Saint Louis University Names Next Dean of the Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business
Saint Louis University has appointed Jackson Nickerson, Ph.D., as the next Edward Jones Dean of the Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business at SLU. His appointment is effective July 1.
Jackson Nickerson, Ph.D., is the newly appointed Edward Jones Dean of the Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business at SLU. Photo courtesy of Washington University in St. Louis.
A distinguished and internationally recognized teacher, scholar and consulting organizational strategist, Nickerson is the Emeritus Frahm Family Professor of Organization and Strategy at the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis.
“Dr. Nickerson will be a transformational leader for the institution and is committed to expanding the reach of our business programs to serve the evolving needs of business students, both graduate and undergraduate,” said SLU Provost Michael Lewis, Ph.D. “His focus on developing leaders across a number of industries, government and academia aligns well with SLU's Jesuit-inspired mission.”
Nickerson began his career in academia as an assistant professor at the Olin Business School in 1996 and was named the Frahm Family Professor in 2007. From 2009 to 2017, he served as the associate dean and director of Brookings Executive Education at WashU and the Brookings Institute.
Since 2017, Nickerson has served in multiple teaching, research and consulting roles, including as a senior fellow in governance studies at the Brookings Institute. He also served as the Grameen Foundation’s first-ever senior fellow. Nickerson also holds appointments at the Melbourne Business School in Australia, IE University in Madrid, Spain, and the Naval Postgraduate School's Center for Homeland Defense and Security.
He also co-created Critical Thinking@Olin, which in 2011 won the inaugural Innovator Award from the MBA Roundtable, a collaborative, nonprofit association that facilitates the exchange of information and resources on MBA curricular innovation.
During his career, Nickerson has earned more than 20 teaching honors, including the 2003 State of Missouri Governor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. He also is a past recipient of the Strategic Management Society’s Educational Impact Award.
Nickerson’s research spans leadership, organization and strategy with an emphasis on innovation. He has published six books, more than 85 journal articles and case studies, and numerous popular press articles and book chapters.
He earned a Ph.D. in business and public policy, an MBA and a Master of Science in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. He received his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Before entering academia, he was a control systems engineer with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
“I am thrilled and honored to serve the Chaifetz School of Business, Saint Louis University, and the St. Louis region, my home for 22 years,” Nickerson said. “The Chaifetz School of Business is on the move, and I look forward to working with our community to continue and accelerate this momentum, inspired and guided by SLU’s Jesuit educational ideals.”
Nickerson will succeed Barnali Gupta, Ph.D., who has served as dean since 2021.
“Dean Gupta has been a strong advocate for the Chaifetz School of Business, particularly within the institution and across the local business community,” Lewis said. “Her steady leadership and commitment to the school and SLU have prepared the business school for future success.”
Nickerson’s appointment follows a national search led by a search committee comprised of representatives from SLU’s faculty, staff, students and Board of Trustees. Gary Ritter, Ph.D., dean of SLU’s School of Education, chaired the search committee.
About the Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business
Founded in 1910, the Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business at Saint Louis University has shaped the future of industry for more than a century. As one of the oldest business schools west of the Mississippi, the Chaifetz School has built a reputation as a leader in business education committed to innovation, inclusion and impact and recognized with eight undergraduate and graduate programs nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report.
Latest Newslink
- SLU Professor Says Statistics Is the Everyday Math Everyone Needs to KnowR. Lauren Miller, Ed.D., assistant professor of mathematics and statistics at Saint Louis University, argues that a solid foundation in statistics provides people with numerical literacy and reduces math anxiety. Miller will present “A Case for High School Statistics” at the Curiosity by TEDx St. Louis event on Saturday, May 31, at the Missouri History Museum.
- SLU Professor's Taco Fundraiser to Support Tornado Relief EffortsSaint Louis University chef Daniel Brewer, MS, RDN, is hosting a special fundraising event at his home this weekend featuring an innovative taco menu that draws from a variety of global influences. Proceeds will benefit Action St. Louis.
- Saint Louis University Vaccine Center Recruits Healthy Participants for Flu Human Challenge StudyStudy participants will be infected with the influenza virus while under the care of a medical team in order to learn more about how healthy people’s immune systems respond to an influenza infection.
- SLU/YouGov Poll: Missouri Voters Sweet on Kansas City BBQIn February 2025, the SLU/YouGov Poll asked 900 likely Missouri voters which regional style of American barbecue was their favorite. Kansas City style came out on top, with 41 percent of voters selecting it as their favorite barbecue style, more than double the 17 percent who favored St. Louis style.
- SLU President Tells Class of 2025 to Enjoy the JourneySaint Louis University President Fred P. Pestello, Ph.D., never planned on a career in higher education. During his commencement address Saturday morning in front of a packed crowd at Chaifetz Arena, Pestello said that when he was the one graduating from college 51 years ago, he wanted to be a radio host. Along the way, things changed, and he ended up having a lengthy career in education. As he prepares to step down as SLU's 33rd president at the end of June, he told the Class of 2025 about how his plans changed early and often.
- SLU Vaccine Center Will Enroll Healthy Volunteers in West Nile Virus Clinical TrialSaint Louis University's Center for Vaccine Development will enroll up to 30 adult volunteers in a clinical trial to study the safety and immune response elicited by a new investigational vaccine for West Nile virus. Currently, there is no approved vaccine or treatment for illness caused by West Nile virus. A previous study of an earlier version of this vaccine showed the vaccine was safe and well-tolerated. Building on these findings, this new study will assess an updated version of the vaccine.