July 11, 2005
Alison Davis-Blake
Named New Dean of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management
Alison Davis-Blake, the senior associate dean for academic affairs at The University of Texas at Austin’s McCombs School of Business, has been named dean of the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. When she begins her term at the Carlson School in July 2006, Davis-Blake will lead as the school’s first female dean, and she will be the highest-ranking female dean at any United States business school.
“The Carlson School conducted an extremely intensive dean search and cultivated a world-class candidate pool,” said Thomas Sullivan, Minnesota’s senior vice president for academic affairs and provost, in announcing Davis-Blake’s appointment. . “The search committee, members of the faculty and staff and external members of the Carlson community all expressed fervent support for Alison Davis-Blake as their choice for dean. Based on her past accomplishments, I am confident Dean Davis-Blake will play a significant leadership role in furthering the academic excellence and national reputation of the Carlson School and the University of Minnesota.”
In her current role as the McCombs School’s senior associate dean for academic affairs, Davis-Blake handles the academic operations of the undergraduate, graduate and executive degree programs, including career services and technology services. She also serves as the Eddy C. Scurlock Centennial Professor of Management. Prior to becoming a dean, Davis-Blake was chair of the school’s department of management. She also co-founded and co-directed the executive master’s degree program in human resource development leadership.
Announcing Davis-Blake's May 2006 departure, McCombs School Dean George Gau said that the school has benefited from her skill in the critical roles of overseeing the daily operations of the school and its instructional budget.
“Alison’s administrative abilities, academic knowledge, excellent judgment and strong interpersonal skills have provided superb leadership to the McCombs School, and knowing the school is in such capable hands has enabled me to focus primarily on the implementation of our strategic objectives and building our external relationships,” Gau said. “We owe her a great deal of gratitude for the wonderful service she has provided the school.”
Davis-Blake said that her 15 years at McCombs have been rewarding and valuable for her career. “During my time here, I have benefited enormously from my associations with the outstanding faculty, staff, and students at the McCombs School,” she said. “I am a better scholar, educator, and administrator because of the counsel and example of the people I have met here.”
In her future position as dean, Davis-Blake looks forward to working in the Twin Cities’ business community, which is very supportive of the Carlson School and its success, she said.
Having grown up in the Twin Cities, Davis-Blake also has personal connections to the area. Her father, Gordon Davis, is a Carlson School emeritus professor in information and decision sciences. “I hope that some of my McCombs friends will find their way to the Twin Cities on occasion,” she added “The Cities are an excellent place to find respite from Austin’s summers.”
Davis-Blake received her bachelor’s and master’s of business degrees from Brigham Young University, and her Ph.D. from Stanford University. She is married and has two children.
For information on specific programs at the McCombs School, consult our contacts page. For media information, contact the Communications Director by phone at 512-471-3314 or by email at CommunicationsDirector@mccombs.utexas.edu.
