Mary A. Gowan, associate dean for undergraduate programs at The George Washington University School of Business, has been named dean of the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business at Elon University. She will begin her duties July 1. Details...
Gowan joined GW in 2002, serving as visiting associate professor and associate professor before being named associate dean in 2005. She taught courses in the business school’s undergraduate, MBA and doctoral programs, while pursuing an active research agenda. She has published articles in academic and business journals and is co-authoring a textbook titled “Managing Employees for Competitive Advantage.”
“Mary Gowan has an outstanding combination of skills and talents that will allow her to build on the fine program Dean John Burbridge and the business school faculty have developed,” said Elon President Leo M. Lambert. “She will be an advocate for students and faculty, and will further develop Elon’s strong bonds with the business community in our region and with corporations nationwide.”
Gowan said she is honored by her selection as dean. “I have been extremely impressed with the vision that President Lambert, Provost Francis and others have provided,” Gowan said. “Dean Burbridge is leaving a solid foundation, and I consider it a privilege to have the opportunity to work with the students, faculty and staff, board of advisors and alumni to achieve the next level of goals for the Love School and the university.”
Before joining GW, Gowan was associate professor at the University of Central Florida and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She has also served on the faculty at the University of Texas at El Paso and University College of Mercer University, and was a visiting professor at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. Additionally, she has taught for the Helsinki School of Economics in South Korea and in Finland.
Gowan began her higher education career in the 1980s working in student life and career services programs, including positions at Mercer University, where she was dean of students in Tift College and a career development specialist.
Gowan is an editorial board member of the Journal of Management and the Human Resource Management Journal. She is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management Foundation Board of Directors and has served on the Southern Management Association’s board of directors and the executive committee of the Academy of Management’s human resources division. Gowan has extensive consulting experience with private and public organizations in the areas of leadership, human resource management and organizational behavior. Her clients have included Lockheed Martin, Universal Orlando, Marriott Vacation Clubs International, Sears Home Improvement, Harris Teeter, BDO Seidman LLP, The Eureka Company, and the cities of Charlotte, N.C., and El Paso, Texas.
Gowan has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Southwest Baptist University in Missouri, a master’s degree in counselor education from Appalachian State University and a doctorate in business administration with an emphasis in human resources management from the University of Georgia.
Gowan will succeed John Burbridge, who is stepping down as dean but will continue to serve on the Love School faculty. During his tenure over the past 10 years, the Love School moved into its new home in the Ernest A. Koury Sr. Business Center and gained accreditation from AACSB International – the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.