Ira Rubien joins Wharton as Executive Director of Communications. Most recently, he was Director of Marketing and Brand Management for the Nursery & Care division of GRACO (Newell Rubbermaid) Children’s Products, where he developed and oversaw the implementation of a new vision for the 50-year-old global brand. Ira has an MBA from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, and a B.S. in Information Systems and Industrial Management from Carnegie Mellon University.
Leonard Lodish will step down after more than seven years as Vice Dean of Wharton West, to take on yet another role as Vice Dean of the Program for Social Impact. In this role, he will work closely with faculty and students to expand Wharton’s initiatives pertaining to social responsibility and social progress. Len is the Samuel R. Harrell Professor of Marketing as well as the leader and co-founder of the Global Consulting Practicum, which partners MBA students with foreign and domestic clients seeking to expand their international marketing efforts. He received his Ph.D. in Marketing and Operations Research from MIT and his A.B. in Mathematics from Kenyon College.
Douglas H. Collom will be assuming the new leadership role for Wharton West, as Executive Director of Wharton West. The Executive Director position was created for the purpose of enhancing Wharton’s brand on the west coast, as well as providing a higher degree of coordination among Wharton departments in planning activities and programs for the benefit of students and alumni. Doug will have direct oversight for the MBA for Executives West Program, west coast operations for external affairs, corporate relationships on the west coast, and west coast operations of Wharton Entrepreneurial Programs. He will work with the current staff at Wharton West, as well as the senior administrative staff in Philadelphia.