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As you may know, April 2015 will mark yet another period of transition for AACSB International as our President and CEO, John Fernandes, steps down after 15 years of dutifully and masterfully serving our membership. John is looking forward to his retirement.
During his time with AACSB, John not only expanded and enhanced the range of value-added services and benefits offered, but he also was also the driving force behind transforming the organization from a domestic accrediting body to a full-service global association. Thanks to his leadership and dedication, John has been responsible for many notable ‘firsts’ for the organization. For example, in addition to establishing AACSB’s first office abroad in Singapore, he brought the International Conference and Annual Meeting (ICAM) to Europe and Asia, oversaw two significant standards revisions, introduced the award-winning BizEd magazine to the industry, and seamlessly relocated AACSB’s headquarters to Tampa, Florida. All of these—and many more—were accomplished with utmost professionalism and aplomb.
John's persistent dedication to ensuring that AACSB reached all corners of the world—far and wide—is reflected in the richly diverse contributions of our current global membership, which grew from 816 to 1,335 schools under his leadership. Now, more than half of AACSB’s member schools are based outside of the United States, and more than 70 events are held yearly, around the world. As chair of the board of AACSB, I continue to take great pride in collaborating with John as he continues to lead AACSB, and deeply appreciate his personal and professional contribution to advancing management education worldwide.
A confidential search has begun for John’s successor. We have started this process early enough to ensure an open and thorough search to identify the very best individual. The AACSB Board of Directors has engaged Diversified Search to assist the search committee. Interested candidates should contact Kim M. Morrisson or Betty Hasler at AACSB_CEO@divsearch.com for further information.
Please join me in thanking John for all of his amazing contributions, and congratulate him on his 2015 retirement! We will keep all of our membership apprised on the process for identifying John’s successor.
With best wishes,
Robert S. Sullivan
Dean
Stanley and Pauline Foster Endowed Chair
Rady School of Management
University of California, San Diego
2013–2014 Chair, AACSB International Board of Directors
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