Alison Davis-Blake, PhD, a recognized national leader in business education, has been appointed the eighth president of Bentley University. She was on campus in early February for an introduction to faculty, students and staff.

Most recently, as dean at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, Davis-Blake oversaw curricular and co-curricular innovations that improved the student experience, increased applications by 32 percent, drew substantial media attention and served as a model for other business schools.

Addressing the standing-room-only crowd, Davis-Blake called Bentley “a university on the rise. A Bentley education is exactly what the country is asking of higher education today, and I couldn’t be more excited to join the university and continue that momentum.”

Trustee vice chair Robert P. Badavas ’74, who led the Presidential Search Committee, spoke of the times ahead.

“Given the pace of change in business and higher education, the next 10 years will be as important to Bentley as our first 100. We considered an impressive group of people and Dr. Davis-Blake was the head-and-shoulders standout candidate. She is the right leader at the right time for Bentley.”

Davis-Blake earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Brigham Young University and a doctorate at Stanford University. Her term as Bentley president begins on July 1, 2018.

Learn more at bentley.edu/president-elect.