Olin Business School Leadership
Dean Michael J. Mazzeo
Mike Mazzeo became dean of WashU Olin Business School on September 1, 2023. He joins the Olin faculty as a professor of economics after a 25-year career as a researcher, scholar and educator at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, where he was a professor of strategy and a faculty associate at the university’s Institute for Policy Research. Mazzeo has had a distinguished and prolific career as a researcher, and his work—focused on empirical industrial organization—has been cited thousands of times.
Students have recognized Mazzeo with teaching awards numerous times for his work as a strategy instructor in Kellogg’s MBA and executive MBA programs. He served as faculty director for Kellogg’s evening and weekend MBA programs and its master of science in management studies program. He was the school’s senior associate dean for curriculum and teaching from 2017 through 2020.
As a scholar, Mazzeo has developed new statistical methodologies for examining the relationship between product differentiation and market competition, with insights spanning the airline, banking, healthcare, hospitality, retail and telecommunications industries and applications for both business strategy and antitrust analysis. He serves on the editorial board of the Review of Industrial Organization and is co-author of Roadside MBA: Back Road Lessons for Entrepreneurs, Executives and Small Business Owners.
That 2014 book, a collaboration with fellow business professors from Stanford and the University of Utah, was based on visits with more than 250 small- and medium-size businesses over a dozen years. Covering more than 30 states and 12 countries, the team shared stories illustrating the important concepts taught in leading MBA programs.
Mazzeo’s research has been published in leading journals, including the Rand Journal of Economics, the Journal of Economics and Management Strategy, Marketing Science, the Review of Economics and Statistics, the Review of Industrial Organization, Quantitative Marketing and Economics and the Journal of Industrial Economics.
At Kellogg, Mazzeo was the point person for the school’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and used that experience to innovate in the school’s working professional degree programs.
Mazzeo earned his PhD in economics from Stanford University in 1998 and was immediately hired on to the faculty at Kellogg. Previously, he earned his bachelor’s degree in economics and urban studies at Stanford in 1991.
His child attends New York University. Outside of work, he volunteers on the board of directors for Chicago-based Howard Brown Health, which provides LGBTQ+-affirming healthcare services and is one of the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ nonprofits.
Markus Baer
Vice Dean for Degree and Non-Degree Executive Education and Professor of Organizational Behavior
Markus Baer is a tenured, full professor of Organizational Behavior and has been on WashU Olin’s faculty since 2006. Baer oversees the academic aspects of Olin’s Executive Education portfolio, including three Executive MBA programs in St. Louis, Mumbai and Shanghai, as well as non-degree executive education in St. Louis, Washington, DC, in partnership with Brookings and virtual. His research examines creativity and innovation and all its related activities—problem formulation, idea generation, idea selection and idea implementation. His research has been published in leading academic journals and has won multiple awards, including the "Olin Award Recognizing Research That Impacts Business." Baer has been honored as one of the world's "Best 40 Business Professors Under 40." He earned his PhD from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign and holds an MA from the University of Giessen in Germany.
Andrew Knight
Vice Dean for Education and Globalization and Professor of Organizational Behavior
Andrew Knight has been on WashU Olin’s faculty since 2010. Knight oversees the academic aspects of Olin’s undergraduate and graduate programs and develops and maintains global partnerships. His research and teaching address leadership, teamwork and people analytics, with a special focus on entrepreneurship and healthcare. Before joining WashU Olin, Knight was a founding team member of a healthcare analytics company, leading its research and product development function. He earned a master’s degree in industrial/organizational psychology from the University of Maryland and a PhD in managerial science and applied economics from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.
Mark Leary
Co-Vice Dean of Faculty and Research and Professor of Finance
Mark Leary joined WashU Olin's faculty in 2010. In his role as co-vice dean, Leary oversees senior faculty and all aspects of faculty research support. His research investigates the motives behind corporate financial policy decisions, including leverage, security issuance, dividend and share repurchase decisions. He taught previously at Cornell University and, prior to his academic career, worked for CVS Corp. and the Federal Reserve Bank of NY. Leary holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Rutgers University, an MBA from New York University and a PhD in finance from Duke University.
Robyn LeBoeuf
Co-Vice Dean of Faculty and Research and Joyce and Chauncy Buchheit Distinguished Professor in Marketing
Robyn LeBoeuf joined WashU Olin’s faculty in 2014. As co-vice dean of faculty and research, she oversees junior and teaching-track faculty and manages the promotion and tenure process. Her research strives to understand how people make decisions and to explore the subtle factors that bias those decisions. An award-winning teacher and researcher, LeBoeuf has taught marketing, decision-making and consumer behavior courses across WashU Olin’s undergraduate and graduate programs. She earned her undergraduate degree in psychology and statistics from American University and her PhD in psychology from Princeton University.
Todd Milbourn
Interim Deputy Dean and Hubert C. and Dorothy R. Moog Professor of Finance
As interim deputy dean, Todd Milbourn provides overall coordination and guidance on cabinet issues and optimizes the execution of key strategic initiatives. Milbourn joined Olin’s faculty in 2000 as an assistant professor of finance after holding teaching positions at the London Business School and the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He has taught finance courses at every degree level and served as senior associate dean of faculty and research as well as senior associate dean of programs. He earned his undergraduate degree in economics, finance and mathematics from Augustana College and his PhD from Indiana University.
Paula Crews
Interim Chief of Staff and Senior Associate Dean and Director of Strategy and Marketing
Paula Crews, a BSBA 1990 alum, joined Olin in 2011 as the associate dean and director of marketing and communications. As head of the school’s marketing efforts, she has led the development of WashU Olin’s strong brand position; the expanded use of digital/social media strategies; the implementation of a school-wide, unified CRM system; and support for a portfolio of online programs. In her current roles, Crews’s responsibilities encompass strategic planning, online product development, innovation, marketing and communications, executive education, digital and web initiatives, IT support, and implementing and managing organization-wide initiatives. Crews also has an MBA from Saint Louis University.
Brent Jenson
Senior Associate Dean of Finance
Brent Jenson is the school’s chief financial officer responsible for fiscal oversight of Olin, including financial planning, reporting and accounting. A key component of his role is aligning budgets with the strategic direction of the school. He has been with WashU for more than 20 years and holds a WashU Olin MBA.
Paige LaRose
Senior Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs
Paige LaRose joined the Olin undergraduate program team in 2008. Undergraduate programs supports nearly 1,200 undergraduates studying business through academic advising, study abroad advising and co-curricular programming. LaRose has spent over 20 years in higher education in advising, career services, program development and recruitment. She holds degrees from Truman State University and Texas A&M University and a JD from Saint Louis University.
Jessica Roberts Martin
Senior Associate Dean of Administration and Operations and Professor of Practice
Jessica Roberts Martin leads Olin Business School’s administration and operations and serves as a professor of practice in communications. Jessica brings a long affiliation with Washington University and its many constituencies to her role as senior associate dean. An alumna of WashU, Martin joined the university's Public Affairs department in 2000 and has served as a news editor, writer and director of news and information for the School of Law and the Brown School of Social Work. In addition, she served as executive director, strategic communications, handling major projects for the university.
