Wendy York joined Clemson University in July 2018 as the 15th dean and first female dean of the Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business. Since becoming the dean, she has led efforts to positively impact the business world through means of relevant business research, top-tier business education and outreach programs.
Bio
Dean Wendy York has expertise in several areas including leadership, culture management, entrepreneurship and business, strategy and organizational change.
During her previous experience as associate dean at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, she reorganized multiple units at the business school to bring them into strategic alignment. She created a new group called the Centers and Initiatives for Research, Curriculum and Learning Experiences (CIRCLE) for five years and was the managing director of Programs for Executive Education, which engages in providing leadership for executives and corporations, thereby expanding the impact of faculty research and teaching. As part of the new unit, she created a new centralized faculty research support services resource to assist quantitative academic research using high-end analytic techniques and cloud computing.
Before Stanford, York worked for over 20 years in for-profit and nonprofit organizations. With over five years as a venture capitalist, York managed a private portfolio with a market capitalization of $100 million. She also started and/or led four early-stage technology and internet companies, including a database marketing company she founded and sold to a national advertising agency.
Recently, she contributed a chapter featured in “Handbook of Research on Strategic Leadership in the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” detailing the role of leadership in the age of transformative technologies. Additionally, she teaches leadership classes, ranging in topics from global leadership to leadership in a crisis. York holds an undergraduate degree in international relations with honors from Stanford University and an MBA with an emphasis on strategy and operations from Harvard Business School.
Leadership in business is not just about managing — it’s about inspiring vision and driving innovation. Through research, we uncover new insights into what makes leaders effective, especially in times of change. At Clemson, we are dedicated to equipping the next generation of leaders with the knowledge and skills to excel in a dynamic global landscape.
