Ogilvie to Lead School of Business into a Strong Future

The newest member of Meredith’s academic administration is Kristie Ogilvie, who began as dean of the School of Business in July.

Ogilvie brings administrative, faculty, and industry experience, having begun her career as a senior business analyst for GenCorp Corporation/Aerojet, before transitioning into academia.

“I spent ten years in industry, in aerospace and pharmaceuticals, and then I taught an adjunct class and caught the bug. I just loved teaching,” Ogilvie said. “I went through my faculty life [at California State University campuses in Sacramento and Fullerton] then got into administration.”

Her first role in academic administration was as associate dean at California State University at San Bernadino, where the business school has 3,500 students. She came to Meredith from Emporia State University, where she served as the dean.

One of her passions is in women’s leadership and empowering women, so Meredith’s School of Business is a good fit. Meredith’s smaller size, with a personal approach and a focus on strengths, was also appealing.

AACSB accreditation, which only 5% of business schools worldwide have, means Meredith’s program is high quality. “When you add in Meredith culture and Meredith traditions, I don’t see another program with the value that we bring, with the high touch experience, career focus, and internship programs,” Ogilvie said.

On her agenda once she arrived on campus was meeting individually with each School of Business faculty member.  “When I met the faculty, they were energized, they had ideas, and seemed ready to take things to the next level,” Ogilvie said.

Ogilvie also has a goal to be off campus and in the local community on a regular basis.

“I’m an externally focused dean. We are already engaging in a variety of ways but I aim to enhance and help that,” Ogilvie said. “I want to hear from our [alumnae/i], our employers, our donors, anyone who has a Meredith story, a Meredith idea, or potential partnership.”

Ogilvie has met with many employers of Meredith business graduates. “Our employers have praised the communication skills of our students. Our graduates tend to be leaders; they know how to get the best out of their teams and how to resolve conflict,” she said.

Ogilvie welcomes input and involvement from alumnae/i of the undergraduate and graduate programs.

“I would love to see our graduates back engaging with the School. There are a lot of opportunities if they’d like to engage. We would love to have that outreach piece.”

Ogilvie can be reached by email at kaogilvie@meredith.edu, by phone at (919) 760-8432, and on Twitter @bizdeanmeredith. Learn more about Meredith’s School of Business at meredith.edu/academics/schools/business.