New dean named for Hofstra's Zarb School of Business

Janet A. Lenaghan was appointed dean of Hofstra University's Zarb School of Business on Monday. Credit: Hofstra University/Jonathan Heisler
Janet A. Lenaghan has been appointed dean of Hofstra University's Zarb School of Business. She is the first woman in Zarb’s 50-year history to hold that title, the university said on Monday.
Hofstra said the selection was made following a national search by a committee that included trustees, faculty and administrators.
Lenaghan assumes her new role immediately, replacing Herman A. Berliner, who has returned to the provost's office at Hofstra. She had been the university's professor of management and entrepreneurship, and the acting dean of the business school.
“Dean Lenaghan is an exceptional scholar, an experienced administrator and a natural leader, with the tenacity and the dynamism to lead Zarb into a new era of excellence,” said Hofstra President Stuart Rabinowitz in a statement. “She has the ability to lead faculty, connect alumni, forge new partnerships with businesses and relate to student needs."
Lenaghan, 52, had served as vice dean of the Zarb School since 2016 and was recently appointed acting dean. During that time, the school moved into a new 52,000-square-foot building designed to enhance student learning through innovative hands-on facilities and dedicated student collaborative spaces.
"The hands-on experience is key," Lenaghan said. "We have a student investment fund where they're investing real money. Student advisers are making recommendations. That's the way to learn. To apply it to real-life experiences."
Lenaghan added, "We are also proud that a large percentage of our students have multiple internships."
Lenaghan has taught a variety of courses in the undergraduate, graduate, online and executive programs. An alum of the Zarb School, where she earned an MBA, she also has degrees from Pace and Adelphi universities.
She serves on the board of the Long Island Software and Technology Network, or LISTnet.