Ash Soni has served the Kelley School in numerous roles since arriving in 1981.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Ash Soni, executive associate dean for academic programs at the Indiana University Kelley School of Business, has been named interim dean of the school starting Aug. 1.
Soni joined the school in 1981. He is a professor of operations and decision technologies and the school’s SungKyunKwan Professor, with expertise in enterprise systems and applications, emerging technologies, operations research and business analytics, supply chain management, and computer simulation.
“Ash has served as a prominent, effective leader at the Kelley School for more than 40 years,” IU Bloomington Provost and Executive Vice President Rahul Shrivastav said. “His history of helping guide the school through many transitions and changes qualifies him well for the interim dean role. I truly appreciate Ash stepping up as we prepare for a thorough national search to try to replace the quite irreplaceable Idie Kesner.”
Idalene “Idie” Kesner announced in early April that she will step down as Kelley dean, effective July 31, and return to teaching. Kesner was the first woman to serve as the school’s dean and earned her MBA and doctoral degrees at Kelley.
“I am thrilled to help lead the Kelley School during this transition,” Soni said. “I appreciate how committed our university leaders are to the school’s continued success, and I look forward to continuing the incredible progress we have made under Dean Kesner’s tutelage.”
Ash Soni
Soni earned his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Manchester, his Master of Science from the University of Strathclyde, and his MBA and Doctorate in Business Administration from Indiana University Bloomington. He has received many awards, honors and certificates, including the John W. Ryan Award for Distinguished Contributions to International Programs and Studies; Kelley Direct Teaching Program Excellence Award, which he won four times; and the MBA Teaching Excellence Award, for which he was honored 10 times.
The Kelley School of Business has been a leader in American business education since 1920, preparing students to lead organizations, start companies, develop new products and services, and shape business knowledge and policy.
With more than 126,000 living alumni and a total enrollment of nearly 14,500 students and 329 faculty members at IU Bloomington, IUPUI and online worldwide, the Kelley School is among the premier business schools in the country.
The school is frequently ranked among the top programs in the U.S. and globally. Its Kelley Direct online MBA and Master of Science programs are ranked No. 1 by U.S. News & World Report and the Princeton Review. U.S. News also rates Kelley undergraduate programs among the best, ranking it eighth overall. Ten specialty programs are in the top 20 of their areas, with eight of those — including accounting, entrepreneurship and marketing — in the top 10.
The Brian D. Jellison Living Learning Center offers Kelley students a diverse community of peers in a residential program that focuses on their personal, academic and professional development. Kelley students can choose from nearly 60 custom study abroad programs in 29 countries.