Julia Bear named dean of the College of Business

November 13, 2026

Dear Stony Brook University community,

I am thrilled to announce that after a competitive national search, Julia Bear, PhD, interim dean of the College of Business and professor of organizational behavior, will be the next dean of the college. Her appointment is effective Monday, November 16.

Julia has an ambitious and exciting vision to take the college from momentum to prominence. Her priorities include strengthening faculty expertise and research, integrating new and emerging technologies and industry needs, supporting student success and access, and building relationships and support among alumni and external supporters. I am confident that her continued leadership will advance these priorities and strengthen the college’s contributions to Stony Brook and to business education and research nationally.

During the past year, Julia has led the college forward in meaningful ways, bringing energy, purpose, and an ambitious vision for the future. She has invested in recruiting, mentoring, and supporting its faculty and staff, hiring eleven new faculty members and four staff members and appointing three new executives-in-residence. Her collaborative approach recognizes the expertise of faculty and staff and their shared role in shaping the college’s next chapter.

Her leadership has opened new opportunities for students and strengthened the college’s external relationships. She helped to secure a corporate grant to build a business technology lab, oversaw the launch of the Yardi Scholars Program and several degree programs, and welcomed five new members to the Dean’s Advisory Board. In collaboration with faculty and staff, she has expanded academic and co-curricular programs for students, promoted an engaged and intellectual college culture, and made significant improvements to the physical space in Harriman Hall to enhance the student experience.

As associate dean of research, she led the effort to revise the college’s promotion and tenure guidelines and expanded support for early-career faculty. As president of the International Association for Conflict Management (IACM), the leading international scholarly association devoted to the interdisciplinary study of negotiation and conflict management, she brought an inclusive vision to the organization, broadening its international focus, growing its worldwide membership, and spearheading scholarship programs for doctoral students and junior faculty.

An internationally recognized scholar, Julia studies gender and negotiation, gender gaps in organizations, and work-life management. She has published in leading management and psychology journals, including Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, and Psychological Science. She is coauthor of The Caregiving Ambition: What It Is and Why It Matters at Home and Work, published by Oxford University Press. She is the recipient of multiple best paper awards from the Academy of Management and IACM, a Fulbright Fellowship, a Marie Curie Fellowship, and the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Service. She received her Ph.D. in organizational behavior from the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University.

I thank the search committee, co-chaired by Rich Beatty, senior associate provost for enrollment management, and Celia Marshik, senior vice provost and dean of the Graduate School, for their thoughtful work throughout the search. I am also grateful to the faculty, staff, and members of the campus community who participated and shared their perspectives on the candidates.

I am excited to see what Julia and the college community will achieve together as that momentum builds.

Please join me in congratulating Julia on her appointment and supporting her continued leadership of the College of Business.

Sincerely,

Carl

Carl W. Lejuez

Executive Vice President and Provost