Davis College of Business Associate Dean Sepehri Named Business Dean at University of DC

Dr. Mohammad Sepehri, also known as ‘Dr. Mo,’ will be leaving Jacksonville University’s Davis College of Business at the end of July to become the new Dean of the School of Business and Public Administration (SBPA) at the University of the District of Columbia in Washington DC.

Sepehri came to JU in 1989 as an Assistant Professor of Management & International Business, served as division chair twice, along with recently serving as the Associate Dean & Director of the Graduate Business Programs since 2009. Sepehri’s 26 years of service does not go unnoticed, as the Davis College of Business (DCOB) has transformed throughout his years at JU. Most significantly, Sepheri played a roll as the college earned accreditation and reaccreditation with the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) in 2009 and 2014 respectively.

“It says a lot that our leadership is being recruited for deanships in major markets like Washington DC. We are proud of Mo and wish him every success,” said Dr. Don Capener, Dean of the DCOB.

Since becoming Associate Dean, the graduate school of business has expanded with the inaugural class of the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) degree beginning in 2014, along with the addition of the Accelerated 1-year Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Master of Science in Organizational Leadership (MSOL) programs since he became Associate Dean.

Sepehri made a significant impact on the evolution of the Executive MBA (EMBA) program at JU, which recently celebrated its’ thirty-year anniversary. His leadership in the promotion of the EMBA program has allowed it to become a staple of the graduate school in the DCOB. Additionally, Sepheri initiated the inclusion of the annual international trip abroad for the EMBA program. His passion of international business resonated through his students as annually the EMBA cohort would attend workshops, seminars and visit major corporations in foreign countries. Most recently, Sepheri led the trip to Peru in July, and had led trips to countries in all significant areas of the world in business.

Furthermore, Sepheri served on numerous JU faculty committees, including University Curriculum, Planning and Budget, Study Abroad and International Education. Sepehri will be remembered for his calm demeanor and sense of humor, along with his ability to be a person of high integrity and personal ethics. Colleagues in the DCOB echo the sentiments of him being a leader who was selfless in his actions without seeking recognition.

Dr. Sepehri will now take his experiences to the University of the District of Columbia (UDC), where he is planning on taking his experience and leadership to achieve AACSB accreditation for the school of Business at UDC. In an address in the UDC newsletter, Sepheri wrote, “I plan for the SBPA to support students by offering creative and innovative curriculum programs, including opportunities both inside and outside of the classroom.”