Leavey School of Business Dean Ed Grier stands in front of Lucas Hall. Grier will step down as dean at the end of 2025. Courtesy photo
Ed Grier, the former Disney executive who helped revitalize Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business, will step down as dean at the end of 2025 after four years at the helm. Grier will remain in an advisory role through June 2026 as the university launches a search for his successor.
Grier’s deanship marked a period of strategic renewal and growth for Leavey, including the launch of new programs, enhanced online offerings, and deeper connections to Silicon Valley’s business community. He is credited with sharpening the school’s industry alignment, modernizing curricula, and elevating Leavey’s national profile.
“Looking back, it’s been one of the great joys and most meaningful chapters of my career to help shape the future of business alongside the brilliant students, passionate faculty, dedicated staff, and vibrant community at the Leavey School of Business,” Grier says in a statement. “Together, we’ve strengthened the school, embraced change, and laid the groundwork for continued impact. I leave with deep pride in all we’ve accomplished — and full confidence that the best is yet to come.”
RANKINGS, PROGRAMS & SILICON VALLEY STRATEGY
Among Grier’s most notable achievements was the development of Leavey PLUS, a strategic framework centered on “Partnerships, Leadership, Unity, and Sustainability.” The plan reoriented the school’s mission toward long-term, systemic impact on both the local and global business landscape.
Grier also led the expansion of academic offerings to reflect changing industry demands. Under his leadership, Leavey launched a hybrid-format Executive MBA and introduced a Master of Science in Sports Business, co-developed with executives from Bay Area sports franchises. At the same time, Grier oversaw the strengthening of Leavey’s online portfolio, including a partnership with Santa Clara Online to deliver the M.S. in Marketing program.
Under Grier’s leadership, the Leavey School saw rankings success: Most recently, its Evening MBA program reached No. 19 in U.S. News & World Report’s 2025 part-time MBA ranking, its first top-20 appearance in five years.
CELEBRATING 100 YEARS — AND A NYSE MOMENT
In July 2023, Grier joined faculty, alumni, and trustees to ring the New York Stock Exchange closing bell, commemorating Leavey’s centennial year. The moment symbolized both a celebration of the school’s history and its ambitions for the future.
Prior to joining academia, Grier spent 29 years at The Walt Disney Company, culminating in his role as president of the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, where he led 20,000 employees and oversaw a $2 billion business unit. That corporate experience — spanning operations, leadership, and global management — shaped his pragmatic and strategic approach to business education.
“Dean Grier has been a dynamic and approachable leader for the students, faculty, and staff of LSB for the past four years,” says James M. Glaser, provost and executive vice president at Santa Clara. “The university owes him a deep debt of gratitude for his stewardship and care of our esteemed school of business.”
A VISION ROOTED IN PURPOSE
In 2022, as part of Poets&Quants’ annual Deans’ New Year’s Resolutions feature, Grier outlined the philosophy that would guide his leadership at Leavey. As the school looked ahead to its centennial year 2023 and beyond, he emphasized a vision grounded in long-term societal contribution:
“Qualities that make up a great business leader are not the same as they were five or 10 years ago,” Grier wrote. “Leaders today need to embrace responsible governance and corporate innovation from every level. In 2023, we are resolving to double down on our efforts to teach students how to be leaders who desire to benefit the greater good of their company, their employees, and the ever-changing societal challenges.
“Part of embracing the role of a caring and responsible leader is the need to understand and embrace the challenge of sustainability. Climate change is an ever-growing threat that businesses across industries must work together to overcome, and we expect our students to graduate into leaders who will motivate these changes.
“However, business schools cannot accomplish all this alone. In 2023, Leavey will continue to identify and foster key partnerships with local, national, and international organizations to understand the needs of the industry and prepare students for their post-business school careers. We resolve to work together with our partners to synthesize ideas, programs, and research to inspire our graduates with the Jesuit values of Santa Clara University and stand apart as business leaders.
“In 2023, Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business will be celebrating its centennial anniversary. I am privileged to be leading the school into its next century and am embracing this task with a full heart. We have created an initiative called Leavey PLUS that will incorporate all the school’s resolutions and will be launching in 2023. Stay tuned …”
The university announced that details about the search for Leavey’s next dean will be shared in the coming weeks.
DON’T MISS SANTA CLARA LEAVEY — THE OTHER B-SCHOOL IN THE HEART OF SILICON VALLEY and TURNING 100, SANTA CLARA’S LEAVEY SCHOOL LOOKS TO THE FUTURE
