Olin Business School Leadership
Dean Anjan V. Thakor
Anjan Thakor, the John E. Simon Professor of Finance, assumed the position of interim dean of WashU Olin Business School on July 1, 2022. He is also the director of Doctoral Programs and the Wells Fargo Advisors Center for Finance and Accounting Research. He joined WashU Olin in 2003 and since that time has served many roles and contributed greatly to the field of finance. His research and teaching interests include corporate finance, financial intermediation and the economics of asymmetric information.
Thakor is a prolific author with more than 100 major journal publications. In an article published in 2008, he was identified as the fourth most prolific researcher in the world in finance over the past 50 years based on publications in the top seven finance journals over that time. In another paper published in 2017, Thakor was listed as one of the five-most prolific finance authors from 2005 to 2015. He has published 11 books, the most recent of which are The Purpose of Banking: Transforming Banking for Stability and Economic Growth, The Economics of Higher Purpose (with Robert E. Quinn) and Contemporary Financial Intermediation (with Stuart Greenbaum and Arnoud Boot). He is a past president of the Financial Intermediation Research Society (2006–08) and past managing editor of the Journal of Financial Intermediation (1996–2005). Additionally, he is a research associate for the European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI), a fellow for Financial Theory Group and a research affiliate for MIT LFE.
In 2021 Thakor was awarded the FIRS Lifetime Achievement Award for Contributions to Financial Intermediation Research. He received the Washington University in St. Louis Distinguished Faculty Award in November 2010 and has been awarded Olin's Reid Teaching Excellence Award multiple times.
Over the years, Thakor has worked with many companies, including Whirlpool Corporation, Allison Engine Co., Citigroup, RR Donnelley, Dana Corporation, Anheuser-Busch, Zenith Corporation, Lincoln National Corporation, J.P. Morgan, Landscape Structures Inc., CIGNA, BorgWarner Automotive, Waxman Industries, Reuters, The Limited, Ryder Integrated Logistics, AT&T, CH2M Hill, Takata Corporation, Tyson Foods, Spartech and Bunge. He has also served as an expert witness in many federal cases involving banking litigation.
Prior to joining WashU Olin, Thakor was the Edward J. Frey Professor of Banking and Finance at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, where he also served as chairman of the finance area. He has served on the faculties of Indiana University, Northwestern University and UCLA. He holds a PhD in finance from Northwestern University.
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.
