Doubling Down on Innovation

As dean of the Cameron School of Business at the University of St. Thomas, Dr. Beena George approaches her work with the finesse of a businesswoman, with an eye toward improvement and organizational efficiency, and always with the customer in mind.

Her focus on building relationships in the Houston community and her creativity in tailoring business school programs to better meet the needs of students and the Houston community led to new programs like the Master in Clinical Translation Management — a graduate program in the commercialization of biotech — and collaborations with incubators and accelerators for business students, such as TMCx, Texas Medical Center institutions, JLABS and Station Houston.

Dr. George will apply her business acumen in a new role as UST chief innovation officer in July, cementing the University’s dedication to creating a culture of innovation.

“To me, ultimately, it means creating better solutions to meet new or currently unmet needs of our current and future students as well as our alumni,” Dr. George said.

Dr. George joined the faculty of the Cameron Business School in 2003, teaching management information systems. Her innovative approach to teaching a course on sourcing management earned the distinction of excellence in the 2004 AIS Award for Innovation in Information Systems Education. She became dean of the Cameron School of Business in 2013.

As a liberal arts university, UST’s focus is learner-centered innovation, ensuring students are prepared to meet tomorrow’s challenges.

“UST will approach this common cause in our own unique way, with a focus on the human person even as we pursue innovation,” Dr. George said.