Auburn University Appoints Jennifer Mueller-Phillips as New Dean of Harbert College of Business
Following a national search, Jennifer Mueller-Phillips, KPMG professor, has been named the ninth dean of the Raymond J. Harbert College of Business. Mueller-Phillips, who has been serving as the interim dean since September 2023, will officially begin on May 1.
“Dr. Mueller-Phillips has demonstrated exceptional leadership and will carry forward the legacy of excellence that is synonymous with the Harbert College of Business,” stated Provost Vini Nathan. “I am confident that her ability to advance innovative business education and connect the college’s programs with industry and the broader business community will only enhance its reputation nationally and internationally, while continuing to prepare our students for the changing dynamics of the business world.”
With more than two decades of experience as a faculty member and administrator, Mueller-Phillips brings a wealth of expertise to the role of dean. Her tenure at the Harbert College has been marked by significant contributions to academic excellence, strategic initiatives and student success.
As interim dean, she provided steady leadership for Harbert College’s six academic departments and more than 6,900 students and nearly 300 faculty and staff, fueling priority initiatives, securing new faculty positions, and meaningfully engaging with constituents.
“I am deeply honored and excited to lead the Harbert College at a time of extraordinary opportunity,” said Mueller-Phillips “I am passionate about preparing our students with the knowledge, skills, and agility needed to lead in a complex world and empowering our faculty to deliver impactful research. With outstanding students, talented faculty and staff, strong alumni and industry relationships, and leading academic programs, we are well positioned to establish ourselves as an elite public business school.”
Prior to serving as interim dean, Mueller-Phillips served as associate dean for academic affairs, where she led efforts to expand student opportunities by shifting the college’s employer and corporate relations approach.
She also guided strategic efforts to enhance student success outcomes, advance campus-wide entrepreneurship initiatives, expand global programs, strengthen student recruitment and retention, and grow the college’s $1.5 million scholarship program. In addition, Mueller-Phillips successfully guided the college through its Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accreditation review in 2022.
Mueller-Phillips joined the Auburn faculty in 2000 as an assistant professor of accounting and became director of the School of Accountancy in 2016.
She holds a Master of Accountancy and doctorate in accounting from Virginia Tech as well as a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Jacksonville State University. Her scholarly accomplishments include numerous publications and presentations, a highly competitive research grant by the Center for Audit Quality, appointment to a national research synthesis team of the US Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, and appointment to the KPMG Academic Research Panel, which supports the firm’s academic research initiatives globally. She is a past recipient of the college’s Outstanding Research Award as well as the McCartney Teaching Award.