New Associate Dean Joins the School of Business

Dr. Karen Russo Donovan will join the Palumbo-Donahue School of Business on July 1 as associate dean of graduate programs and executive education. Additionally, she will serve as an associate professor of marketing.

Donovan comes to Duquesne from West Virginia University (WVU), where she most recently served as associate dean of academic affairs in the College of Business and Economics. In her 21 years at WVU, she has been interim chair of the accounting department, chair of the marketing department, and associate and assistant professor of marketing.

“We are ecstatic to have Dr. Donovan join us,” said Dr. Dean McFarlin, dean of the business school. “She is familiar with the Pittsburgh business community and brings to the Palumbo-Donahue School of Business a wealth of administrative, marketing and teaching experiences that will serve our graduate and executive education programs well.”

Donovan is excited about joining Duquesne and contributing to the positive momentum the University and business school are experiencing. “As one of the nation’s leading Catholic universities, the values espoused by Duquesne University closely match my own—academic distinction, moral and ethical development, and service to the greater community,” she said. “I am thrilled to be a part of such a wonderful tradition of excellence.”

Donovan earned both her MBA and her Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh, and holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Carlow College. Melding her interests in health and marketing, she has focused her research primarily in the area of public policy and marketing, addressing issues of health literacy, including cross-cultural perceptions of health, food, labeling and nutrition. Donovan’s research has been presented before the Food and Drug Administration, the Grocery Manufacturer’s Association and the International Food Information Council. She also has experience in the areas of intellectual property and the delivery of graduate education, among others.

Active in the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), Donovan has served as a member of its Associate Deans Steering Committee and the Women Administrators in Management Education group. She co-chaired the AACSB Reaccreditation Committee at WVU.

She served as a co-chair for the Marketing and Public Policy Conference for the American Marketing Association, and as both session and track chairs for the Summer Educators Conferences. She is also an ad hoc reviewer for many journals.