USD Magazine Spring 2022

THE ENTHUS I AS T

Priya Kannan- Narasimhan Associate Dean of Faculty and Accreditation Knauss School of Business

Associate Dean of Faculty and Accreditation and founder of USD’s Innovation and Entrepreneur- ship Catalyzer Rangapriya (“Priya”) Kannan- Narasimhan, is also a professor of strategy, innovation and entrepreneurship at the school as well as an affiliate faculty member at the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies. Her reaction to the news of the $50 million gift made by Don and Ellie Knauss was over- the-top excitement. “It wasn’t very professional,” she says with a laugh. “I sent an email or text to the dean that said, ‘OMG! OMG OMG! OMG!!!!’ I was literally jumping up and down.” She’s confident that the Knauss School of Business is poised to become one of the top busi- ness schools in the nation. “San Diego as a region is a huge, booming ecosystem. Now, especially in the local innovation and collaboration ecosystem, we are playing in the major leagues, with cities like Boston and Los Angeles,” she enthuses. Priya credits Dean Timothy Keane’s vision for the sense of possibility embodied by faculty members and students. “He is an entrepreneurial dean with an impressive vision, and it’s built on years of work. We’re circling back to the values that were exciting when the school was estab- lished in the first place. This is a historic moment for our school.” Given the shift for many employees to become self-employed or entrepreneurs in the wake of the pandemic, Priya sees the school’s focus as particularly timely. “The world seems to be coalescing around what we believe at the Knauss School of Business: innovation, ethical leadership, sustainable business models, stewardship — all of those things. This gift is going to bring a lot of momentum; people are going to want to be a part of what’s happening here.” — Julene Snyder

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Spring 2022