Dr. Thomas J Dean

COLOSTATE-tomd
Professor, Management Academic Department
Tinberg Business for a Better World University Professor
(970) 491-7266
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About

Thomas J. Dean is Tinberg Business for a Better World University Professor at Colorado State University, where he teaches business strategy, entrepreneurship, and sustainable enterprise.   A pioneer in the field of environmental entrepreneurship, he authored the first known environmental entrepreneurship course in 2001, won accolades for his rigorous theoretical examination of environmental entrepreneurship in 2007, and published the first textbook on sustainable venturing in 2013. His research, teaching, and consulting focus on business strategy, entrepreneurship, and economic opportunities present in emerging social and environmental trends.  Professor Dean also led nationally regarded and top-ranked entrepreneurship and sustainable enterprise programs at the University of Tennessee, the University of Colorado, and Colorado State University, including a third place national ranking in social entrepreneurship for CSU’s MBA program.  During his tenure at the University of Colorado, Professor Dean led the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship in his role as Academic Director.  While at the University of Colorado, he founded the Sustainable Venturing Initiative, the Sustainable Opportunities Summit, and the Cleantech Venture Challenge.  At Colorado State University, he helped start and develop the Impact MBA program, which is now in its 17th year and attracts some of the brightest MBA students looking to make a difference through enterprise.  He also co-founded the Sustainability, Ethics, and Entrepreneurship Conference, an international conference focused on research at the intersection of entrepreneurship, sustainability, and ethics.   Professor Dean teaches in CSU’s Impact MBA and Evening/Online MBA Programs and has consulted with numerous companies and start-ups.  He also owns a real estate and nursery business on his family’s third-generation farm in Pennsylvania.  He previously served as Chair of the Entrepreneurship Division of the Academy of Management and received the Dr. Alfred N. and Lynn Manos Page Prize for Sustainability Issues in Business Curricula. He has published over sixty manuscripts including articles in journals such as Science, Academy of Management JournalStrategic Management JournalJournal of Environmental Economics and ManagementJournal of Management, and Journal of Business Venturing.  Professor Dean holds a B.S. degree in Environmental Management from Penn State University, an M.B.A. from Oklahoma State University, and a Ph.D. in Strategic Management from the University of Colorado.