Wake Forest School of Business has selected Annette Ranft as its next dean, effective July 1, the university said Thursday.
Ranft comes to Wake Forest from Auburn University, where she was dean at its Harbert College of Business.
Ranft succeeds Charles Iacovou, who in January became dean of the university’s Charlotte-based School of Professional Studies.
Michelle Roehm served as interim dean while retaining her role as a marketing professor.
Ranft earned a doctorate in business administration from the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler School of Business, a master of science in management from Georgia Tech and a bachelor of science degree in mathematics from Appalachian State University.
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Ranft previously was a member of the Wake Forest business school faculty. Her resume also includes being dean at North Carolina State University’s Poole College of Management.
“Dean Ranft will lead our business school with a commitment to collaboration and a focus on innovation,” Wake Forest president Susan Wente said in a statement.
“She has the experience to build on our business school’s tradition of excellence, as well as the vision to prepare our students for a lifetime of impact with integrity in the business world.”
Ranft cited as a primary reason for becoming dean of Wake Forest’s business school the “unique opportunity to conduct meaningful research and to develop principled leaders for the future.”
“Having served on the Wake Forest faculty early in my career, it is an honor to return to serve in the dean’s role at a place that had such a profound impact on my approach to teaching, research and academic leadership.”
Ranft’s scholarly background has a focus on strategic management with research focused on the acquisitions of high-tech firms, strategic leadership, merger and acquisition integration, and knowledge management.
She has authored or co-authored more than 40 scholarly publications on management-related topics, and her work has appeared in journals such as the Academy of Management Review, Organization Science and the Journal of International Business Studies.
“Our search committee was impressed with Professor Ranft’s strategic thinking about how business schools are navigating the ‘late COVID’ landscape, and her extensive experience as a business education leader,” Wake Forest Provost Rogan Kersh said.
“She has a keen focus on technology and has the heart of an educator with a commitment to developing students, faculty and staff. I look forward to welcoming her as dean.”