Shenandoah Hires New Dean for Harry F. Byrd, Jr. School of Business

Astrid Sheil, Ph.D, will join Shenandoah University as the new dean of the Harry F. Byrd, Jr. School of Business on July 1, 2019.

Sheil will be the sixth dean of the business school and the first woman to serve in the role.

Currently the Dean’s Fellow for Program Outreach and Promotion and a tenured professor of communication and business at California State University San Bernardino, Dr. Sheil brings more than 25 years of business and academic experience to the position of dean.

A native of Washington, D.C., Sheil completed her undergraduate studies in foreign service at Georgetown University and her masters and doctorate in organizational communication at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. She believes the Harry F. Byrd, Jr. School of Business is strategically positioned to be a hub of lifelong learning for students, alumni and the community.

I am joining Shenandoah University at a very exciting and pivotal time. My vision for the Byrd School of Business is as a place where traditional modes of learning and nontraditional experimentation and collaborative development work together seamlessly for the benefit of all.”

Astrid Sheil, Ph.D

Sheil’s background includes working internationally as the chief spokesperson and director of global communication for a multinational corporation in Helsinki, Finland; 10 years of full-time teaching as a tenured professor at California State University San Bernardino (CSUSB); two years as chairwoman of the accounting and finance department in CSUSB’s Brown College of Business and Public Administration; a year as an American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow (2015–16); and a year as interim director of development for the Brown College. In addition, she recently completed a four-month sabbatical at the International Executive Development Center (IEDC) Bled School of Management in Slovenia working on her upcoming book on strategic business communication.

Sheil is the coauthor of “Dynamic Public Relations: the 24/7 PR Cycle” and has published research articles on capital appreciation bonds, tobacco settlement bonds, whole brain technology, social media, and strategies to reach immigrant communities about opportunities in higher education.

We are delighted to have Dr. Sheil join Shenandoah University and the Byrd School of Business. Dr. Sheil brings a strong academic background as well as broad industry experience, both in the U.S. and abroad, in strategic communication, public relations, project management and human resources. She is also renowned as an outstanding teacher and a terrific communicator. Dr. Sheil’s skills, experience and energy are a terrific fit for SU, and I am confident that she will position the BSB to be a leader in business education.”

Provost Adrienne Bloss, Ph.D.