Interim Dean Georgia Perakis Provides Updates from Leadership

During the penultimate session of MIT Sloan Reunion 2024, Georgia Perakis, the John C Head III Dean (Interim) at the MIT Sloan School of Management, told alumni gathered in Wong Auditorium how proud she was of them.

“You all are pretty amazing,” she said. “We have some amazing programs here, and I am so proud of all our students.”

Following the sudden departure of former Dean David Schmittlein in January, Interim Dean Perakis—who is also a professor of operations management, operations research, and statistics—stepped into the role in February at the invitation of MIT Provost Cynthia Barnhart.

“The provost let me know on Thursday and I started on a Monday, but there’s nothing like the present,” said Perakis. “I want to acknowledge some of the many contributions of Dave. He stayed in this office for over 16 years, and he did several wonderful things to bring the school to what it is today.”

Throughout her session, Perakis paid tribute to former Dean Schmittlein, provided updates from school leadership on the state of MIT Sloan, reconnected with her former students, and cordially introduced herself to the other Reunion-year alumni in attendance.

Celebrating the past

From the grand opening of building E62 and the renovations of buildings E60 and E52, to the creation of several new advanced degree programs and interdisciplinary centers, the former dean made his mark on MIT Sloan.

Previously known for its core MBA and Sloan Fellows programs, MIT Sloan now boasts Master of Finance, Executive MBA, and Master of Business Analytics programs, among others. Additionally, centers and initiatives as varied as the MIT Sloan Sustainability Initiative, the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy, and the recently announced MIT Climate Policy Center all bear Schmittlein’s fingerprints.

“He’s not in attendance today,” said Perakis, “but I really want to take the chance to thank him.”

She also took a moment to remember the late Ed Roberts, SB ’58, SM ’58, SM ’60, PhD ’62, the visionary professor of management and entrepreneurship who died at the age of 88 in February.

“Ed was what we call a ‘lifeline’ at MIT,” Perakis said of Roberts, whose seven-decade career at the Institute extended from his undergraduate studies to the founding of the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship and beyond.

“People like Ed, you do not meet very often,” she continued. “It was a pleasure to be his colleague, and I know his legacy is going to stay with us for many years to come.”

Georgia Perakis | John C Head III Dean (Interim) at the MIT Sloan School of Management

You all are pretty amazing ... We have some amazing programs here, and I am so proud of all our students.

Advancing in the present

Regarding leadership at MIT Sloan, Perakis announced that Deputy Dean Michael Cusumano (Sloan Management Review Distinguished Professor of Management) stood down from his administrative role on July 1 and will take what she described as a “well-deserved sabbatical.”

Michelle Hanlon (Howard W. Johnson Professor) is taking Cusumano’s place and join two more new appointments: Rodrigo Verdi (Nanyang Technological University Professor of Accounting) as Deputy Dean for Degree Programs, Teaching and Learning, and Christopher Knittel (George P. Shultz Professor of Energy Economics) as Associate Dean for Climate.

Speaking of Knittel, Perakis reminded the audience about the recently announced MIT Climate Policy Center, for which he will serve as faculty director. The new center, which MIT Sloan kickstarted with a $25 million investment, is part of The Climate Project at MIT, an Institute-wide effort spearheaded by MIT President Sally Kornbluth.

“We are very excited about this,” said Perakis. “Chris has already been traveling to Washington, D.C. to talk to people from both aisles, which, I think, is very important to get things done right.”

Perakis also celebrated the successful restructuring of the undergraduate program, a feat overseen by incoming Deputy Dean Hanlon. Instead of a single concentration, MIT students interested in majoring in Course XV can now choose from three tracks in management, business analytics, and finance.

“This has brought more visibility to MIT Sloan in the undergraduate space, and has increased the school’s footprint,” she said.

Planning for the future

Perakis offered attendees a brief preview of a new MIT Sloan office in Bangkok that will serve the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), whose member states include Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

The new office will allow alumni, partners, and faculty—including Retsef Levi (J. Spencer Standish (1945) Professor of Management) and Y. Karen Zheng (George M. Bunker Professor)—opportunities to build upon collaborative research and other projects in the region.

As for the “elephant in the room,” Perakis noted that Andrew Lo (Charles E. and Susan T. Harris Professor) and Kate Kellogg, PhD ’05, (David J. McGrath jr (1959) Professor of Management and Innovation) are co-chairing the search advisory committee tasked with finding a permanent replacement for former Dean Schmittlein. They are joined by several advisory groups representing different stakeholders in the process, including the MIT Sloan alumni community.

“The idea is to give recommendations to the president, the provost, and the MIT Corporation, either by the end of 2024 or in early 2025,” said Perakis.

In the meantime, Perakis concluded, everyone should feel welcome to stop by her office anytime. “Come visit me when you can,” she said.