Carlson Global Institute Sees Leadership Transition

After decades of leadership across the Carlson School, Professor Michael Houston has stepped down from his role as the associate dean of global initiatives. Professor Stephen Parente replaced Houston in January 2020.

The Carlson School’s global programs would not be nearly as robust without the visionary leadership from Houston, the Ecolab-Pierson M. Grieve Chair in International Marketing. His early work dramatically increased education abroad offerings and participation, which made it possible for the Carlson School to become the first public business school in the nation to require an international experience for all of its undergraduate students.

Houston also led the creation of the Doctor of Business Administration and the Medical Industry MBA in China, the Global Executive MBAs in Vienna and Warsaw, and the Global Virtual Team Project that brings together Executive MBAs across Carlson School programs to collaborate in virtual teams on an international business project.

Because of his work, Houston was recognized in 2012 with the all-University Award for Global Engagement as well as Vienna University of Economics and Business Executive Academy’s inaugural Lifetime Deanship Award in 2019 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Vienna Executive MBA.

Parente, the Minnesota Insurance Industry Chair of Health Finance, is an expert on health finance and the medical industry worldwide. Parente previously served as the associate dean of MBA and MS programs from 2014 to 2017 and as the longest-serving director of the Medical Industry Leadership Institute from 2006 to 2017 at the Carlson School. Parente has been extensively involved at the Carlson Global Institute throughout the years, introducing the MILI Valuation Lab in Sweden and China and teaching in the DBA program in China. Most recently, he became the Academic Director for the newly established Medical Industry MBA with Tongji University in Shanghai.