Alumna and longtime professor leads Haas
Professor Jennifer Chatman, who is known for pioneering research in organizational culture, was appointed interim dean of Berkeley Haas, effective August 1.
Chatman, the Paul J. Cortese Distinguished Professor of Management, joined the Haas faculty in 1993. As associate dean of academic affairs from 2022 to 2024, she was instrumental in helping Haas significantly increase the size and diversity of its faculty. From October to December 2023, she led the school as acting dean during Dean Harrison’s sabbatical.
Chatman has a strong connection and commitment to Berkeley. A double Bear, she earned her BA in psychology in 1981 and her PhD in business administration in 1988 from Berkeley.
“It will be my honor to serve the school and campus, and I look forward to hearing your ideas and concerns so that we can accomplish great things together in the year ahead,” Chatman says. “Let’s continue to let our Defining Leadership Principles inspire the best in us.”
A renowned organizational psychologist, Chatman studies how organizational culture, group norms, leadership, and group composition influence behavior. She co-created one of the most widely used tools to assess organizational culture, and her research has garnered numerous accolades, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Academy of Management.
She also co-founded and co-directs the Berkeley Center for Workplace Culture and Innovation with Haas Professor Sameer Srivastava. In March 2024, they launched a podcast, The Culture Kit with Jenny and Sameer, in which they help solve listeners’ workplace culture problems.
As a teacher, Chatman is much lauded. She’s won the Cheit Award for Excellence in Teaching and was named among the “World’s Best B-School Professors” by Poets&Quants. She’s also shared her expertise with some of the most innovative and successful firms through consulting services and by teaching in the Berkeley Executive Education program.
The search for a permanent Berkeley Haas dean will begin in early fall.