LaVonn Schlegel, executive director of the IIB, aims to establish the IU Kelley School of Business as a leader in the successful globalization of American businesses from government, academic, and business perspectives with an emphasis on entrepreneurship, social enterprise, and bottom-of-pyramid efforts. She manages a portfolio of projects worldwide that include partnerships with USAID, US Department of State, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, Yangon University of Economics, Bethlehem University, US Department of Education, World Federation of Direct Selling Associations, Hewlett-Packard, Gap Inc., and Coca-Cola Corporation. She also oversees IIB’s Center for International and Business Education Research (CIBER), which has been funded since 1992 by the US Department of Education to provide connections to global market resources, support professional development programs on international business issues, strengthen students’ understanding of business in a global context, and promote the study of world languages.
LaVonn joined the Kelley School of Business in 2007, bringing to Kelley organizational leadership experience ranging from entrepreneurial start-up to multinational corporate environments, and a significant set of organizational management, business partnership, personnel development, research evaluation, and program innovation skills. Early in her career, she developed and launched Hallmark Cards’ first successful foray into the Hispanic market and its first strategic creative manufacturing partnership. As senior marketing manager and then acting director for Sprint’s Medium Business unit, she was responsible for the billion-dollar mid-market business group, where she developed innovative programs to enhance connections with the business community. From 1997 to 2007, she served as president/CEO of an independent strategic management and marketing consulting group that provided services for international and national clients in the utility, entertainment, high tech, services, import/export, hardware, and health care industries. She received her MBA from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business.