Gareth James will serve as the next dean of the UCLA Anderson School of Management, UCLA announced Jan. 12.

James, who has served as the John H. Harland Dean of Goizueta Business School at Emory University since 2022, will begin his new role July 1. He will replace Margaret Shih, the school’s interim dean since July, following the departure of Antonio Bernardo – who was the school’s former dean for six years – in June.

During James’ tenure at Emory, he hired 22 new faculty members and increased enrollment, according to a UCLA press release. Prior to joining the school, James was a member of the data sciences and operations team at USC’s Marshall School of Business, where he also served in senior leadership roles, such as interim and deputy dean.

“I have admired UCLA Anderson for almost three decades and am honored and energized to join the school as its next dean,” James said in a UCLA press release. “It is a time of extraordinary opportunity for UCLA Anderson and business education more broadly. With its deep roots in Los Angeles, a truly global city where technology, entertainment, entrepreneurship and social impact converge at extraordinary scale, UCLA Anderson is uniquely positioned to shape the future of leadership.”

James declined to comment on his new appointment.

James, a statistician from New Zealand, is also a co-author of “An Introduction to Statistical Learning,” a foundational textbook in statistics, and conducts research within the statistical and machine learning realms. His research has been cited more than 40,000 times.

Akram Almohalwas, a continuing lecturer in the department of statistics and data science, said in an emailed statement that James’s textbook is a core primary source in his Statistics 101C class. He added in an interview that though the original textbook was designed with R programming language in mind, James adapted it into Python 10 years later, which he said demonstrates James’ understanding and ability to adjust to the current business landscape.

“I haven’t met him in person, but I have seen how organized he is when it comes to his books and how detail-oriented as a person he is, based on what I see from his work, which is very crucial when you have a position like what he has right now,” Almohalwas, who has taught at UCLA for over 16 years, said. “You need to pay attention to a lot of general things and little details to take care of everybody. Basically, I think he’s the right man for the right position.”

Mark Handcock, a distinguished professor who has taught in the department of statistics and data science for 15 years, said that the department’s applications of James’ textbook in classes and research shows their alignment with his view of statistics. He added that James’ work connects business and statistics.

“He is a classically trained statistician who has taken on the id of business,” he said. “What I admire about him is he sees that as a two-way street, where he both sees the application of statistical ideas to business which is reasonably common. But less common and just as importantly is that he’s able to look at business problems and develop new statistical methods to address those questions.”

Qing Zhou, the chair of the department of statistics and data science who has worked at UCLA for 20 years, said James’ background in statistics and time as a prolific researcher are unique advantages which will make him successful as a leader at the business school. Handcock, who said his first job out of school was at a business school, agreed.

“The world we live in is a data driven world,” Handcock said. “What Gareth is, is a scientist whose field is the study of data – understanding data and its implications. And so as the business world itself is based on data, he’s a perfect person to guide that because he has expertise in analysis or comprehension of data and all its implications, like AI. He’ll do a great job in ensuring that those ideas are embedded within the business school’s frame.”

Zhou said James came to give a talk at UCLA during James’ tenure at USC in 2008 and met Zhou for dinner. He added that he hopes James will collaborate with the statistics department in future hiring, interdisciplinary workshops and a joint program focused on AI.

Guang Cheng, a professor in the department of statistics and data science and graduate vice chair, said he thinks the statistics and data science department and School of Management have similar cultures, and there is great opportunity for collaboration between them. He added that he would like to invite James to faculty meetings.

“Statistics is a highly interdisciplinary field, so you cannot just close your office door and do excellent research, you need to talk with the people,” Cheng said. “This requires strong communication and strong leadership … In the past, there was not much connection between the statistics department here and also business school, so we look forward to that. I think he’s in a perfect position to build a bridge.”

Cheng added that he believes the School of Management has not placed enough emphasis on the future of AI, and hopes that James will collaborate with the statistics and data science department to implement that.

Darnell Hunt, executive vice chancellor and provost, said in a message to UCLA faculty that James was chosen by a search committee of 11 UCLA faculty members, including Michael Waterstone, dean of the UCLA School of Law.

Some members of the search committee did not respond in time for a request to comment. Three members of the search committee – Charles Corbett, Henry Friedman and Jana Gallus declined to comment on James’ appointment.

“Dean James’ distinguished academic and administrative leadership, coupled with his Los Angeles roots, position him well to lead the UCLA Anderson School of Management at this pivotal moment,” Hunt said in the message to faculty. “Chancellor Frenk and I are confident that the school will continue to fulfill its vital role on campus and will reach new heights under Gareth’s capable leadership.”

Almohalwas said he hopes James uplifts the faculty around him through direct communication. He added that during his time at UCLA, the deans he has found to be most successful are the ones who find the time to hold one-on-one meetings with faculty.

“Once the dean is new, I think it’s a good idea to hear from everyone, devote some time to get feedback or input,” he said. “As a statistician, I think this is how he’s gonna do it, because more data, you’ll have more informed decisions and better decisions.”