Jan. 18, 2013
The Catholic University of America announced today that Andrew Abela has been appointed dean of the new School of Business and Economics .
The appointment comes on the heels of the creation of the new school on Jan. 1.
Abela joined the faculty 10 years ago and served as chair of the previous Department of Business and Economics in the School of Arts and Sciences since 2009.
"The recent announcement of our new virtues-based business school has garnered attention from numerous media outlets," says President John Garvey. "That's a tribute not only to the visionary idea for the school but also to the person who has played the key role in crafting and articulating that vision. We look forward to a great future for the school under Dean Abela's leadership."
Abela is an expert on the integrity of the marketing process, including marketing ethics, Catholic social doctrine, and internal communication. His articles have been published in several academic journals and in two books. He is the co-editor of A Catechism for Business: Tough Ethical Questions and Insights from Catholic Teaching , forthcoming from Catholic University of America Press .
In 2009, Abela won the Novak Award, a $10,000 prize given by the Acton Institute for "outstanding intellectual merit in advancing the understanding of theology's connection to human dignity, the importance of the rule of law, limited government, religious liberty, and freedom in economic life."
Abela previously worked as brand manager at Procter & Gamble, management consultant with McKinsey & Company, and managing director of the Marketing Leadership Council of the Corporate Executive Board. He continues to consult with several leading companies, including Microsoft, JPMorgan Chase, and Wrigley's, on internal communication.
He holds a B.Sc. from the University of Toronto, an M.B.A. from the Institute for Management Development in Switzerland, and a Ph.D. in marketing and ethics from the Darden Business School at the University of Virginia. He and his wife, Kathleen, have six children.