Wellesley, Massachusetts, USA: Poonam Arora has been selected as the new dean of the Undergraduate School at Babson College, the institution confirmed on December 10.
Arora is currently the associate dean of faculty affairs and strategic initiatives and a professor of management at Quinnipiac University.
Since joining Quinnipiac in 2022, she has overseen major strategic planning projects within the School of Business, guided reaccreditation activities, redesigned assurance-of-learning standards, strengthened curriculum development efforts, and refined expectations for scholarly work.
“Professor Arora brings exceptional academic insight and broad experience from both higher education and industry to this position,” said Provost and executive vice president Ariel Armony. “Her student-centred leadership style will help Babson continue to be the preferred institution for learners committed to creating positive impact for future generations.”
Armony added that Arora has consistently championed faculty development, interdisciplinary education, and the integration of liberal arts with business studies — values that align strongly with Babson’s Entrepreneurial Thought & Action model.
Before joining Quinnipiac, Arora held several leadership roles at Manhattan College, including Capalbo Professor of Business Administration, chair of the management and marketing department, co-director of the Center for Ethics, and chair of the O’Malley School of Business Strategic Priorities Committee. She also participated in the institution’s Shared Governance Working Group as a faculty representative.
Beyond academia, Arora’s background includes significant roles in both the corporate and nonprofit sectors. She has served as acting executive director and CFO of Working Today Inc., vice president for U.S. securitisation at Citicorp Securities, senior associate at McKinsey & Company, and junior economist with the United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development.
Arora earned her bachelor’s degree in business economics, graduating summa cum laude from John Cabot University in Rome, followed by an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. She later completed her PhD in psychology at Columbia University, specialising in behavioural decision-making.
