Winston-Salem, NC, March 7, 2016—Dr. Erika James will address the Class of 2016 at Salem College’s Commencement exercises on Saturday, May 21, 2016, at 10:00 am in the May Dell.

Dr. James was appointed dean of Emory University’s Goizueta Business School in 2014. Goizueta is currently ranked 23rd among the top 25 business schools in the world according to Business Insider, and the full-time MBA program at Goizueta has been ranked No. 1 by Bloomberg BusinessWeek for job placement. 

During her distinguished career, Dr. James has also served as a consultant to several Fortune 500 companies.

Prior to her appointment at Emory University, Dr. James served as senior associate dean for executive education at the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Virginia. In more than a decade of service at Virginia, Dr. James worked in several important roles, including as the first associate dean of diversity. She also introduced the Women’s Leadership Program at Darden.   

"We focused on inviting a speaker whose work would inspire our students and whose career reflects our commitment to educate women who make a difference in the world," said Dr. D. E. Lorraine Sterritt, President of Salem Academy and College. "In Dr. Erika James, Salem has found just such an exemplary speaker."

Dr. James's expertise in workplace diversity and crisis leadership has led to recognition in scholarly journals as well as in the mainstream media. She has also taught and consulted on topics including decision making under pressure, trust, and change management.

Dr. James grew up in Texas and completed her undergraduate work at Pomona College (Calif.). She earned her MA and PhD in organizational psychology at the University of Michigan. Prior to joining the faculty at Darden, she served as an assistant professor at Tulane University's Freeman School of Business and at Emory University. Dr. James also spent one year as a visiting professor at Harvard Business School.