Berkeley Alum to Lead Haas

Renowned economist named new Haas dean

Dean-designate Ann E. Harrison
Dean-designate Ann E. Harrison

Renowned Wharton economist and Berkeley alumna Ann E. Harrison, BA 82 (economics and history), will begin her tenure as Haas dean on Jan. 1, 2019.

Harrison is the William H. Wurster Professor of Multinational Management and Professor of Business Economics and Public Policy at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. Prior to Wharton she was director of development policy at the World Bank.

Harrison has been both student and teacher at Berkeley, serving as a professor in Agricultural Resource Economics from 2001 to 2011. She joins an esteemed group of female economists who have made their impact on Haas, including Interim Dean Laura Tyson and Prof. Emeritus and former Fed Chair Janet Yellen.

Harrison lauds the school’s Defining Leadership Principles for making Haas “a true stand-out among its peers.”

“All my life, I have enjoyed research and learning and writing, but I’ve also really enjoyed making a difference,” said Harrison in an interview with BerkeleyHaas News. “Working at the World Bank was an important opportunity for me to be in the real world and to see governments change. As a dean, one is able to combine the joy of research and teaching with actually making change, so that’s an incredibly exciting opportunity for me.”

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