Contact:
Victor Rogers
Goizueta Business School
Emory University
404-727-0568
Victor_rogers@bus.emory.edu

Finance Professor Named Dean of Goizueta’s Full-Time MBA Program

ATLANTA (April 16, 2008) – J.B. Kurish, Associate Professor in the Practice of Finance at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, has been named Associate Dean of the Full-Time MBA Program.

“We wanted the best, and we weren’t going to settle for anything less,” said Larry Benveniste, Dean of Goizueta Business School, making the announcement in front of a standing-room-only crowd in the school’s Boynton Auditorium.

The school engaged Egon Zehnder, a firm that is typically called upon to search for senior executives, to conduct a national search. Tom Key, a Goizueta alumnus, was the principal on the search. The search committee, composed of Goizueta alumni, current students, faculty, and staff, was tasked with finding someone who is a visionary leader, a respected academic, a great communicator, and is selflessly committed.

“The committee interviewed four finalists, and the person encompassing all of the qualities we wanted was our own J.B. Kurish,” Benveniste said.

Steve Walton, Associate Professor in the Practice of Information Systems & Operations Management, served as Interim Associate Dean for more than a year.  Walton, who has received numerous teaching honors at Emory, will return to the classroom full-time.

Kurish, whose announcement prompted thunderous applause and a standing ovation from a mostly student audience, deadpanned, “I am aware that there are about 120 of you who are still awaiting your grades.”

He went on to say, “I am honored to have the opportunity to work with everyone… colleagues on the administrative side, faculty, and, of course, students.”

Kurish joined Goizueta Business School in the fall of 2006. His research interests include investment banking, financial markets, state and local government finance, and managerial and strategic decision making. He has shared his expertise of municipal debt issuance and municipal debt market practices by working as an expert witness or consultant in these areas.  In addition, he has managed public debt offerings for more than fifteen cities and states throughout the United States. Prior to joining Goizueta, he taught at the University of Illinois at Chicago, ran his own firm, and worked in industry as a public finance investment banker for Credit Suisse First Boston.

“I have a lot of ideas,” Kurish said. “I also know that everyone else has good ideas. My job is to take those good ideas and make them work.”

During his relatively brief time at Goizueta, Kurish has been actively involved in developing the new curriculum for the Full-Time MBA Program, which required immersing himself into all aspects of the Goizueta community. In addition to teaching in the Full-Time Program, he also has taught in the Evening MBA and the W. Cliff Oxford Executive MBA programs.

“I’m going to consistently engage in doing the right thing,” Kurish told the crowd in the auditorium. “That’s how we build momentum. I need your help, and I want you to give me the opportunity to deliver.”

Kurish received an MBA from Yale University, a doctorate and MS in economics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a bachelor’s degree in economics from The College of Wooster.  He is a member of the American Economic Association and the Government Finance Officers Association.

Emory University’s Goizueta Business School teaches students to become leaders who not only create value for their organizations, but also improve society. In addition to the Full-Time MBA Program (one-year and two-year), the school is home to an Undergraduate degree program, an Evening MBA program, the W. Cliff Oxford Executive MBA (weekend and modular formats), and a Doctoral program, together with a set of innovative non-degree Emory Executive Development programs. The School’s mission is to educate principled leaders for global enterprise.