Bernard (Bernie) Banks '08 joins Kellogg to head leadership development

6/6/2016 - Bernard (Bernie) Banks '08 will join Kellogg in August as Associate Dean for Leadership Development. In this role, he will oversee the development of a comprehensive suite of leadership programming for Kellogg students and will teach across our programs.

“One of the key reasons students choose to pursue an MBA is to accelerate their professional leadership development. At Kellogg, we are taking a purposeful approach to how we develop Kellogg leaders and how we create pivotal experiences that are consonant with our culture, ” says Dean Sally Blount ‘92. “We are thrilled that Bernie is joining us to develop and transform those experiences.”

Bernie Banks brings to Kellogg more than 25 years of leadership and management experience in diverse organizations. Currently, he is the Department Head for Behavioral Sciences and Leadership at West Point. He will retire from the U.S. Army in August with the rank of Brigadier General (Brig. Gen.). Banks has taught leadership at many notable academic institutions, and has led courses for numerous organizations including Procter & Gamble, IBM, Best Buy, Mercedes-Benz, WellPoint and Pfizer.

The appointment of Dean Banks builds on Kellogg’s unique business school partnership with the U.S. Army through the Army Fellows program, an initiative that brings 11 top-ranking colonels to study at think tanks and universities every year.

"Kellogg and the U.S. Army both believe in the importance of developing brave leaders who are committed to growing their organizations in a principled manner," says Dean Banks. "My career to date has focused on fostering the creation of such leaders by leveraging challenging experiences, challenging conversations, and challenging intellectual pursuits. It is an honor to join the amazing team at Kellogg who is dedicated to transforming the next generation of leaders, professionally and personally, in hopes of making the world a better place for all its inhabitants."

In addition to his professional accomplishments, Banks also has a distinguished academic career including a Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point and a Master of Business Administration from Kellogg. He holds a Master of Public Administration degree from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government; a Master of Strategic Studies degree from the U.S. Army War College; Master of Arts and Master of Philosophy degrees in organizational psychology from Columbia University; and a Ph.D. in social-organizational psychology from Columbia. Banks is also a graduate of Harvard Business School’s General Management Program.