New GW Business Dean Sevin Yeltekin Shares Vision for Leadership, Innovation

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As Sevin Yeltekinstarts her new role as dean of the George Washington University School of Business (GWSB), she joined GW President Ellen M. GranbergWednesday evening for a conversation about her vision for the school and the future of business education.

The event, hosted at Jack Morton Auditorium as part of the George Talks Businessseries, provided students and alumni with the opportunity to hear directly from the school's new dean.

Granberg opened the evening by underscoring the importance of leadership and formally introducing Yeltekin to the GW community.

"Dr. Yeltekin is an accomplished economist, an innovative leader and someone deeply committed to preparing students to navigate the complexities of the global economy," Granberg said.

Granberg began the conversation by asking Yeltekin what drew her to business education as a career and how it has shaped her leadership approach.

"Education certainly changed my life and gave me opportunities. I'm a firm believer in the power of education," Yeltekin said.

She added that her passion for teaching and her background in economics made pursuing business education a natural fit.

"The combination made sense for me," Yeltekin said. "And in economics, we typically think about data-driven decision making in times of uncertainty. And that's really my leadership style as well. I'm very data-driven. I like to have structured thinking. I'm comfortable with uncertainty but at the same time being able to communicate concisely and transparently."

Granberg asked Yeltekin what attracted her specifically to GWSB and Yeltekin pointed to the university's unique location and strengths in areas that aligned with her academic interests.

"What better place to be than here?" Yeltekin said. "We not only get to see policymaking in real time, but we have access to a lot of the institutions and a lot of the networks where those voices can be part of our larger intellectual capital and larger intellectual collaboration."

Granberg noted rapid changes in the business world, citing developments in technology such as AI. She asked how business schools can adapt and help students stay ahead of the curve.

Yeltekin acknowledged the challenge of preparing students for an unpredictable future.

"It's very hard to stay ahead of the curve, because we don't even know what the curve is going to be," Yeltekin said. "So, I always think that we need to really impart two things. One of them is foundational knowledge. There are tested, well thought-out frameworks and approaches. And lifelong learning is a very important thing as well. That is an ability and a skill that will carry students throughout their careers."

Yeltekin added that business schools must help students distinguish between short-term trends and lasting innovation.

"Our role is to be a deep thinker, but at the same time bring it back to some of the fundamentals and make everybody comfortable with a little bit of uncertainty," Yeltekin said.

Ultimately, Yeltekin said, the goal of a business school is to develop thoughtful, effective leaders who not only innovate and make smart decisions but also understand the broader impact of those decisions.

Toward the end of the event, Yeltekin responded to questions posed by GW students and alumni who were in the audience.

One questioner asked what advice Yeltekin had for students eager to make the most of their time at GW.

"Be engaged. Try new things. There are not many opportunities in life where you have the wealth of resources at your disposal as you do at GW, and at the same time, have that great safety net to catch you when you stumble," Yeltekin said.