Dr. Lynnette Purda begins term as Interim Dean

Kingston, Ont. – Lynnette Purda, Professor and RBC Fellow of Finance, has stepped into the role of Interim Dean of Smith School of Business. Dr. Purda most recently served as Associate Dean (Graduate Programs) overseeing Smith’s MSc and PhD in Management programs. Her 18-month appointment as Interim Dean began Jan. 1.

"I’m immensely honoured to have been asked to take on this role. I’m excited to be in a position to ensure that we continue our ongoing tradition of academic excellence, producing the next generation of leaders for business and society and contributing to thought leadership and innovation in Canada and beyond through our research and scholarship," Dr. Purda said of her appointment.

Dr. Purda joined the business school 2002, after completing her PhD. A Chartered Financial Analyst with industry investment and banking experience, Dr. Purda’s primary research is in corporate finance, with a focus on governance. Her work appears in leading academic journals including Contemporary Accounting Research, the Journal of International Business Studies, The American Law and Economics Review and Financial Management. She is also an editor of the book Corporate Fraud Exposed. She has worked with policymakers and practitioners including the Bank of Canada, the Accounting Standards Oversight Council of Canada and FP Canada.

In the classroom, Dr. Purda is a dedicated teacher and has been nominated for teaching excellence awards at both the undergraduate and Master’s levels. She has taught on programs across the Smith portfolio, including the Bachelor of Commerce, MBA, Master of Finance (both Toronto and Beijing), and Master of International Business programs. She also supervises the research of Master’s and PhD students, and won the business school’s 2022 award for Research Supervision.

In the community, Dean Purda volunteers with the Community Foundation of Kingston and Area as a member of the Investment Committee, overseeing an endowed portfolio of $20M. Since 2010, she has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Queen’s University Investment Counsel, a student-run investment fund at Smith that manages over $3M in assets.

Dr. Purda 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 will begin in summer 2025, with the new incumbent starting in summer 2026.