Dean Bendapudi recognized as influential woman of 2012
LAWRENCE – University of Kanas School of Business Dean Neeli Bendapudi has been recognized as a 2012 Influential Woman by KC Business magazine. The sixth annual program honors outstanding female Kansas City leaders in the creative, entrepreneurial, nonprofit and corporate communities.
An independent panel of Kansas City business and civic leaders selected the exclusive group based on dedication, personal growth, hard work and community involvement. Over the past six years, nearly 150 women have received the award. Bendapudi was one of just 32 to be honored this year, and one of the only academics recognized.
“When people are coming in for an education, they are hoping to better their lives,” Bendapudi said. “I take great pride with students to help them find a position that’s fulfilling to them. Influence is the ability to get other people to follow a vision without necessarily having power or authority. It’s not a formal thing. The beauty of influence is that it’s an informal thing.”
Bendapudi returned to KU as dean of the School of Business in August 2011, but she is no stranger to the University of Kansas. Bendapudi earned her doctorate in marketing from KU in 1994 – one of seven degrees in her family from the university.
Prior to returning to KU, Bendapudi had been a marketing professor at the Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business, where she received numerous college, university and national teaching awards.
Her research has appeared in the Journal of Marketing, the Journal of Marketing Research, the Journal of Retail Marketing and the Harvard Business Review, among others.
The Influential Women will be profiled in the March 2012 issue of KC Business.
“The Influential Women awards program gives us the opportunity to highlight Kansas City’s outstanding female leaders,” said Julius Karash, executive editor of KC Business magazine. “It was an inspiration to learn about the accomplishments, commitment and philanthropic endeavors of these women.”
Fellow 2012 recipients include leaders from Shawnee Mission Medical Center, M&I Wealth Management, Saint Luke’s Muriel I. Kauffman Women’s Heart Center and the Arts & Recreation Foundation of Overland Park.