Provost Russell Moore today announced his appointment of Vijay Khatri as the Rustandy Endowed Dean of the Leeds School of Business, effective July 1. Khatri will hold the first named endowed deanship at CU Boulder, supported by a $5 million gift by Tandean Rustandy.

“Dr. Khatri demonstrates a deep and compelling understanding of the critical interrelationship between promoting a strong and welcoming culture and developing strong academic programs,” Moore said. “He articulates a vision that is truly consistent with Leeds’ focus on ethics and social responsibility.”

Khatri currently serves as the executive associate dean for strategy, innovation and technology at Indiana University Bloomington’s Kelley School of Business, where he spearheads Kelley’s strategic initiatives, integrates Kelley’s and the university’s global education initiatives, and spearheads innovations in schoolwide processes, including the underlying systems for those processes.

“The Leeds School of Business is known worldwide as a vibrant learning organization for creating impactful research and developing transformational leaders,” Khatri said. “I am honored to have the opportunity to stand on the shoulders of the remarkable leaders whose work has made Leeds a leading national school of business and a center of innovation. This is truly the opportunity of a lifetime.”

As an academic leader, Khatri has a strong record of achievement in student success; research and scholarship; diversity, equity and inclusion; and community engagement. Khatri’s professional expertise focuses on the information economy and spans design, management, governance and use—through data analytics—of data repositories.

“I believe in the power of servant leadership that is driven by genuine respect and compassion for people and that seeks to earn the trust of others and inspires vision before setting the course,” Khatri said. “As the dean who will be responsible for educational, budgetary and administrative goals, transparent leadership will continue to be central to me.”

The Rustandy Endowed Deanship provides additional resources for the dean to create and execute a vision that continues the school’s impressive growth trajectory. As dean, Khatri will have complete discretion over the use of these funds.

“Dr. Khatri has a distinguished history of leadership and program development,” Moore said. “In particular, he has exciting ideas about interdisciplinary education and program development as well as innovative online programs. These are areas identified in the Academic Futures report as being important priorities for the Boulder campus.”

Khatri earned his doctorate at the University of Arizona, a master’s degree in management from the University of Bombay and a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Malaviya National Institute of Technology.

“The Leeds School of Business has experienced a strong upward trajectory over the last decade,” Moore said. “I am certain that Dr. Khatri is the right person to take the school to greater heights and to clearly articulate the school’s significant value proposition to the state of Colorado, the nation and the world. I look forward to welcoming him to CU Boulder.”

Moore thanked the search advisory committee led by Keith Molenaar, dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Science, and the executive search firm Isaacson, Miller for their work that brought forth top candidates for consideration. Moore also thanked Yonca Ertimur for her leadership and service as acting dean during this important transitional time.

Khatri succeeds Sharon Matusik, who left CU Boulder last June to become the dean of the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.