Dr. Astrid Sheil began her tenure as Dean of the School of Management on July 15, 2024. Prior to starting her new position at Simmons, Dr. Sheil spent five months as a Fulbright Scholar at the Bled School of Management in Slovenia where she lectured on leadership, organizational relevance and reinvention, and worked on research related to sustainability.
From 2019 to 2024, Dr. Sheil was dean and professor in the School of Business at Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virginia. Some of her accomplishments include:
- Creating the Legacy Golf Tournament, which raised $250,000 in four years for scholarships
- Leading the school to full AACSB re-accreditation
- Launching the first E-Sports Academic program in the country
- Negotiating a degree completion program with Navy Federal Credit Union, the largest federal credit union in the country
Before beginning her career in academia, Sheil was a corporate executive for two Fortune 500 paper manufacturing companies (Georgia-Pacific and Bowater) and one multinational chemical company based in Helsinki, Finland (Kemira Oy). She oversaw human resources, global communications, labor negotiations, emergency planning, safety and training, and was Chief Communication Officer and Spokesperson during crisis situations.
Originally from Washington, DC, Dr. Sheil holds a bachelor of science in foreign service from Georgetown University and a master's and PhD in organizational communication from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.
Astrid Sheil in the News
The Simmons Six: Meet the Deans
Meet the new deans of Simmons’ School of Library and Information Science; School of Sciences and Health Professions; Gwen Ifill School of Media, Humanities, and Social Sciences; School of Social Work; School of Management; and School of Nursing.
SOM Dean Honors the Past and Prepares for the Future
Alumnae/i and faculty of the Simmons School of Management gathered at the UMass Club on Beacon Street to celebrate the new School of Management Dean, Dr. Astrid Sheil. The event, co-hosted by Trustees Denise Coll ’95MBA and April Evans ’91MBA, included Anne Jardim '13HD, who founded Simmons University School of Business in 1974.
Dr. Astrid Sheil Selected as Dean of the School of Management
As Dean, Dr. Sheil will play a pivotal role in leadership and relaunch of our School of Management – a vital part of Simmons’ forward-looking academic structure. Dr. Sheil has a passion for women’s-centered undergraduate and graduate business education, and a strong vision for how Simmons can leverage its rich history, leadership, and expertise in this area.