As dean of the University of Colorado Denver Business School from 2000-2015, Sueann Ambron led the school through an era of unprecedented growth in size, stature and program breadth. The Business School’s achievements and vision have been enhanced by Dr. Ambron’s experience as an educator, executive, entrepreneur, technological innovator and community connector.
Under Dr. Ambron’s leadership, the Business School worked with industry leaders to develop and enhance programs in fields including global energy management, commodities, risk management and health administration. By sparking increased executive engagement, Dr. Ambron helped embed the school within the fabric of the Rocky Mountain West business community-enabling Business School students to better gain industry experience before they graduate, and jobs in future-focused fields after graduation. Dr. Ambron’s decade-long effort to secure state-of-the-art space for the Business School culminated with the 2012 opening of a six-story building in Downtown Denver that expands the school’s ability to accommodate growth (the school already is the nation’s 9th largest graduate business school) and program innovation. Fueling this growth was Dr. Ambron’s success at inspiring donor support for the school, setting new fundraising benchmarks not only for the Business School but also for CU Denver as a whole.
Dr. Ambron’s Business School tenure built on her experiences as a technology executive, and before that as a Stanford University faculty member. In the 1980s, Dr. Ambron founded Apple Computer’s Multimedia Lab, which developed the first motion-picture and music prototypes integrating digital media, inspiring Wired magazine to call her the “Mother of Multimedia.” At Paramount and Viacom in the early 1990s, she led the entertainment industry’s explosion onto the Internet, with pioneering work for such brands as Star Trek and MTV. Dr. Ambron subsequently founded an Internet company that enabled IT professionals to dramatically improve customer service.
Beyond the CU Denver Business School, Dr. Ambron has played a key role in accrediting top business schools around the world and has served on boards focused on economic development and global education. She received her doctorate in education from Teachers College, Columbia University, Masters from Michigan State, and Bachelors from the University of Maryland.
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