As of Jan. 1, Lerzan Aksoy, Ph.D., was appointed as the dean of the Gabelli School of Business. The decision was announced via an email to the Fordham community on Dec. 19. Serving as the interim dean since July 1, 2022, Aksoy is looking forward to continuously elevating the Gabelli School of Business.

Starting her academic career as a professor at Koç University, Aksoy has been at Fordham since 2008, when she joined the marketing faculty. She is the managing director of the Responsible Business Coalition and the former associate dean for undergraduate studies and strategic initiatives.

Aksoy is a recipient of the American Marketing Association’s Christopher Lovelock Career Contributions to the Services Discipline Award, a New York Times bestselling author and has published over 70 journal articles. Aksoy currently sits on the Academic Council of the American Marketing Association (AMA) and will serve as president of the Academic Council beginning in 2024.

Aksoy received a Ph.D. in marketing from the Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill; an M.B.A. from George Mason University; and a B.S. in business administration from Hacettepe University.

During her time as dean, Aksoy plans on increasing Gabelli’s national and global visibility as well as building an innovative portfolio of degree and non-degree programs.

“School awareness is correlated with school reputation. My goal is for the Gabelli School of Business to be recognized as the premier Jesuit business school in the world. I sincerely believe that we are already that. Now, we need the world to know,” said Aksoy.

Aksoy is looking forward to accomplishing these goals, as shown by her unrelenting faith in the Gabelli School of Business. “I recognize that I am biased, but I sincerely believe that the Gabelli School of Business is the best business school in the world,” said Aksoy. “We have a wonderful story to tell—strong programs, outstanding faculty, thought-leading research, a commitment to student successand a unique purpose of providing our wonderful students with the knowledge and skills needed to create meaningful and lasting positive change.”

Aksoy’s demonstrated commitment to the globalization of the Gabelli School of Business — through partnerships, reputation and a diverse student body — stems from her background. Originally from Turkey, then moving to Chile, Mexico, Jordan and Pakistan, Aksoy lived much of her childhood as a “global nomad,” as her father was a Turkish diplomat.

She recalls childhood stories and memories across the world, such as her first word being “agua,” and trying Japanese rice balls and seaweed for the first time at her international school in Jordan. It was this multicultural upbringing, especially at an international school in Jordan, that Aksoy learned the importance of diversity and global perspectives.

“Growing up in different countries, making friends from around the world and being a Turkish woman from a predominantly Muslim country made me passionate about seeing the divine in all peoples and cultures and in every human experience long before I knew how to articulate it. It also crystalized for me the inequalities that exacerbate human suffering and the importance of access to education,” said Aksoy.

Aksoy was influenced professionally and personally for the role. “Our ultimate goal is the development of an abundance of leaders who come from diverse backgrounds but possess the same overriding desire to use their positions of power to create positive change in our world because of the transformative experience they had at […] the Gabelli School of Business,” said Aksoy.