Erika James, Dean of the Wharton School, has been elected to Morgan Stanley’s Board of Directors.
James became the first woman and person of color to serve as Wharton Dean when she was appointed in July 2020. She will now become one of four women sitting on a 14-member Board of Directors at Morgan Stanley. The Wharton Media Relations team was not immediately available to comment on how James's new role will impact her role at Wharton.
As a member of Morgan Stanley’s board, James will represent the interests of the company’s shareholders in regular meetings devoted to corporate governance and oversight. Her appointment to the multinational investment bank’s board will become effective starting Jan. 1, 2022.
Prior to Wharton, James was the John H. Harland Dean at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School from 2014 to 2020. Most of her background is focused on business education and promoting a more diverse, equitable corporate America.
Under her leadership, Wharton enrolled more women than men in its MBA program for the first time in history. James also developed various executive education programs like the “Beyond Business” lecture series, which featured discussions with Wharton faculty and industry leaders on pressing environmental and social issues facing corporations today.
Before her time at Wharton, James also spearheaded the development of a women’s leadership program at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business.
Morgan Stanley has rolled out several public service-minded objectives which align with James's work, including sustainable investing and inclusive innovation, according to Morgan Stanley’s official mission statements listed on their website.
“[James] brings strong management and strategy experience and is a leading expert in crisis leadership and workplace diversity. Our Firm will benefit enormously from her expertise as we continue to build a talent-driven, diverse organization with strengthened leadership,” Chairman and CEO James Gorman said.
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