Dr. Richard Locke (Class of 1989), a distinguished scholar and academic administrator with extensive leadership experience, has been named the new dean of the MIT Sloan School of Management, effective July 1.
Rock will return to the institute as the school’s 10th president. He served in various roles at MIT Sloan from 1988 to 2013, including as lecturer, dean and associate dean. After leaving MIT, Rock served as a senior leader at Brown University, including a seven-and-a-half-year term as vice president of Brown University. Since early 2023, he has served as president of Apple University, Apple’s education division. His focus will be on educating employees on leadership, management, culture and organization.
“I am thrilled to be returning to MIT Sloan,” said Locke, whose official title will be John C. Head III Dean of MIT Sloan. “This is a special place with world-class faculty, innovative research and teaching programs, and a close-knit community, all within the MIT ecosystem.”
“All of these assets give MIT Sloan the opportunity to write the future — to shape how new technologies will reshape industries and professions, how new businesses will be created and operated, how individuals will work and live, and how national economies will grow and adapt,” he added. “I look forward to working with such great colleagues and helping to lead the school into its next phase of global renown and impact.”
Locke will succeed David C. Schmidlein, who retired as MIT Sloan dean in February 2024 after nearly 17 years in the position. Since then, Georgia Perrakis, the William F. Pounds Professor of Operations Research and Statistics and Operations Management at MIT Sloan, has served as John C. Head III interim dean and will continue in that role until Locke takes over.
Institute leaders welcomed Locke back, saying they want to help MIT Sloan Institute address important global challenges, including climate change, the role of artificial intelligence in society and new healthcare solutions, as well as improve best practices for companies and the workplace.
“MIT Sloan is fortunate to have such a leader. Dave Schmidtlein and Georgia Perrakis have both set high standards, and the selection of Rick Rock continues that tradition,” said MIT President Sally A. Kornbluth. “In addition to his extensive experience, proven track record, and outstanding academic record, I know Rick to be an outstanding leader from his time as vice president and through his thoughtful service at MIT Corporation. Rick continues to impress me with his depth of knowledge, personal charm, and innovative ideas, and I am thrilled to have him return to our school community.”
In a letter to the MIT community, MIT President Cynthia Bernhardt praised Locke’s “transformative resume” and said she and the search committee agreed that “Rick’s breadth of experience makes him a once-in-a-generation leader who is ‘full-speed ahead’ to be the next dean of MIT Sloan.”
“The committee and I are impressed by his vision for removing barriers that slow research efforts, his exceptional track record of raising significant funds to support the academic community, and his deep understanding and consideration of the interests and needs of MIT Sloan’s constituents,” Barnhart added.
A political scientist, Locke has conducted leading research on issues such as labor practices in global supply chains, and his career includes convening stakeholders, from multinational corporations to supply chain workers, to improve best business practices.
Mr. Locke is widely known for his strong work ethic, compassionate treatment of his colleagues and a leadership perspective that combines idealism about community engagement with realism about global challenges.
Locke’s work and broad range of interests made him a perfect fit for MIT Sloan, which has about 115 tenured faculty and 1,600 students across eight degree programs, connecting core management topics with more specialized topics on the innovation economy, entrepreneurship, the societal impact of business and technology, and policy development through a wide range of academic initiatives and groups.
MIT conducted an extensive search for this position and has been evaluating internal and external candidates over the past several months. The search committee was co-chaired by Kate Kellogg, the David J. McGrath Jr. (1959) Professor of Management and Innovation at MIT Sloan, and Andrew W. Law, the Charles E. and Susan T. Harris Professor at MIT Sloan.
The committee gathered and received extensive feedback about the position and the School from stakeholders, including faculty, students, staff and alumni, and collaborated with MIT leadership on the role.
“MIT Sloan occupies a unique position as a business school housed within one of the world’s leading science and engineering universities,” Kellogg said.
“Rick has a great track record of bringing faculty together from different disciplines, and we think he will be extremely helpful in connecting Sloan and the rest of MIT on big challenges like climate, AI and healthcare,” she added.
Lowe praised Schmidtlein for her “incredible leadership achievements over the past 17 years,” noting that Schmidtlein has helped expand MIT Sloan, build on its strengths, and build new programs. Kellogg noted that Perakis’ “great work as Chancellor has built on those strengths and generated important new innovations and partnerships in areas like AI and entrepreneurship. She has also expanded the school’s reach in Southeast Asia and helped advance key Institute-wide priorities, including the MIT Climate Project and the Generative AI Alliance.”
Kellogg and Law said they are confident that Locke will help MIT Sloan continue to adapt and grow.
“Given the role technology plays in nearly every aspect of our lives, MIT and MIT Sloan are at a tipping point in our ability to shape the future,” said Lo. “Rick shares our same vision and ambition, and has the experience and skills to help us realize that vision. We are thrilled with this choice.”
“Rick is a first-rate scholar and educator who truly understands our mission, core values and ethos,” Law added. “Dave has been a fantastic principal, and we expect the same from Rick. He fully understood the potential of MIT Sloan and how to realize that potential.”
Mr. Locke earned a Bachelor of Arts from Wesleyan University and a Master of Education from the University of Chicago. He received his PhD in Political Science from MIT, where he wrote his dissertation on local politics and industrial change in Italy under the supervision of Professor Suzanne Berger, now the director of the institute.
Locke began his career at MIT as an Associate Professor of International Management, was promoted to Associate Professor of Business and Political Science in 1993, and was awarded tenure in 1996. He was appointed the Alvin J. Siteman Professor of Entrepreneurship in 2000 and became a Professor in 2001.
In 2010, Locke accepted a new position at MIT as chair of the Department of Political Science, a position he held until 2013. He was also awarded a new professorship as the Class of 1922 Professor of Political Science and Business Administration. During this same period, Locke also served as Associate Dean of the MIT Sloan School of Management from 2009-2010 and again from 2012-2013.
Locke moved to Brown University to become director of the Thomas J. Watson Institute for International and Public Policy Studies. In 2015, he was appointed Vice Dean, Chief Academic Officer, and Chief Budget Officer at Brown University.
During his early career at MIT Sloan, Rock co-founded MIT’s Global Entrepreneurship Lab (G-Lab) and other action learning programs, supported efforts to double the size of the Sloan Fellowship program, and worked to update MIT Sloan’s executive education programs, among other projects.
Locke is the author or co-author of five books and dozens of journal articles and book chapters, expanding his research into global labor practices while also exploring the political implications of changes in industry and labor relations. Locke has received the Faculty Pioneer Award for Academic Leadership from the Aspen Institute’s Business and Society Program, the Progress Medal from the Progress Association, the Dorothy Day Award for Outstanding Labor Research from the American Political Science Association, and the Responsible Research Award in Management for his research on working conditions in global supply chains.
His books include Reconstructing the Italian Economy (1995), Employment Relations in a Changing World Economy (co-edited with Thomas Kocchan and Michael Piore, 1995), Working in America (co-edited with Paul Osterman, Thomas Kocchan and Michael Piore, 2001), Potential and Limits of Private Power in Promoting Labor Standards in the Global Economy (2013) and Production in the Innovation Economy (co-edited with Rachel Wellhausen, 2014).
A dedicated educator, Mr. Locke has received numerous teaching awards throughout his career, including the Graduate Management Association Teaching Award in 1990; the MIT Sloan Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2003; the MIT 1960 Award for Innovation in Teaching in 2007; and the MIT Jamieson Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2008.
Throughout his career, Mr. Locke has held professorships and visiting scholar positions at several universities, including Bocconi University of Milan; Harvard Kennedy School; Said Business School, University of Oxford; Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Italy; University of Milan, Italy; Georg-August University, Göttingen, Germany; and University Federico II, Naples, Italy.
Locke remained affiliated with MIT for the final decade of his career, including a period as a member of the MIT Corporation.
“I’ve enjoyed my time at MIT Sloan because it was a great combination of ambition, energy, drive for excellence, and humility,” Locke said. “We know we don’t always have all the answers, but we’re always willing to learn more and work to find solutions to some of the world’s greatest challenges. Now as provost, I look forward to rejoining this incredible community.”
