Dr. Mary Kay Chess serves as the Dean of Global Business and Leadership at Sofia University. She brings extensive experience as an executive and entrepreneur within complex healthcare systems and multi-state collaborative networks.
Throughout her career, Dr. Chess has been committed to improving the healthcare experience for individuals and communities in practical and meaningful ways. Her work has involved collaborating with diverse internal administrative and clinical stakeholders, external partners, and community members. Through this experience, she observed that many innovative interventions and strategic initiatives often had limited long-term impact on patients and their families.
This realization led Dr. Chess to the first MBA program in sustainability in the United States, where she later became the dean of innovative MBA programs. Graduates of these programs—now executives across diverse industries—demonstrate the powerful difference that committed, conscious leadership can make in every moment.
At Sofia University, Dr. Chess works closely with engaged faculty and administrators to support the Doctorate of Business Administration (DBA) and Master of Business Administration (MBA) programs in the United States, China, and globally. Together, they emphasize rigorous, applied learning that empowers students to create tangible positive change in the world.
In addition to her leadership role as dean, Dr. Chess serves as a professor specializing in leadership, systems thinking, and complexity. She is also a sought-after national speaker who works with leaders seeking to reimagine public health and cultivate flourishing communities across the United States.
Outside of her professional life, Dr. Chess enjoys lifelong learning and has a particular fondness for living on islands, being near mountains, and spending time among magnificent cedar trees.
As a dean, professor, and lifelong learner, she encourages creative and critical thinking, the courage to pursue partially right solutions to complex challenges, and laughter along the journey of constant change as we collectively learn and create an emergent future.
