its faculty,
students and curriculum. The School delivers its programs at its main
campus in Coral Gables as well as at locations across Florida and
abroad. More information about the University of Miami School of
Business can be found at www.bus.miami.edu.
Media Contact:
Jeff Heebner
305-284-4005
jheebner@miami.edu
