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Gareth James named next dean of UCLA Anderson School of Management
Photos of Dean Gareth James
Gareth James, the John H. Harland Dean of Emory’s Goizueta Business School, has been named the next dean of the Anderson School of Management at the University of California, Los Angeles. He will remain at Emory through the coming semester before assuming his new role at UCLA, effective July 1, 2026.

“Gareth is a dynamic and entrepreneurial leader who has helped Goizueta thrive,” said Provost Badia Ahad in announcing the transition to the Goizueta community Jan. 12. “While he will be much missed by his colleagues and friends here at Emory, I know he will enjoy being closer to family in Los Angeles and wish him continued success in his new role at UCLA.”

Since assuming the deanship in July 2022, James has focused on strengthening the school’s academic offerings, student experience, and operations.

During his tenure Goizueta has launched three successful new degree programs (Master of Finance, Master in Business for Veterans, Master in Management), with a joint Rollins School of Public Health/Goizueta Master in Health Administration starting in Fall 2026. The BBA was also extended to a three-year program, and a new business minor launched, quickly becoming the most popular minor at Emory.

With the support of philanthropic partners, he led the establishment of the BL Harbert Real Estate Center and the AI in Finance Center, as well as creating three new endowed faculty chairs and three new classrooms to support global learning. During his tenure, Goizueta also recruited 22 new full-time faculty—representing almost a quarter of current business faculty—and saw a 35 percent increase in student enrollment since 2022. Thanks in part to students’ successful career outcomes, Goizueta has seen its full-time MBA ranking by U.S. News & World Report rise from #26 in 2022 to an all-time high of #17; its Poets & Quants BBA ranking is also at a school high of #8.

“I have truly loved my time at Emory and am incredibly proud of what we have collectively built at Goizueta,” says James. “I encourage our community to continue nurturing the confidence and shared belief that have grown so meaningfully in recent years, because it is that spirit—grounded in purpose and expressed with conviction—that truly separates great schools from those that are simply good. Goizueta is, without question, a great school.”

James expressed gratitude for the support he has received as dean from senior university leadership as well as Goizueta’s faculty, staff, students, and alumni.

“It is hard to be leaving this amazing school and beautiful city, filled with such friendly people,” he says. “The last four years have been the most fulfilling and exciting of my academic career, and I am committed to maintaining my entire focus on Goizueta throughout the next semester.”

Ahad said the university will launch a national search for Goizueta’s next dean in the coming weeks.

“Goizueta Business School is on a strong upward trajectory, and we look forward to welcoming a new dean to build upon the foundations Gareth James has laid,” she said. “I am grateful to Gareth for his dedication to the Goizueta community, his vision for the future of business education at Emory, and his commitment to advancing Goizueta’s mission to prepare principled leaders who positively influence business and society. We wish him continued success in his new role.”

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