Dean Deborah Merrill-Sands
Dean and Faculty Affiliate, Center for Gender in Organizations
F: 617-521-3881
deborah.merrill-sands@simmons.edu
Ph.D., Cornell University
Specialization
Organization Behavior, Leadership, Gender
Bio
Deborah Merrill-Sands has served as Dean of the Simmons School of Management since 2004. Dr. Merrill-Sands is an authority on gender dynamics in the workplace, women and leadership, and organizational change. As Dean, Dr. Merrill Sands has overseen the development of the School's nationally-ranked entrepreneurship program, integrated business ethics and corporate social responsibility into the curriculum, strengthened faculty research, and expanded global education and partnerships. In her previous role as the School's Associate Dean, she was responsible for executive education, research, development and alumnae relations, and corporate relations. She partnered with Deloitte to fund the School's first endowed chair in Women and Leadership and secured new Fortune 50 companies as Executive Education clients. Dr. Merrill-Sands is a co-founder and former co-director of the Center for Gender in Organizations, the research arm of the School of Management focused on deepening understanding of gender and diversity dynamics in the work place and their impact on women's opportunities for leadership. The Center was launched with a major grant from the Ford Foundation.
Before joining the School of Management in 1998, Dr. Merrill-Sands was the leader of a major women's initiative in a large, global, consortium of prestigious international research centers. Previously her research, executive training, and consulting focused on strengthening research management in public sector research organizations in developing countries. Her research focused on research methodologies and organizational mechanisms that enable the integration of the perspectives of poor farmers into agricultural research priority-setting and technology development.
Dr. Merrill-Sands has considerable international experience, particularly in Europe, Latin America, and Sub-Saharan Africa. She has consulted widely with major foundations and international development organizations, including the World Bank, the Ford Foundation, and several UN agencies. She has served on the boards of not-for-profits and international research organizations. Currently she is a member of the Board of Miss Porter's School in Farmington, CT.
Dr. Merrill-Sands has received fellowships and grants from the Rockefeller Foundation, the Ford Foundation, Social Science Research Council, and Fulbright-Hays. She received her M.A. and Ph.D. in applied anthropology from Cornell University and her B.A. from Hampshire College.
She is the author of numerous monographs, book chapters, and journal articles. Recent publications include: "Women Pursuing Leadership and Power: The Myth of the 'Opt-Out' Revolution", CGO Insight, 2005; "Creating and Sustaining Diversity and Inclusion in Organizations: Best Practices for Today and Tomorrow" in The Psychology and Management of Workplace Diversity (2003); and "Social Differences Lens" in Reader in Gender, Work, and Organization (2003).
Recent speaking engagements include 'Principled Leadership: Aligning profitability and social responsibility," keynote at TEC Women and Leadership Forum; "Gender Dynamics in the Workplace: Implications for women and leadership," keynote for Hewlett-Packard's Women's Forum; and "Women as Leaders: Paradox of Success - Claiming your leadership value," delivered at Northern Trust, JP Morgan Chase, Sun Life Financial, State Street Bank, and Goldman Sachs.
Dean Merrill-Sands is quoted frequently in the media as an expert on women and leadership, including recent coverage in the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg Radio, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, NY Times, and Boston Globe.
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