Principal and Vice-Chancellor Patrick Deane announced today that Wanda Costen will step down as Dean of the Smith School of Business, ending her term on Dec. 31, 2024, to become the Provost and Vice-President Academic at Dalhousie University. Lynnette Purda will serve as Interim Dean of Smith Business as of Jan. 1, 2025, for an 18-month appointment.

“I would like to congratulate Dean Costen on her new appointment at Dalhousie and thank her for her numerous contributions to Queen’s and the Smith School of Business,” says Principal Deane. “Under Wanda’s leadership, the school has made important progress in several key areas, including a new strategic plan, greater integration of teaching and research, and improved access and inclusion for students. While she will be greatly missed, I wish her the very best as she takes this exciting next step in her career.” 

Dean Costen joined Queen’s in 2021 and during her tenure led the business school and its key stakeholders through a process to develop a comprehensive new strategic plan. She increased the focus on research at Smith, including more exposure to research in the undergraduate Commerce program. Dean Costen invested in the future of Smith’s faculty by adding 10 new assistant and associate professors with a diverse set of experiences and backgrounds. She worked with a generous alumni donor to establish the Quinn Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Professorship, and expanded the school’s partnership agreements for exchange and double degrees in the Global South, including Costa Rica, Morocco, and Nigeria. 

Principal Deane announced that Lynnette Purda will serve as Interim Dean of Smith School of Business as of Jan. 1, 2025, for 18 months. Dean Costen and Dr. Purda will work together in the months ahead to ensure a smooth transition. 

Dr. Purda is currently Professor and Associate Dean (Graduate Programs), and RBC Fellow of Finance at Smith School of Business. She is a Chartered Financial Analyst with industry investment banking experience and is an editor of the book Corporate Fraud Exposed. Her primary research area is corporate finance with a focus on governance. Her work appears in leading academic journals, and she has worked with policymakers and practitioners including the Bank of Canada, the Accounting Standards Oversight Council of Canada, and FP Canada. She is Past President of the Northern Finance Association. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the Asper School of Business, University of Manitoba, and a PhD in Finance from the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. 

The search for a permanent dean for Smith School of Business will begin in summer 2025, with the new dean starting summer 2026.