Karen Sedatole, Goizueta Advisory Board Term Professor of Accounting, has been appointed interim dean of the Goizueta Business School, effective May 30.

"Karen Sedatole is committed to Goizueta’s core value of principled leadership that serves as the foundation for preparing students to pursue careers in business,” says Jan Love, interim provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. "The Goizueta community will benefit from Karen’s understanding and support of the school’s approach to providing academic expertise and research in business partnerships that benefits society.”

Sedatole says, “I am honored by the trust Provost Love has placed in me with this appointment. I am excited about the learning opportunities on the horizon as we leverage the collective knowledge of the faculty, staff, students and alumni to continue the forward trajectory of Goizueta Business School, even during these unprecedented circumstances. I am deeply committed to advancing the school’s strategic plan as well as ensuring we are well positioned for the new normal of delivering business education.”

Prior to joining the Emory faculty in 2017, Sedatole was the Russell E. Palmer Endowed Professor of Accounting at Michigan State University. She has also held academic appointments at the University of Texas at Austin and the Stephen F. Austin State University and visiting appointments at Monash University, University of Melbourne, Wake Forest University and the University of California at Davis. 

Sedatole is a two-time recipient of the American Accounting Association’s Notable Contributions to Management Accounting Research Award. Her research focuses on the design and effectiveness of performance measurement and reward systems, the role of forecasting and budgetary systems within organizations, and control in interorganizational collaborations.

Sedatole holds a PhD in business administration from the University of Michigan, a masters of business administration from the University of Texas at Austin, and a bachelor of science in engineering from Baylor University. 

She has presented her research at numerous national and international conferences, and her articles on effective forecasting and performance measurement have been published in a number of leading journals, including The Journal of Accounting Research, The Accounting Review and the Harvard Business Review. Sedatole previously served as senior editor of the Journal of Management Accounting Research. 

Sedatole succeeds Erika James, who announced in February 2020 that she had accepted the position of dean at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.