Bio
Dr. Charles Iacovou is professor of management and the Kirby Chair in Business Excellence. He currently serves as the founding dean of the School of Professional Studies and the vice provost for the University’s Charlotte-based programs. In his current role, he is leading the development of accessible, flexible, career-focused offerings for adult learners in Charlotte and beyond.
Dr. Iacovou served as the Sisel Distinguished Dean of the School of Business from July 2014 until January 2021. Under his leadership, the School adapted its degree program portfolio in significant ways resulting in improved student outcomes and rankings. During this time, the school’s first business analytics and online programs were launched yielding sizable enrollment growth. From 2014 to 2020, Dr. Iacovou led a capital campaign for the school, which raised over $120 million in support of student, faculty, facility, programmatic and diversity-enhancing needs.
With extensive teaching experience in information systems management, Dr. Iacovou has taught a variety of graduate and undergraduate courses on information technology management, project management, strategy, emerging technologies, programming, and business simulation. A student-centered teacher who utilizes experiential learning methods to challenge and develop his students, Dr. Iacovou has received several teaching awards from students and alumni.
Dr. Iacovou has published extensively on the subjects of information technology management, project management, outsourcing, and organizational decision-making and communication. Much of his research work is field-based and is frequently sponsored by business organizations and associations. MIS Quarterly, Journal of Business Ethics, MIT Sloan Management Review, California Management Review, Communications of the ACM, Information & Management, and other leading journals have published his work, which has been granted several awards for its significant impact on the academy and practice of management.
Before joining Wake Forest University in 2001, Dr. Iacovou managed an electronic bank for a diversified financial institution based in Europe. In that role, he was responsible for the management of electronic retail, commercial banking, and brokerage products and service channels. During the past three decades, Dr. Iacovou has provided strategic planning, management consulting, and leadership training services to firms in financial services, international trade, logistics, media, and other sectors.
Dr. Iacovou was a faculty member at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University from 1997 to 1999. He received his PhD degree in Management Information Systems from the University of British Columbia and his BSc degree in Business Administration from the University of Vermont. Dr. Iacovou completed his undergraduate studies with the support of a scholarship from the Cyprus Fulbright Commission.