edited by Nikola Tzenov
McDaniel College has named Leonard Arvi, Ph.D., as the inaugural dean of its new School of Business and Technology following a national search. He will join the college Aug. 1, ahead of the school’s planned launch in fall 2027.
The School of Business and Technology will be McDaniel’s first comprehensive school and will house existing programs in accounting, business administration, computer science, economics, entrepreneurship, international business, marketing and management.
“We are thrilled to have Dr. Arvi join McDaniel,” President Julia Jasken said. “He will play an instrumental role in moving forward with plans to develop the new school, including building and executing a clear vision and establishing relationships that will shape the school’s strategic direction.”
Arvi currently serves as chair of the finance department at Salisbury University’s Franklin P. Perdue School of Business, a role he has held in addition to teaching finance since 2008.
He helped develop the Judkins Family Financial Research Center and serves on the board of the Shore Hatchery competition, a biannual startup competition for Mid-Atlantic entrepreneurs. In 2024, he was part of an artificial intelligence task force consortium involving Salisbury University, the University of Baltimore and Frostburg State University.
A serial entrepreneur with expertise in real estate finance and investments, Arvi has also been active in financial literacy initiatives. He partnered with the Maryland Council on Economic Education to support programming for public school students across the Delmarva Peninsula.
He has served on the board of Junior Achievement of the Eastern Shore (Wicomico County), worked as a financial literacy trainer with the ProjectREAD adult literacy program, and advised the mayor of Salisbury on economic development. He has also served on the City of Salisbury Sustainability Committee and is a member of the Greater Salisbury Committee’s Blue-Ribbon panel.
Arvi received the University System of Maryland Board of Regents Faculty Excellence Award for Mentoring in 2014 and the Salisbury University Alumni Association Faculty Appreciation Award in 2020. He was nominated in 2025 for the University System of Maryland Regents’ Faculty Award for Excellence in Public Service.
He holds master’s and doctoral degrees in finance from Florida International University, where he also taught as an adjunct instructor. He earned a master’s degree in computer science from the Asian Institute of Technology in Thailand and previously worked as a software engineering analyst and IT strategist at the Stock Exchange of Thailand. He earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from St. Joseph’s College in India.
“I am honored to have this opportunity to develop a school that builds on McDaniel’s strong tradition of academic excellence and student-centered learning,” Arvi said. “I’m eager to help shape a clear vision for the school that will prepare graduates for successful careers and contribute to the economic growth and innovation in the region.”
