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Dr. Norm O’Reilly, a professor and former assistant dean at the University of Guelph, has been named dean of the 91���� Graduate School of Business, effective July 1.

O’Reilly is a leading scholar in the business of sports. In 2018, he founded the International Institute for Sport Business & Leadership, a global research center and think tank at the University of Guelph. As a professor and CPA, he teaches courses in sport management and in accounting. O’Reilly was an assistant dean of executive programs in Guelph’s Gordon S. Lang School of Business & Economics for two years. He also is a partner consultant in the Toronto-based T1 Agency.

From 2014–18, O’Reilly held the Richard P. and Joan S. Fox Professor of Business, and was chair of the Department of Sports Administration at Ohio University. He also has taught at the University of Ottawa, Syracuse University, Stanford University, Laurentian University, Ryerson University, Athabasca University, Bayreuth University and the Russian International Olympic University.

The Maine Business School’s Graduate School of Business offers the MaineMBA in Orono, Portland and online. MaineMBA is the only graduate business program in Maine accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). Graduate School of Business faculty are Maine Business School faculty and University of Southern Maine business faculty with graduate appointments at 91����.

“I want to thank Executive Dean Faye Gilbert for serving as interim dean of the 91���� Graduate Business School over the last year,” says 91���� Provost John Volin. “Under her leadership, the MBA has seen a tremendous advance in its national rankings, as well as a 22% increase in student enrollment.”

“We are thrilled that Dr. O’Reilly will be joining the 91���� as the new dean of the Graduate School of Business,” Volin says. “Dr. O’Reilly brings a wealth of experience, innovation, and strategic leadership, and will be a great partner in fostering and building strong relationships across the 91���� System and beyond.” 

O’Reilly has expertise in a range of business topics, including analytics, marketing, sponsorship, social media, sport finance, social marketing, physical activity and management education. He has authored or co-authored 16 books, including the 2020 second edition release of “Sports Business Management: Decision Making Around the Globe,” with George Foster and Tony Davila, and the 2021 second edition of “20 Secrets to Success for NCAA Student-Athletes,” with Rick Burton, Jake Hirschman, Andy Dolich and Heather Lawrence. 

He works closely with industry and is the lead researcher on the Canadian Sponsorship Landscape Study, currently in its 15th edition. O’Reilly writes a regular column with Syracuse University professor Burton for Sport Business Journal. O’Reilly served as deputy chef de mission for the Canadian Paralympic Team in the 2016 Paralympic Games, and was a member of the 2004, 2008 and 2010 mission staff for the Canadian Olympic Team.

His numerous honors include the 2015 Distinguished Career Contributions to the Scientific Understanding of Sport Business Award by the American Marketing Association’s Sport Marketing Special Interest Group. O’Reilly also is a Research Fellow of the North American Society for Sport Management.

O’Reilly holds a Ph.D. in management from Carleton University, and an MBA and a master’s degree in sports administration from the University of Ottawa.

“The MaineMBA is on a terrific trajectory and is poised for continued success and growth,” O’Reilly says. “I look forward to working with all of our partners at the 91���� Graduate & Professional Center, notably the Maine Law School and the University of Southern Maine, to continue the MBA’s rise. It is a very exciting time to join Maine and the Maine Business School, an opportunity with considerable entrepreneurial potential.”