Taylor Randall
Dean Taylor Randall has led The University of Utah David Eccles School of Business since 2009. Randall has elevated the school’s national reputation as a place of innovation, garnering top 10 entrepreneurship rankings for both undergraduate and graduate programs. In 2019-20 alone, eight of the school’s programs were ranked Top 25.
Under his leadership, the value of an Eccles School education has increased dramatically. Experiential learning opportunities have expanded along with the institutes and centers that offer invaluable experience to students in fields ranging from finance to social impact to policy creation. The Marriner S. Eccles Institute for Economics and Quantitative Analysis, the Sorenson Impact Center, the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, and the Goff Strategic Leadership Center all have opened under Randall’s direction.
Additionally, the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute has continued to grow with the opening of Lassonde Studios, a unique living and learning space that includes 400 beds and a 20,000-square-foot fully equipped makerspace for students to launch their dreams.
Randall has focused not only on creating the best business education in the state of Utah, but also has helped students grow and apply their skills through internships and career opportunities. He launched a fully staffed Business Career Services team with career coaches dedicated to Eccles School students. The Corporate Outreach arm of that office develops relationships with top employers across the globe.
The Eccles School campus now includes six buildings, including the Robert H. and Katharine B. Garff Building, which welcomes students in the MBA and Executive Education programs in Fall 2018.
Randall leads the school’s Eccles Advisory Board, consisting of CEOs and other prominent business minds around the country and world, to help him provide vision for the school’s future. The Eccles School’s more than 42,000 alumni gather at more than 75 annual networking events both locally and internationally, and give back to the school by mentoring, hiring, and helping to recruit students.
Before assuming the role of dean, Randall served as a professor of accounting for 11 years, earning accolades throughout his teaching career. He served as the George S. Eccles Faculty Fellow, won the MBA and Executive MBA teaching awards, the Brady Superior Teaching Award and the Marvin J. Ashton Excellence Award. Under his guidance as faculty director, the University Venture Fund became the largest student-run venture fund in the country.
In addition to his work in the classroom and the dean’s office at the David Eccles School of Business, Randall has served as visiting faculty at Wharton, Washington University and INSEAD.
Randall graduated from the University of Utah with honors in accounting and then earned an MBA and Ph.D. in operations and information management from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. His research there focused on the economic impact of operational strategies.
Randall’s roots at the University of Utah run deep. His grandfather, Clyde, served as dean of the business school and Randall’s father, Reed, also worked at the U as a professor and director of the School of Accounting.
Randall and his wife have four children and reside in Salt Lake City, Utah.