By Ellen Paddock / Copy Editor
Lerong He, Ph.D., has been promoted to Associate Dean of the School of Business and Management.
Her interest in the field of business is a continuation of a family tradition inspired by both her grandparents and her mother, who were small business owners and entrepreneurs back home in China.
After completing her undergraduate at Peking University in China, she came to the U.S. in 1998 to earn a master’s degree in human resource management from the University of Minnesota, and then a doctorate from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. She worked at both Westchester University and Niagara University before coming to Brockport in 2008.
“Since I was 17, I have always been studying business,” Lerong said. “It is a lifelong learning process.”
Daniel Goebel, Ph.D., dean of the school of business and management, said he looks forward to working with Lerong on the various plans they have for the school.
“Lerong has a wealth of expertise here at SUNY Brockport. She knows the campus well and she knows the SUNY system well. That experience will be a tremendous help as we navigate the situation before us,” Goebel said.
According to Lerong, she will work with both students and faculty as the associate dean. Some of her responsibilities include cost scheduling, communicating with students, and faculty coaching. Additionally, she promotes the program to prospective students through various marketing strategies. Her mission is to make Brockport a great place to learn and work.
“All the hard work is worthwhile if it generates a real impact on faculty and students,” she said.
Lerong has filled many roles in the business department.
“As a professor, I was a distributor of business knowledge. As a scholar, I create business knowledge. As an administrator, I apply business knowledge,” she said.
Before becoming a professor, she was an assistant professor and later an associate professor. She served as the chair of the department of business administration for five years and has been the interim associate dean for two years. Lerong will not officially become the Associate Dean until the summer.
Goebel said he can’t imagine a better selection for the position.
“Lerong has a service-first mentality and a selfless attitude. That is important in any leadership role but especially so in an institution of higher learning,” Goebel said.
Lerong offers this advice to students – “To succeed in the field of business there are three things: work hard and smart, always be unafraid of change, and be innovative.”
