Neville Vakharia, PhD, Appointed Dean of the Pennoni Honors College
This announcement was sent to students, faculty and staff by the Provost on July 18, 2024.
Dear Students and Colleagues,
Following a national search, I am pleased to announce that Neville Vakharia, PhD, has been appointed Dean of the Pennoni Honors College, effective September 1, 2024.
Dr. Vakharia is currently associate dean of research and planning and an associate professor of arts administration & museum leadership in the Westphal College of Media Arts & Design. A proud “triple Dragon,” he earned his PhD in information science, MS in arts administration and BS in materials engineering from Drexel University. His areas of teaching and expertise, which span strategic planning, social impact, entrepreneurship, information technology and more, align with the College’s role as an intellectual incubator for students and faculty interested in interdisciplinary teaching and learning.
Dr. Vakharia began his career as an engineer and global product manager at W. L. Gore & Associates, where he invented two internationally patented GORE-TEX products. After a decade in engineering and product development, he pivoted to Philadelphia’s arts and nonprofit sector, strengthening the strategic planning, financial and technological capabilities of arts and culture organizations with leadership roles at the Prince Music Theater, the Arts + Business Council for Greater Philadelphia and The Pew Charitable Trusts. Following an adjunct faculty appointment at Drexel from 2002-2005, he returned to his alma mater full-time as assistant professor and research director of arts administration in 2012. As associate dean of research and planning since 2021, he has led the College’s efforts to bolster its research enterprise while also leading the development and implementation of its five-year strategic plan.
Dr. Vakharia’s research agenda seeks to understand the role of data-informed decisions, information technology, and systems-based approaches in building resiliency, relevance, and vibrancy in the creative and nonprofit sectors. For this work, he has received funding from the Mellon Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and most recently, a $742k collaborative grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services for his project “Sustainable Earned Revenue Strategies for Community-Based Cultural Institutions.” An advisor to several creative, startup, and social enterprises, he also serves on the board of directors of Social Impact Commons and the editorial board of Artivate: A Journal of Entrepreneurship in the Arts, having recently concluded an eight-year term on the Philadelphia Cultural Fund’s board of directors.
As dean, Dr. Vakharia will seek to build on and maintain the vibrant intellectual community of Pennoni Honors College while elevating the College’s reputation and visibility regionally, nationally and globally. My sincere thanks to Vice Provost Ros Remer and Vice Provost Steve Weber for leading the search, as well as the entire search committee for their efforts. I would also like to acknowledge Dean Cohen as she steps down following a decade of leadership of the College, to return to the faculty in the Department of English & Philosophy.
Please join me in congratulating and welcoming Neville to his new role!
Sincerely,
Paul E. Jensen, PhD
Executive Vice President
Nina Henderson Provost