David Schmittlein, a marketing professor at MIT and the longest-serving dean of the MIT Sloan School of Management, a visionary and transformative leader, passed away on March 13 after a prolonged illness. He was 69 years old.

Schmittlein, the John C Head III Dean from 2007 until 2024, navigated MIT Sloan through a financial downturn, a worldwide health crisis, and various significant milestones for the institution. Throughout those 17 years, Schmittlein spearheaded efforts to launch several new degree offerings, restructured the academic program portfolio while keeping the MBA as the principal degree, and broadened executive education opportunities. Under his leadership, the school improved alumni engagement, boosted philanthropic contributions, grew the faculty, supervised numerous campus construction projects, and initiated multiple international programs. He also promoted a centennial celebration of Course 15 — which represents management at MIT — and spearheaded a branding and marketing initiative that solidified MIT Sloan’s standing as a hub for intelligent, open-minded, grounded, and innovative leaders.

Overall, he clarified MIT Sloan’s value to managers, organizations, and society, setting the stage for the school to excel in a new era of management education.

“Dave transformed the MIT Sloan School of Management from a niche institution to a top five business school, and in doing so, drew us closer to the Institute in ways that all faculty, staff, and students cherish and support,” noted MIT finance professor Andrew W. Lo. “He significantly enhanced our global visibility and expanded our presence from a research, educational, and outreach perspective. It truly allowed us to define ourselves in ways we hadn’t before his arrival.”

In a communication to the MIT community, President Sally Kornbluth stated, “Dave played a crucial role in building MIT Sloan’s reputation and influence worldwide, collaborated with faculty to develop exceptional new management education programs, and greatly improved opportunities for current students.”

Kornbluth, who became MIT president in 2023, pointed out that her time overlapping with Schmittlein was brief before his resignation in February 2024 due to health issues. However, during that time, his “wise, humorous, and prudent guidance left a lasting impression,” Kornbluth wrote. “I always knew I could rely on him as a sounding board and thought partner, which I did.”

Professor Georgia Perakis, who assumed the role of John C Head III Dean (Interim) when Schmittlein departed last year, remarked, “Dave was not only an extraordinary leader for MIT Sloan, but also a mentor, educator, and friend. Under his stewardship, he elevated MIT Sloan to new heights. I will always appreciate his guidance and support during my tenure as interim dean. The legacy of his contributions to MIT and MIT Sloan will forever remain with us.”

Prior to joining MIT Sloan, Schmittlein served as a marketing professor and deputy dean at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania for 27 years. Growing up in Northampton, Massachusetts, he regarded his appointment as the eighth dean of MIT Sloan as a return home in 2007.

From humble beginnings, as the eldest of six siblings, Schmittlein graduated from Brown University with a BA in mathematics and from Columbia University, where he received both an MPhil in business and a PhD in marketing.

“Growing up in Massachusetts, MIT was always a symbol for me,” Schmittlein later reflected.

“MIT selects an outsider to lead Sloan School”

As The Boston Globe headline announcing his arrival indicated, Schmittlein’s selection as dean was noteworthy. He was the first to be appointed from outside MIT since the school’s founding dean, E. Pennell Brooks. However, in 2007, the Institute’s leadership decided there was a need for a new perspective at MIT Sloan.

“While most of Dean Schmittlein’s predecessors had advanced through the MIT faculty hierarchy, I directed the search committee to look broadly for a leader who could enhance the impact of the MIT Sloan School and expand its reach,” remarked President Emerita Susan Hockfield, who led MIT from 2004 to 2012. “David Schmittlein stood out for his unique blend of intellectual and collaborative skills, alongside his extensive academic experience.”

By the time Schmittlein took office, the MIT Sloan School, tracing its roots back to 1914 as an undergraduate specialty called Engineering Administration, was at a thrilling juncture. Schmittlein’s predecessor, Richard Schmalensee, who had served as dean for nearly a decade, had secured funding for a new central facility and crafted a succinct mission statement to guide the school moving forward. MIT’s management school was at a moment of introspection and expansion.

“I fully recognized that I was coming from a very different institution — not to change MIT, but to assist it in becoming the finest version of itself,” Schmittlein wrote recently.

Schmittlein promptly pinpointed several essential objectives. In 2007, the school had a total of 96 tenure-line faculty members, but they often departed for peer institutions, and the limited faculty size meant that one individual’s departure impacted an entire department. There was no effective system for promoting insights from MIT Sloan’s expert faculty. Although the flagship MBA program thrived, it faced challenges in terms of selectivity and scale. Furthermore, the relatively small class size posed difficulties for alumni networking, especially in the finance sector.

Financial downturn and MFin degree

Schmittlein worked alongside the finance faculty to establish the Master of Finance degree program in 2008. Nobel laureate Robert C. Merton, who began his career at MIT Sloan but had moved to Harvard University, returned in 2010 to contribute to the one-year program. Today, the MFin program — known for its selectivity and rigor — provides a variety of quantitative courses and offers an 18-month option in addition to the original one-year curriculum.

Schmittlein’s arrival at MIT coincided with the global financial crisis of 2007–09. “The entire Institute was grappling with the fallout,” Lo recalls. “We had to respond … and one of the most remarkable things Dave did was openly acknowledge the challenges posed by the financial crisis and the financial system. Rather than downplaying finance, he encouraged the finance team to investigate the crisis and propose a more responsible approach to finance that recognized these potential risks.”

This, in turn, led to increased program enrollment, and “many of our graduates eventually transitioned into regulatory roles, as well as the industry, equipped with a new understanding of how to handle financial crises more systematically,” Lo states.

Growth of executive and additional degree programs

In 2010, the well-established full-time MIT Sloan Fellows MBA program attracted mid-career professionals and leaders from all over the globe to MIT Sloan. That year, Schmittlein oversaw the introduction of the 20-month part-time MIT Executive MBA.

initiative. This initiative created additional avenues for U.S.-based leaders to attain a degree while maintaining their employment in a full-time setting.

Subsequently, MIT Sloan introduced the Master of Science in Management Studies initiative, enabling alumni and current attendees from numerous international partner institutions, such as Fudan University and Tsinghua University in China, to obtain a master’s degree from MIT within a span of nine months.

Completing the array of academic initiatives established during Schmittlein’s leadership is the MIT Sloan Master of Business Analytics initiative, which commenced in 2016. This program, which interconnected MIT Sloan’s coursework with offerings from MIT’s computer science department, turned into one of the most sought-after master’s degree programs within the Institute.

A notable aspect of MIT Sloan was its “integration with the university in which it resides,” Schmittlein expressed in a 2008 interview. “We are unique in that aspect. Most prestigious management schools isolate their instructional programs and their research efforts from the broader university. We simply do not engage in that practice.”

“MIT Sloan in 2025 firmly embodies ‘the house that Dave constructed,’” states Professor Ezra W. Zuckerman Sivan.

“This is nothing short of remarkable, considering that Dave arrived at Sloan from another business institution with a unique mission and culture … Furthermore, Sloan was far from dysfunctional — it was guided by several capable deans prior to Dave’s arrival, maintaining a stellar reputation and rich traditions,” Zuckerman Sivan comments.

Zuckerman Sivan, who acted as MIT Sloan’s deputy dean and later as an associate dean for education and learning from 2015 to 2021, mentions it was an immense honor to collaborate with Schmittlein, noting that Schmittlein frequently identified potential in individuals even before they recognized it in themselves, himself included.

“Personally, I never considered the idea of becoming a dean … when Dave posed the question to me. I’m incredibly grateful he did, as I gained invaluable insights from the experience, particularly through the opportunity to consult with Dave and observe his perspectives on various managerial challenges,” Zuckerman Sivan remarks.

Faculty, infrastructural projects, and global connections

Schmittlein prioritized faculty remuneration, and by 2012, the MIT Sloan faculty count reached 112.

“Dave realized early on that expansion was crucial for Sloan to retain and attract top-tier faculty,” Zuckerman Sivan articulates. “Every decision he made, particularly concerning the academic programs, was executed in close and thoughtful partnership with faculty leaders. This was absolutely vital. He brought senior faculty at Sloan into alignment with the initiatives he deemed essential for the institution, making those initiatives now appear evident and seamless.”

Schmittlein also managed several infrastructural projects, some already in motion upon his arrival at MIT Sloan. When Building E62 opened its doors in 2010, it marked the first occasion in history that all MIT Sloan faculty members were housed within a single facility. The Gold-certified LEED edifice also featured six new classrooms and an executive education suite. Following that, the historic landmarks E60 and E52 underwent renovations and improvements.

Former President Hockfield comments that Schmittlein propelled the institution forward in numerous areas. One aspect that particularly resonates with her was his adeptness in establishing and nurturing connections with international collaborators and benefactors. During Schmittlein’s leadership, the MIT Sloan Latin America Office was inaugurated in Santiago, Chile, in 2013, followed by the opening of the Asia School of Business in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 2015. Schmittlein also played a pivotal role in paving the way for the establishment of the MIT Sloan Office for Southeast Asian Nations, inaugurated in October 2024 in Bangkok.

The international partnerships elevated the school’s prominence across the globe. Hockfield notes that these global relationships provided significant benefits to MIT Sloan students.

“In today’s landscape, fostering international relationships is essential for any leader — it must be an integral part of everyone’s skill set,” she states. “And for MIT Sloan students, witnessing that firsthand enables them to comprehend how they can facilitate it in their roles as business leaders.”

Indeed, several MIT Sloan students were granted direct exposure to global business magnates under the mentorship of both Hockfield and Schmittlein, who, for the past few years, co-facilitated an elective course, Corporations at the Crossroads, featuring guest speakers addressing management, strategy, and leadership topics.

“It was motivating and incredibly enjoyable to teach that course alongside him … Dave possessed a remarkable blend of sharp intellect and deep compassion. While he readily shared both attributes, he was even more willing to offer his kindness than his brilliance,” Hockfield recounts.

Ideas Brought to Life

During Schmittlein’s leadership, MIT Sloan instigated a brand identity initiative accompanied by new messaging and the slogan “Ideas Made to Matter,” paired with a new website and updated branding. In the early 2000s at Wharton, he advocated for the online business journal Knowledge at Wharton, which became a distinguished thought leadership publication. Under Schmittlein’s guidance, MIT Sloan introduced Ideas Made to Matter, a publication that conveys practical insights from MIT Sloan’s faculty to global business leaders.

Hockfield remembers how Schmittlein skillfully integrated marketing strategies into MIT Sloan. “He truly grasped organizational communication … and he was exceptional at articulating the MIT Sloan narrative with the appropriate tone,” she shares.

Legacy: Ethical, innovative leaders transforming the world

Lo conveys that Schmittlein exemplified the essence of a principled leader. “He was not only an extraordinary leader but also a remarkable individual. He inspired each of us and will continue to motivate everyone for years ahead,” he states.

“Dave imparted an invaluable legacy to the Sloan School and MIT,” Lo adds. “We are now ideally equipped to approach the next pivotal moment in redefining management education, not only at MIT but globally.”

Hockfield affirms, “One aspect I immensely respected about Dave is that his personal aspirations were consistently secondary to his ambitions for the school, the faculty, and the students. It’s a truly admirable quality that brings out the best in individuals … I am profoundly grateful that MIT was able to benefit from his intellect and curiosity during his time with us. His absence is a significant loss.”

“We are devastated,” MIT Provost Cynthia Barnhart expresses. “For nearly 17 years, the MIT community depended on and thrived under Dave Schmittlein’s visionary insights, adept leadership, and welcoming, cooperative spirit. He devoted himself tirelessly to advancing MIT Sloan’s goal of cultivating ethical, innovative leaders, all the while enhancing the school’s connections to the broader campus and forming partnerships across the nation and the globe. His presence will be profoundly missed by his friends and colleagues at MIT.”

Schmittlein constantly sought innovative means to create and evolve. He frequently cited Alfred P. Sloan, the original benefactor of MIT Sloan, who declared in 1964, “I hope we all recognize that the Alfred P. Sloan School of Management is not complete. It will never be complete. It is merely on a journey. Nothing is finalized in a world progressing so swiftly …”

Schmittlein is survived by his wife of nearly 33 years, Barbara Bickart, along with their children, Brigitte Schmittlein and Gabriel Schmittlein, as well as his siblings, in-laws, numerous nieces and nephews, and a multitude of enduring friends and colleagues.

MIT Sloan is in the process of planning a future celebration of Schmittlein’s life, with details for the community to be announced. To discover more about his life and contributions, read his obituary online.