GLENDALE, Ariz., May 10, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Thunderbird School of Global Management today announced four new appointments as Ambassador Barbara McConnell Barrett begins her tenure as Interim President of the world's #1-ranked school for international business.
Robert J. Herbold, Ph.D., renowned business strategist and former chief operating officer of Microsoft Corporation (Nasdaq:MSFT), will serve as Senior Advisor to the Interim President and Visiting Executive at Thunderbird. Herbold will advise Ambassador Barrett, faculty and school administrators on business operations and organizational management.
During Herbold's tenure with Microsoft, the company realized a four-fold increase in revenue and a seven-fold increase in profits. Prior to joining the software giant, Herbold spent 26 years at Procter & Gamble. His corporate expertise runs the gamut from finance and marketing to information systems, human resources, manufacturing and distribution, and public relations. He also recently served as adjunct professor at INSEAD, a highly respected business school based in Fontainebleau, France.
"There is a reason Thunderbird is consistently ranked #1 for international business," said Herbold. "No other school combines global mind-set with an innovative curriculum that hones real-world business skills, cultural understanding and language proficiency. I will do my part to advance Thunderbird's reputation for educating global business professionals who create borderless success."
Larry E. Penley, Ph.D., former university president and business school dean, will serve as Thunderbird's interim Chief Academic Officer and Provost. Over a 35-year career in higher education, Penley has held top faculty and top administrative positions at universities in the U.S., Mexico and Venezuela. He is known for creating successful, market-driven MBA programs.
As dean of the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, Penley led the transformation of the college into a top-50 ranked business school. He then served as president of Colorado State University, where he boosted student enrollment and diversity, doubled university fundraising, and enhanced business education solutions for working professionals. Penley also chaired the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the world's leading business-school accreditation body, during an early stage of its international expansion.
Joie Gregor, former Vice Chairman of worldwide executive search and leadership advisory firm Heidrick & Struggles (Nasdaq:HSII), will serve as Senior Advisor to the Interim President and Visiting Executive at Thunderbird. Gregor is a recognized expert in aligning leadership teams to drive operating results and was named in The Global 200 Executive Recruiters, compiled by Nancy Garrison-Jenn.
Gregor has worked with some of the world's most influential corporations, including Citigroup, Raytheon Company, Honeywell International, Starbucks, and IBM. She has served on the boards of public, private and nonprofit organizations, from entrepreneurial start-ups in Silicon Valley to globally focused venture capital firms. Gregor headed the White House Office of Presidential Personnel under President George W. Bush, with responsibility for recruiting, assessing and recommending senior-level officials for the Executive Branch. Prior to her work in executive search and leadership consulting, she held management roles of increasing responsibility at IBM for 13 years.
U.S. Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ) has accepted an invitation to be a guest lecturer at Thunderbird, offering insights and observations about public policy development, processes and perceptions. Students and faculty will hear from this influential leader, who has represented Arizona in Washington since 1987.
"Jon Kyl has earned a reputation for unparalleled command of public policy and international security issues," said Barbara Barrett, Interim President of Thunderbird School of Global Management. "Thunderbird welcomes his presence, and we look forward to what our students will learn from his insights."
The new leadership appointments at Thunderbird School of Global Management correspond with the arrival of Ambassador Barbara McConnell Barrett as Interim President. Ambassador Barrett's decades-long service to the school has been instrumental in bringing some of the world's most influential leaders to Thunderbird, including His Holiness the Dalai Lama, UAE Minister of Foreign Trade Her Excellency Sheikha Lubna Bint Khalid Al Qasimi, Canadian Prime Minister The Right Honorable Kim Campbell, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and most recently former President of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev.
Ambassador Barrett is expected to serve as Thunderbird's Interim President until a new permanent president assumes office. A worldwide search is underway, led by executive search firm Korn/Ferry International (NYSE:KFY).
About Thunderbird School of Global Management
Thunderbird is the world's #1 -ranked school of international business, with over 65 years of experience in equipping global leaders with the business skills and global mindset necessary to create sustainable prosperity worldwide. For more about Thunderbird, visit http://www.thunderbird.edu.
Thunderbird's degree and program offerings
Thunderbird offers a wide range of global management graduate degrees and certificate programs for full-time students, working professionals, distance learners and companies, including Full-time, Executive, Evening and Distance-learning MBAs, a Master of Arts and Master of Science degrees, and a comprehensive suite of executive education programs. The school is also home of six Centers of Excellence focused on cultures and languages, Global Mindset®, ethics in global management, entrepreneurship, global private equity, and global energy studies.
For more information on Thunderbird School of Global Management, please contact Samantha Novick at samantha.novick@thunderbird.edu or +1 (602) 978-7922, or visit http://www.thunderbird.edu/news .
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