ABOUT THE DEAN

Dr. Russell was honored with the 2018 Women of Distinction Award by the Philadelphia Business Journal. The Philadelphia Business Journal annually turns the spotlight on influential businesswomen in the region through its Women of Distinction Awards. Factors such as professional achievement, dedication to mentorship and community involvement were some of the most important elements in the selection process.

Dr. Russell is a sought after keynote speaker and consistently volunteers her time to enhancing business knowledge to a variety of audiences by presenting papers and workshops.  Some of the recent presentations include:

• AACSB Dean’s Conference
• AACSB Undergraduate Conference
• EMBA Council Conference
• GMAC Annual Conference
• GMAC Leadership Conference
• Annual International Vincentian Business Ethics Conference
• Pennsylvania Conference for Women (presenter to over 1000 women as well as executive coach) Event typically has 10,000 - 12,000professional women in attendance
• Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce

She has also actively served on numerous professional business associations. Some of the more recent include:

• MAACBA Board of Directors, 2019
• Editorial Board, Biz Ed magazine, 2019
• WAME Steering Committee, 2019
• AACSB Review Teams (three upcoming review teams)
• GMAC Leadership Conference – Advisory Board, 2015 to 2017
• MBA Roundtable Advisory Board, 2014 to 2016
• Insights with Impact – Advisory Board, 2018 to present
• Forum of Executive Women, Program committee, 2017 to present
• Corporate Advisory Board, National Women’s MBA Association, 2014 to 2017
• Director, Executive Coaching & Leadership Development Program, Robert H. Smith School of Business, 2002 to 2016
• Center for Innovation, Leadership & Change, Robert H. Smith School of Business, Leadership Fellow to 2016
• Global Business School Network, Business School representative & member, 2014 to present

Dr. Russell is a licensed industrial and organizational psychologist and has more than 30 years of experience consulting with both private and public sector organizations. Her expertise is primarily in the areas of leadership and management development, negotiation tactics, executive coaching and change management. Dr. Russell writes a monthly column for Forbes.com on leadership and career development. She wrote a weekly “Career Coach” column and answered reader questions in a monthly online chat for The Washington Post. She developed the Executive Coaching and Leadership Development Programs for the University of Maryland’s Executive MBA program and the EMBA program at The University of Tennessee. Russell was also consistently honored for being one of UMD’s outstanding Top 15% teachers and was selected three times for the Allen J. Krowe Award for Teaching Excellence.

Prior to joining VSB, Russell served as both Senior Associate Dean and Vice Dean at the University of Maryland’s (UMD) Robert H. Smith School of Business. In these roles, she was a major force in shaping the student experience at all levels. Her duties included oversight of the school’s undergraduate, MBA, Specialty Masters and executive programs, and the development of the school’s global, university and corporate partnerships. She also created and led the Office of Transformational Learning spearheading major innovations in all of the school’s programs. Prior to joining UMD, Russell was a tenured full professor in the College of Business Administration at the University of Tennessee (UT). At UT, she received numerous teaching and research awards from students and faculty alike for her work with Executive MBAs, MBAs, doctoral students and undergraduates.

Dean Russell has published more than 50 articles, books or book chapters, and has presented her research at national and regional conferences. She served as the associate editor for the Journal of Vocational Behavior, and on the editorial boards of the Journal of Applied Psychology, Human Resource Management Review and Performance Improvement Quarterly. She is a member of Beta Gamma Sigma, the premier honor society recognizing business excellence.

She received her PhD in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from the University of Akron, Ohio and her BA degree in Psychology from Loyola University in Maryland.