Sellinger School welcomes Dr. Karyl Leggio as new Dean

Dr. Karyl Leggio, the current associate dean for Academic Programs at the Henry W. Block School of Business and Administration at the University of Missouri at Kansas City, will step in as the Dean of Sellinger School of Business and Management starting in July 2008. She will fulfill the position of Lee Dahringer, who handed in his resignation to the college in August.

"Karyl was a top choice from all facets of the community," said Dr. Tim Snyder, the vice president of Academic Affairs. Snyder led the selection process along with Dr. James Buckley, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Leggio holds a Ph.D. in business administration with a concentration in Finance from the University of Kansas. She completed her undergraduate work at Virginia Tech, graduating with a B.S. for majoring in finance and management. She has authored dozens of journal articles and book chapters. She also co-edited "Managing Enterprise Risk: What the Electric Industry Implies for Contemporary Business," published September of 2006.

Along her time spent on researching topics including deregulating industries, (specifically in the area of risk management), real options, corporate restructuring, mergers, and individual risk management, and teaching undergraduate students, Leggio has also been involved in advising several consulting projects. She has worked with corporate clients such as asset manager American Century, Sprint Corp., ProQuest Pharmaceuticals, and Aquila, a Midwest gas and electric utility.

The combination of her experience in the academic world as well as the external business world made Leggio stand out among the pool of applicants applying for the position. Snyder made the final decision of her appointment as dean, after a search process that lasted several months.

The search began in late August, as Snyder, Buckley, and the Faculty Affairs Committee worked to appoint a group of members of the college community with varying expertise to facilitate the process. With the help of Storebeck/ Pimentel and Associates, a female and minority owned executive search firm specializing in providing executive recruitment services for educational institutions and non-profit organizations, the selection process began. The final three candidates came to campus in March to meet with the administration faculty, staff, students, the Sellinger board of sponsors and alumni.

The personal characteristics and professional qualifications required for the position included a strong enthusiasm for the mission of Loyola College as a Catholic and Jesuit institution. The committee emphasized a strong need for someone who will not only work effectively with the students, faculty and staff, but also someone who will be able to reach out to the Baltimore community. This will facilitate more internship opportunities and job placements for students during and after their time in the Sellinger School.

"[Dr. Leggio] has impressive credentials as a professor of finance, a business consultant, and a smart and innovative thinker who will engage well multiple audiences -- the faculty colleagues, students, members of the Sellinger School's Board of Sponsors and Loyola's Trustees as well as students, parents, and the broader business community locally and regionally and nationally" says Dean Buckley, who served as chair of the selection committee. "She is going to broaden and deepen the Sellinger School's reputation as the premier provider of business education in our region -- and beyond."

"We need someone who will help Loyola become stronger through diversity," said Snyder. "Karyl has significant experience in the internal dynamics of the business school and in building external relations. She has been very successful at expanding gender diversity in her current position."

Dr. Leggio was traveling abroad in China during the time of print and could not be contacted for comments.