New Associate Dean for Communications and Business Development

Wharton Dean Patrick Harker has announced the appointment of Kathleen McClave to the newly created post of associate dean for Communications and Business Development. The position was created to expand on the School’s already successful efforts in global brand building, corporate relations, and the creation of new commercial revenue streams. McClave will help to coordinate efforts across administrative and academic departments, including research centers, Executive Education, Career Management, and External Affairs, to maximize the School’s potential in these critical areas.

“Ms. McClave brings a wealth of professional experience as well as an extensive working knowledge of the Wharton School to her new role. We are delighted that she will be providing leadership for this very significant new division,” said Harker.

For the last four years, McClave has been with Tillinghast-Towers Perrin, first as a managing consultant and later as a principal, serving as banking sector leader, marketing leader, and distribution practice leader for North America. From 1996 to 1999, she was president and chief executive officer of Furash & Company, management and strategic consultants to the financial services industry.

A Wharton MBA graduate, McClave was appointed as managing director of Wharton’s Financial Institutions Center with the charge of organizing an ongoing research capability into issues affecting the financial services industry under a $6.2 million grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation in 1993. In her three years as managing director, McClave worked with Wharton faculty to establish the center’s research agenda, recruit and manage industry boards of senior executives, and develop additional funding for research from the financial services industry. She continues to serve on the Financial Institutions Center board and maintains a research appointment to the center.

Three years ago, while with Tillinghast-Towers Perrin, McClave contributed a substantial portion of time and pro bono services from the firm to assist a faculty committee in conducting a strategic self-assessment of the School and to identify a key set of strategic initiatives for the School’s future operations. Among the outcomes from the faculty committee’s work were recommendations that ultimately led to the establishment of the School’s Wharton West presence in San Francisco, the Wharton-INSEAD Alliance, and the creation of the Alfred West Jr. Learning Lab.

“Telling Wharton’s story effectively and consistently over time will have a tremendous impact on our alumni,” McClave said regarding her new role at the School. “It will make clear the value of a Wharton degree in a more comprehensive way, help alumni to remain actively engaged in the learning environment, and increase their access to new faculty research and ideas that will positively impact their lives.”

Russell Ackoff Endowment Fund Created

In January, Wharton announced the creation of the Russell L. Ackoff Endowment, funded through support initially provided by the charitable trust of Anheuser-Busch. With a $1.2 million endowment, the fund will promote research and practice in risk management and systems science. In addition to the creation of the fund, Wharton Professor Paul Kleindorfer has been named the Anheuser-Busch Professor of Management Science.

“This is a very important move for the Wharton School. It provides our faculty and students with greater resources for the study of risk management and systems science,” said Dean Harker. “We are grateful for Anheuser-Busch’s support.”

“We are pleased to see Russ Ackoff honored by the $1.2 million fund to promote research at the Wharton Risk Management and Decision Processes Center. We are also happy to endorse the selection of Paul Kleindorfer to the Anheuser-Busch Chair in Management Science, which Russ filled so ably for so many years,” said August A. Busch III, chairman of the board, Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc.

Barbara Kahn Named Vice Dean of Undergraduate Division

The Wharton School has announced the appointment of Barbara Kahn as the next vice dean of the School’s Undergraduate Division. Kahn will succeed Vice Dean Thomas Dunfee when his term ends June 30, 2003.

“Vice Dean Dunfee has been a wonderful leader for the Undergraduate Division,” said Dean Patrick Harker. “Under his leadership, the undergraduate team has continued to deliver outstanding advising and support services to our students.”

Kahn is the Dorothy Silberberg Professor of Marketing at the Wharton School. She joined the Wharton faculty in 1990 after serving on the faculty at the Anderson School of Management at the University of California, Los Angeles. She is a senior fellow of the Wharton Financial Institutions Center and the Leonard Davis Institute and a faculty member of the Graduate Group in the Psychology Department of the School of Arts and Sciences. She received a bachelor of arts in English literature at the University of Rochester. She also earned a master in business administration in marketing and statistics, a M.Phil., and a doctorate in marketing from Columbia University.

“We are very pleased to welcome Professor Kahn to her new role on July 1, 2003,” said Harker. “She will bring a deep commitment to undergraduate education.”

Kahn teaches Introduction to Marketing to between 400 and 500 undergraduates each semester it is offered, as well as Marketing Research and Consumer Behavior. In 1999, she received the David W. Hauck Award for Outstanding Teaching in the Undergraduate Division. She has served on Penn’s Committee on Undergraduate Strategic Planning (2001-02) and as a member of the Wharton Undergraduate Curriculum Committee from 1993 to 1996, chairing the committee during academic year 1995-96.

Also an outstanding research scholar, she has written more than 30 articles published in major journals in marketing, consumer research, retailing, and statistics. She is co-author of the book, Grocery Revolution: New Focus on the Consumer.

Calling All Alumnae: Wharton Women’s Task Force

The newly formed Wharton Women’s Task Force launched last fall. The mission of the task force is to encourage and develop women’s leadership at all life stages by building community, connectivity, and spirit among all Wharton women and providing valuable services and support to its constituents.

The task force is conducting a global initiative to include all Wharton women. This began with a survey, completed during March, to determine what types of programs and services are needed in order to achieve its mission. A substantial group of alumnae participated in this survey, and the consolidated results will be presented to the Dean and the School’s Executive Committee in May.

The success of the task force depends on the support of all Wharton women. Through the combined efforts of the alumnae, students, administration, and the newly forming local Wharton Women’s Networks, the task force strives to increase communication among Wharton women and advocate women’s leadership in order to create an active network.

For more information about the Wharton Women’s Task Force, please visit www.whartonwomen.org/taskforce.asp, or contact ww-network@wharton.upenn.edu.

News Briefs

In January, the Financial Times named Wharton’s MBA as the top MBA program out of 100 full-time international programs.

Knowledge@Wharton http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu, the online research and business analysis journal of the Wharton School, has launched a new website in collaboration with Universia.net called Universia Knowledge@Wharton. The new site, which is published in both Spanish and Portuguese, enables Knowledge@Wharton to reach Spanish and Portuguese-speaking readers around the world. Universia.net is the largest university web portal, with 635 member universities in Spain, Portugal, and Latin America.

The WEMBA program, which runs a full program at Wharton in Philadelphia and on the Wharton West campus in San Francisco, announced that it will now be called the Wharton MBA for Executives. The name change more accurately reflects the true nature of the program. The Wharton MBA for Executives provides the same curriculum, faculty, and academic excellence as the two-year, full-time Wharton MBA program.

Alumni in the News

The New York Times (2/2/03) reports that Nicole W. Piasecki, WG’90, was appointed to the board at Weyerhaeuser, a forest products company. She is currently vice president for business strategy and marketing at Boeing Commercial Airplanes in Renton, WA.

According to Managed Care Weekly Digest (2/17/03), David Nash, WG’86, joined the board of directors at I-trax, Inc., a population health management solutions company.

As reported in PR Newswire (2/18/03), Jeffrey Weiss, WG’88, has been named president and chief operating officer of American Greetings Corp. He also has been named to the corporation’s board of directors.

The Bond Buyer (2/18/03) has reported that Mona Zeehandelaar, W’77, has joined Radian Group, Inc. as vice president of investor relations. Radian Group is the parent of bond insurer Radian Asset Assurance and reinsurer Radian Reinsurance.

According to Business Wire (2/20/03), Larry Weinbach, W’61, was awarded the Alumni Achievement Award at the Wharton Technology Conference held Feb. 28. He is chairman and CEO of Unisys, a worldwide information technology services and solutions company.

The Boston Globe (2/13/03) featured David Muller, WG’86, in an article discussing the advantages of water buffalo milk. He is currently breeding water buffalo in Vermont to produce high-end cheeses and yogurt.

The Sarasota Herald-Tribune (2/16/03) featured Bob Stovall, W’48, in an article about his Wall Street forecasting and views on corporate ethics. He is a global strategist at Clemente Asset Management LLC and an adjunct professor at the Stern School of Business at New York University.

The Australian Stock Exchange Feed (1/05/03) reports that Charles Goodyear, WG’83, was appointed chief executive at BHP Billiton Ltd., a global diversified mining resources company. (Also reported in The Times of London, 1/07/03, Sydney Morning Herald, 1/07/03, and The Sunday Telegraph, 1/12/03).

The Philadelphia Inquirer (1/11/03) featured Richard Steffens, W’82, GPU’88, counselor in Prague for the U.S. Commercial Service, in an article concerning small and mid-sized U.S. business opportunities in the Czech Republic. The Inquirer (1/12/03) also interviewed Mindy Herman, W’82, regarding her position as president and CEO of E! Networks.

Dow Jones News Service (1/14/03) featured Irwin Michael, WG’73, in an article about the success of his money management business, ABC Fundamental Value, in Toronto, Canada. (Also in Smart Money magazine, 2/03).

According to The Korea Herald (1/14/03), Yi Young-Sang, WG’97, has been appointed CFO at AIG General Insurance.

Business Wire (1/09/03) reports that Brian Kardon, W’79, WG’87, has been appointed vice president of strategy and marketing at Forrester Research, Inc., and that Surya Panditi, WG’83, has been appointed to the position of CEO at Polaris Networks (1/13/03).

Black Enterprise magazine (Dec. 2002) featured Tracey Scott, W’87, co-founder and President of Marabella Books, in an article entitled, “Smart Sisters Are Cash Positive.” Marabella Books’ mission is “to empower women through financial literacy.”