Drury University names Daniel Bumblauskas new dean of business school

Bumblauskas will succeed Jack Staff, who served as interim dean of Drury’s business school for the first half of 2024. Stack is president and CEO of SRC Holdings Corporation.

Drury University’s new leader for business education has the right mix of academic and industry experience, a top official said.

Following a national search, Daniel Bumblauskas has been named the new dean of the Breech School of Business Administration. He started Monday but will work remotely through part of July as he makes the move to Springfield.

“He has a really diverse background and in an innovative way. He started out in the corporate world and has worked in business and not just had a one-year gig somewhere before he went to graduate school,” said Drury Provost Beth Harville, in an interview. “He has extensive experience.”

Bumblauskas has worked in sales, marketing and management and still works as a consultant.

He earned a master’s degree and doctorate in industrial engineering from Iowa State University, gaining expertise in the supply chain. His master’s degree in general management with an emphasis in operations management is from Harvard University.

“This is someone who can think outside the box who can think about what does curriculum look like and what do experiences look like for students that aren’t just super narrow,” Harville said. “Moving forward, I think breadth is important for students. Our world is changing very quickly.”

Harville notes he has academic and corporate leadership experience and a history of developing strong academic programs and collaborations with business partners.

“The business school should really be at the forefront of both our faculty and our students out in the community, both in for-profit and not-for-profit areas, learning and creating benefit to our community,” she said. “And that is something Dan has experience doing.”

Bumblauskas has worked at colleges in China, Seattle, Dublin and Italy.

He was MBA coordinator at the University of Northern Iowa and the executive director and associate dean of Missouri Western State University.

“I came into the professoriate to impact the development and lives of my students,” he said in a news release. “I have seen the results of this work, and I’m always delighted to see alumni from my courses and programs doing so well both personally and professionally. I can confidently say that I look forward to bringing that energy to support the development of students, faculty, and staff at Drury.”

This is the second leadership announcement made by the new president of Drury, Jeff Frederick, who started June 1. The first was the new dean for the Hammons School of Architecture.

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Drury’s business school was established in 1957 through the financial commitment of alumnus Ernest R. Breech. Its curriculum blends business education with Drury’s liberal arts tradition.

In late 2023, Drury announced that Jack Stack, president and CEO of SRC Holdings Corporation, agreed to serve as the interim dean of the business school. He is nationally known as the author of “The Great Game of Business,” “A Stake in the Outcome” and “Change the Game.”

Stack started Jan. 1 and worked closely with the former dean, Jeff Zimmerman, who will teach and assist with the school’s reaccreditation process for the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

“Jack’s engagement with us has brought new perspectives both for the Breech School and for the university as a whole. He’s helped us think about a new way of looking at some of the models we use at the university, particularly for the business school,” Harville said.

“He has helped our faculty think about the changing needs of the business community as someone who is a highly successful businessperson and is really looking at the challenges that he is currently facing and sees in the future. Providing that information to us is really helpful as we think about the best way to educate students.”