Dean Sarah E. Nutter, first woman to lead the University of Oregon’s Lundquist College of Business, is among the Portland Business Journal’s Women of Influence honorees for 2019.
“These vibrant women lead with excellence and measure success by how many they are able to serve,” Nutter said. “It is an honor to be included on this esteemed list of business and civic leaders.”
A known connector, the leader of the University of Oregon’s business school meets with business leaders from around the Pacific Northwest and beyond, building connections to enhance the region’s vibrant economy and enable graduates to build meaningful, productive careers.
She is the first holder of the Edward Maletis Dean title and continues to expand on the business school’s mission of growing its footprint in Portland with two thriving programs based in the city: the Oregon Executive MBA and UO Sports Product Management. She has supported UO Sports Product Management’s expansion into the online education space, which will further establish Portland as the epicenter of the sports product industry.
At the college, she has challenged the faculty to innovate and update the undergraduate curriculum, leading to a revamped business core, new minors in sports business, entrepreneurship, and sustainability, and a new Global Business Management Certificate, all in her first two years as dean.
Under Dean Nutter, the Lundquist College of Business now has an unprecedented number of women in top leadership positions, from senior associate dean to department chair. She encourages professional development and growth through modeling the behavior of inclusion, respect, and strength.
Nutter is a seasoned university administrator, having served as dean of George Mason University’s business school, as well as GMU’s accounting area chair, director of its executive MBA program, leader of the its strategic visioning process, and interim chief of staff.
In addition to the positive changes she has driven at the Lundquist College of Business, Nutter is a campus-wide leader working to enhance the reputation of the University of Oregon.
A strong supporter of the Women in Business student group, Nutter has also been asked to sit on several panels speaking to women including “International Women’s Day: A Pathway to Success” where she served on a panel of women leaders from the Lundquist College of Business and spoke with current and prospective students. She also spoke on a Women in Leadership panel, in which she was one of three women deans asked to speak to about path to deanship and offer advice to others pursuing senior leadership roles in higher education.
“In my short time here, observing Dean Nutter lead the college so expertly has been inspiring to see,” said Isabel Nattagh, a student studying business who is also a student worker in the dean’s office. “With her economist and accounting research background, she has illustrated for me the potential and depth a career in business can hold.”
In February 2018, Nutter was elected to the board of directors of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. She is one of only 30 business school deans worldwide to serve on this board.
Previously, she served as the president of the Accounting Program Leadership Group of the American Accounting Association. She also served as a board member of Burke & Herbert Bank and the William A. Hazel Company.
Nutter and 24 other outstanding business leaders will be honored April 11 in Portland during the 16th annual Women of Influence event at the Hilton Hotel.
—Lundquist College Communications