Alanah Mitchell, currently Drake University’s associate dean of academic affairs and the Aliber Distinguished Professor of Information Services, has been appointed to a three-year term as dean of the university’s Zimpleman College of Business.

The appointment is part of a succession plan for Alejandro Hernandez, who has been the business college’s dean since 2020. Beginning July 1, Hernandez will be an associate professor in the college.

Hernandez’s tenure as dean “has been marked by positive transformation — from leading the college through a successful reaccreditation, to securing a multi-million-dollar naming gift, and establishing the college’s north star — Business as a Force for Good,” Sue Mattison, Drake’s provost, said in a prepared statement.

Before coming to Drake, Hernandez was a senior vice president of Wells Fargo’s sustainability and corporate responsibility team. At Drake, Hernandez launched several societal impact programs including the Dean’s Honor Roll for Social Impact and the Social Impact Research and Outreach Awards. Also during his tenure, three societal impact focus areas were adopted: propelling first-generation business student success, supporting mission-driven businesses and accelerating access to financial inclusion.

Hernandez’s efforts guided the development of events and programming bringing the community together, including the Bucksbaum Lectureship in Business and Business for Good Summit, according to a news release.

Hernandez’s contributions also helped the business college retain AACSB International accreditation, a distinction achieved by only 6% of business schools globally, the release said. His work helped strengthen graduate-level and executive education programming through the merging of the in-person and online MBA and MPA programs to create enhanced virtual offerings.

Mitchell, who will assume the dean’s role on July 1, has a doctoral degree in information technology and has extensive expertise in technology-driven processes and change, particularly related to technology-supported collaboration, according to the release. Mitchell’s work has been published in top information systems journals. She has consulted with Fortune 500 companies, educational institutions and nonprofit groups, among them U.S. Strategic Command Center, Principal Financial Group and General Mills.

Mitchell previously held academic positions at Appalachian State University and the University of Nebraska Omaha. At Drake, Mitchell is a mentor for the Digital Proficiency Scholars program, a Nelson Fellow for Drake Global Engagement and has served as a Focus Project Coach for the Mandela Washington Fellowship program. She also has been a business mentor for the Global Insurance Accelerator and currently serves as a Women’s Network Mentor for the Association for Information Systems.

“Professor Mitchell’s commitment to academic excellence and her expertise in the integration of technology with a liberal arts education have already been transformative for students across our seven colleges and schools,” Mattison said in the release. “She will undoubtedly continue building upon the achievements of Dean Hernandez, while shaping the future of Zimpleman College of Business and our entire institution.”