VCU news

By Mike Porter

Naomi E. Boyd, Ph.D., has been named dean of the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Business, effective July 1. Boyd currently serves as associate dean for innovation, outreach and engagement and as chair, professor and the Fred T. Tattersall Chair of Finance in the John Chambers College of Business and Economics Department of Finance at West Virginia University.

“I am thrilled to welcome Dr. Naomi Boyd to VCU. Dr. Boyd is a proven leader and a visionary with a strong commitment to academic excellence, transdisciplinary innovation and student-focused, experiential learning,” said Fotis Sotiropoulos, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. “Her background, which spans academia, government, and industry, coupled with her impressive record of success in transforming student learning and supporting faculty to excel make her the right person at the right time for VCU and the School of Business.”

Boyd’s research background has focused on structural shifts and innovation in capital markets. She serves as the associate editor of Financial Statistics, as well as on the review board of the American Journal of Business and the editorial advisory boards of the Journal of Financial Regulation and Compliance and the journal Managerial Finance. She previously served for eight years as a financial analyst and consultant to the Office of the Chief Economist at the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission in Washington.

At West Virginia University, Boyd developed the Center for Financial Literacy and Education, which houses programs in wealth management, banking and insurance; creates research opportunities for faculty; and supports community outreach. She also created the West Virginia University Student-Managed Investment Fund, which operates as an investment management firm and provides students with real experience as analysts and portfolio managers.

“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to engage with the community of Richmond to empower the School of Business to take VCU’s explicit commitment of creativity and harness it to produce the next generation of business leaders who are good corporate citizens, well versed in emerging technologies, with strong entrepreneurial roots,” Boyd said. “Coming to VCU allows me to work with a brilliant team of faculty, staff, and students who are ready to create and broaden innovative programs and research to become leaders in the global marketplace.”  

Boyd received a bachelor’s degree in fine arts in dance from the University of Texas at Austin, a master’s in business administration in finance from Texas Tech University and a doctorate in finance and quantitative methods from George Washington University. 

S. Douglas Pugh, Ph.D., has served as interim dean of the VCU School of Business since July 1, 2021, and will continue to do so until Boyd arrives.