Get to Know Stanford GSB Dean Sarah A. Soule

Sarah A. Soule, the Morgridge Professor of Organizational Behavior, became the Philip H. Knight Professor and Dean of Stanford Graduate School of Business on June 16, 2025. She succeeds Jonathan Levin, who assumed the role of president of Stanford University in August 2024, and follows Peter DeMarzo, who served as interim dean during the 2024–2025 academic year.

Dean Soule has been a member of Stanford GSB faculty since 2008 and served as the school’s senior associate dean for academic affairs from 2016 to 2023. Her major areas of teaching and research are organizational theory, social movements, and political sociology. Since September 2023, she has been the Sara Miller McCune Director of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford.

What motivated you to take on the role of dean for Stanford GSB, and what excites you about leading the GSB at this moment?

The GSB is in the business of transformation. We take good leaders and make them great by exposing them to rigorous, cutting-edge research, evidence, and frameworks, with a focus on helping our students translate this knowledge into actionable insights. We also believe in cultivating leaders who are guided by principles and purpose.

It’s humbling to reflect on what our graduates have accomplished in the world, and gratifying to know that the GSB contributed to their impact. Principled and purposeful leadership as well as translational research are more relevant than ever in today’s world, and I am optimistic about the role the GSB will continue to play in shaping a future of which we will all be proud. I’m excited about continuing the GSB’s legacy and honored to have been asked to help carry it forward.

When and why did you decide to become an academic?

Curiosity has always been a strong driver for me. I was a very serious undergraduate, so much so that I attended summer school classes just because I was interested in many disciplines — including philosophy, religion, English, calculus, biology, and Japanese. You name it, I wanted to study it. I found myself drawn to the social sciences because I am a keen observer of humans and the human condition.

After dabbling in psychology and economics, I came to view sociology as a midpoint between these two disciplines. Additionally, I found sociology to be the field that most closely aligns with my desire to promote positive social change. During my junior year, I began to realize that I not only loved learning but also enjoyed research. My college mentors encouraged me to apply straight from undergraduate to a PhD program. I ultimately chose Cornell so I could pursue my passion for research.

As a researcher and professor of organizational behavior, you have studied and taught about leadership. How will that inform your approach to leading the GSB?

To me, leadership is about motivating and inspiring a group of individuals to achieve a shared goal. That takes vision, resilience, and courage, especially when headwinds seem particularly strong. It’s about creating trust and collaboration so the best answers emerge. It’s about removing roadblocks and obstacles so that people can share their gifts and talents with others. Connection is a critical component of this. The best leaders are not those who stand above others, but those who stand with them — leaders who listen, engage, and bring people together. No one gets this right 100% of the time, but this is the kind of leader I aspire to be.

What can you tell us about your research and how it applies to business education?

At the highest level, my research has always looked at two broad questions: How do social movements impact organizations (e.g., corporations, universities), and how might we apply organizational theories to better understand movement dynamics and processes? As to the first question, organizations need to be aware of and attend to their stakeholders’ demands. I have been interested in employees’ and consumers’ demands on businesses, and how businesses best manage those demands. As to the second question, I have been interested in understanding the ways in which and to what extent the dynamics of social movements and political organizations follow the same patterns as other organizations, both for-profit and nonprofit. So, in a nutshell, my research is fundamentally about organizational dynamics and processes.

With the GSB marking its Centennial this year, what does that mean to you?

The start of my deanship during the Centennial is profoundly humbling. It has given me a chance to read about past deans’ accomplishments, philosophies, and leadership styles, and I know that I stand on the shoulders of giants. To be trusted with leading this incredible institution at any time would be an honor, but to do so at this historic moment is somehow even more epic. It is an opportunity to reflect on where we have been and to honor those roots, while also tending and fertilizing the GSB for the next 100 years.

This is both a tremendous opportunity and a heavy responsibility. It provides us with a space to reflect on excellence and community, two values that I believe have defined the GSB for the past 100 years. And, it provides an opportunity to engage alumni whose connections to the GSB may have faded over time for whatever reason, while also igniting student interest in what has made this institution so remarkable, and inspiring them to see that their own legacies will be tied to that of the GSB. I am honored to have been asked to lead this effort.