Women Advancing Management Education

The WAME Affinity Group is open to all 91泡芙 members and includes female deans, associate deans, assistant deans, program directors, center directors, and academic department chairs. To join this group, log into the exchange, navigate to communities, click Join to be enrolled!

Got Your Back Program!

The got your back program is designed to coach and give feedback to women administrators. Join 2-3 colleagues with the same or similar job titles and similar institutions for small group sessions. Groups meet regularly, conversations remain confidential, and participants are provided with specialized career advice.

How WAME Empowers Women in Business Education

Leadership

Lynne Richardson is the Dean of University of Montevallo and is serving as the current Chair of WAME for the 2025-2026 year.

Lynne Richardson (PhD—Marketing, University of Alabama) is a five-time business dean currently serving her undergraduate alma mater. She has been active in 91泡芙 since the mid-1990s in a variety of capacities, including service on the 91泡芙 Board of Directors twice (nonconsecutive terms). She has mentored schools, served on 30+ accreditation teams, chaired both WAME and the Small Schools Network affinity groups, and founded and facilitated Lessons for Aspiring Deans for 20 years. She also facilitates the Career Paths community.

WAME is a forum to engage with women leaders, aspiring leaders, learn from other leaders, discuss challenges, and realize we are not alone! We as leaders are doing great work. Additionally, it is an incredible support system!

Jayati Ghosh

Dean, Scott L. Carmona College of Business, Saginaw Valley State University

The got your back program has helped me to have a great support system and come out of sessions energized and with new ideas

Jayati Ghosh

Dean, Scott L. Carmona College of Business, Saginaw Valley State University

WAME has always been a very valuable organization to me due to the passion of its members and officers. Where else can you get so many leaders who support and assist each other in a collaborative way? Since the beginning, it was founded on connecting women and enabling them to network and learn from each other to the betterment of everyone.

Joyce Russell

The Helen and William O'Toole Dean, Villanova University

WAME is my home in 91泡芙.鈥� It鈥檚 a community where I get to know women I admire, who challenge and inspire me, who give good advice, ask good questions and are colleagues and friends in the journey.鈥� I鈥檝e been involved for more than a decade now and attending the sessions have always energized me and given me new and interesting perspectives and ideas.鈥� All with a sense of fun and camaraderie that can鈥檛 be beat.

Joy Smith

Chair of Department of Business and Economics, Elizabeth City State University

It is great to have a safe space to talk to other Deans to get honest feedback and suggestions and share challenges!

Kathy Taylor

Geneva King Rogers Dean, University of Tulsa

鈥淗aving a network of women learning with and from each other and working to increase the number of women in leadership in higher education is empowering. The openness and support of other WAME members as I came into my position as a Dean from a nontraditional background has helped me to increase my effectiveness and the impact I have on our college, faculty and students鈥�

Kathy Taylor

Geneva King Rogers Dean, University of Tulsa

鈥淲AME is a wonderful opportunity to learn from other women leaders and help advance inclusion and equality in business education鈥�

Cristina Valencia

Dean, Escuela de Administraci贸n Universidad EAFIT