Announcing the New Dean for the Lucas College and Graduate School of Business

Sent: April 24, 2023

From: Vincent J. Del Casino, Jr., Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs


Dear Colleagues,

I am very pleased to announce that Dr. Rangapriya (Priya) Kannan will join San José State University as the next dean of the Lucas College and Graduate School of Business. She will begin her appointment on August 1st. Dr. Kannan joins SJSU at a pivotal time in its history, as we continue to elevate the position of Lucas on the campus and in the wider San José community. Dr. Kannan has a passion for the mission of SJSU and Lucas, and I am incredibly excited to begin our work together. 

Dr. Kannan is currently the Associate Dean of Faculty & Accreditation at the University of San Diego’s Knauss School of Business and a Professor of Strategic Management, Innovation & Entrepreneurship. Prior to being Associate Dean, Dr. Kannan was the inaugural chairperson of the i3 department that houses Innovation & Entrepreneurship, International Business, & Interdisciplinary Studies at the Knauss School of Business. She is also the founder director of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Catalyzer (The CatalyZer) and serves as a research professor of entrepreneurship at University of Exeter Business School, one of the UK’s leading institutions.
 
Prior to coming to academia, Dr. Kannan worked in industry in India as well as Silicon Valley. She has extensive experience in leading strategic change, interdisciplinary program design, alumni and community engagement, employee development, and creating inclusive workspaces. Her primary teaching and research focus is on how individuals engage in creative resourcing and reframing to accomplish their innovations under constraints. She has papers published in innovation and strategy outlets such as the Strategic Management Journal, Journal of Product Innovation Management, Organization Studies, Research and Technology Management, Oxford Research Encyclopedia, & Journal of Business Ethics

During her career, Dr. Kannan has earned several awards recognizing her excellence in research, teaching and for her contributions to institution building, including the prestigious Clarence L. Steber Professorship, a distinguished university award at USD. She was recognized as Poets & Quants’ Top 50 Undergraduate Business Professors in the country in 2020 for her teaching excellence. She has also won San Diego Businesswoman of the Year in 2020 and SD 500 San Diego Most Influential Business Leaders in 2021 and 2022 by the San Diego Business Journal. In addition, Dr. Kannan was a visiting research fellow at the Cambridge Judge Business School. 

Dr. Kannan received her PhD from the UCLA Anderson School of Management. She earned her Masters in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from San José State University, where she was also a Sally Casanova Scholar. She has a Masters in Personnel Management & Industrial Relations from Tata Institute of Social Sciences (India) and is a graduate of the Cost and Works Accountants Society (India). She has an undergraduate Bachelor of Commerce degree from University of Bombay (India).  

Dr. Kannan now brings all that experience, and her passion for SJSU as an alumni, to our campus and wider community. She does so as the first woman and first person of Indian descent to lead the college on a permanent basis. Her energy, vision, and strategic approach to faculty development, undergraduate and graduate education, and the research enterprise will make her an outstanding addition to SJSU. 

I want to very much thank Dr. Marco Pagani for his ongoing leadership during this transition period as well. He is an outstanding leader as well as college and campus citizen. 

Sincerely,
Vin