SF State now has a former IBM and nonprofit executive to head its College of Business this semester.

“It’s an honor to join this team and I’m looking forward to growing the college of business and continuing to provide an exceptional business education,” said newly appointed dean Nancy Hayes, who began her position on August 1.

SF State’s College of Business is the largest in the state of California and among the 20 largest business schools nationwide. It is also among the roughly 25 percent of business schools in the U.S. that are fully accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. SF State’s

College of Business enrolls approximately 5,000 undergraduate students each year.
Hayes, a native of Chicago, graduated with a master of business administration in finance from the University of Chicago and a bachelor of arts in English and marketing from the University of Dayton.

This semester, the college will have 11 new professors “from all over the world” which will increase the full time faculty by almost 10 percent and “contribute significantly to many fascinating areas of study,” said Hayes.

“I’m a business person, and my skill is management and leadership,” said Hayes, who most recently worked as the president and CEO of WISE Senior Services, a non-profit organization that provides care to low-income and at-risk elders.

“I am an experienced practitioner of what we are teaching.”
She has also served as the CEO of the non-profit STARBRIGHT foundation, which develops technology projects such as videos and CD-ROMs that “empower seriously ill children to combat the medical and emotional challenges they face on a daily basis,” according to the STARBRIGHT Web site.
Before moving on to non-profit organizations, Hayes spent 20 years working in management and marketing for IBM computers and ultimately became general manager of international operations for the company's Worldwide Sales and Services division.

Hayes is looking forward to making positive changes within the college and enabling the faculty to be “the best at education, research and community development.”

“Right now I’m just getting to know everyone and identify opportunities for change, and then we’ll coalesce to improve our overall delivery of education,” said Hayes.