“Our business school is evolving, and it’s important to have the right people in the right places to meet and anticipate the demands of the college,” said Reyes. “Dr. Vitullo will become part of the operation of the Dean’s Office in her role as Assistant Dean of Strategic Initiatives. In this role, she will work to make sure that we look around the corners, that we have someone looking through the windshield and not the rearview mirror. Liz will help B&E align resources in the college and connect them across campus and with partners outside of the university to ensure that we continue to provide excellent learning experiences and produce top quality research, while responding to global business challenges and opportunities.

“Dr. Charbonnette comes to us from the WVU Office of Graduate Education and Life, where she worked as Director of Graduate Student Funding and Success. Her extensive experience with graduate programs will fuel the growing programs and expectations of providing a high level of graduate education at B&E.”

Vitullo, who formerly served as B&E’s Assistant Dean of Graduate Programs, started in her new position September 4.

“As the Assistant Dean of Strategic Initiatives, I will support efforts to execute special projects and strategic initiatives for the college” Vitullo said. “These include experiential learning, outreach efforts and coordination of B&E resources with the needs of the university and the state. The new position will allow for the college to meet emerging needs.”

Vitullo, who has been at WVU for 14 years, earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Toronto, and her MBA and PhD degrees at WVU. She worked as dean of the 2018 Governor’s School for Entrepreneurship, and serves on the West Virginia Women’s Business Center as an inaugural board member and executive officer. Vitullo assisted in the launching of the college’s online program offerings that are nationally ranked by U.S. News and World Report, and has expertise in curriculum development, program creation, online program delivery and experiential learning. Vitullo teaches in the area of entrepreneurship and corporate social responsibility, was selected in the inaugural cohort of IDEA fellows, and recently completed the university-wide fellowship that focused on infusing entrepreneurship and innovation across campus.

“I’m excited to assist the college in moving in new directions. The position allows me to leverage my experience in higher education and outreach to meet the growing needs of our students, the university and the state,” she said.

Charbonnette also started at B&E on September 4. A native of Los Angeles, she earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Howard University, a master’s of science degree in secondary mathematics from the University of New Haven, and a master’s of business administration as well as a doctor of education degree from West Virginia University.

“I will be working to support the continuous improvement and growth of B&E’s graduate programs,” Charbonnette said. “My primary goal is to take advantage of the opportunity to facilitate the expansion of B&E’s graduate programs across multiple platforms. This business school has nationally ranked graduate programs, programs that are responsive to both global market demands and to industries that represent growth for West Virginia’s economy.”

Charbonnette built her career on transforming bold ideas into reality through careful study of institutional needs and aspirations, goal establishment, and the building of authentic relationships and strategic connections to produce positive results. As the former Director of Graduate Student Funding and Success in the Office of Graduate Education and Life, she oversaw WVU-Morgantown’s internal fellowships, graduate assistantship policy compliance and the development of strategies that addressed the whole student. Charbonnette led the major transformation of WVU’s fellowships program, and was the architect in creating non-teaching professional development programming for PhD students; developing the Graduate Student Satisfaction Survey to make data-driven decisions based on real student experiences; building strategic programming to foster relationships between students from various disciplines; and spearheading the development of the Dr. Robert E. Stitzel Emergency Fund and Crisis Waiver program.

Previously, she led WVU’s central underrepresented minority student recruitment efforts in the Office of Graduate Education and Life. She also served as the Assistant Dean of Students and Multicultural Affairs at Washington & Jefferson College.

“One of the strengths of the College of Business and Economics is its ability to adapt and evolve as we take WVU’s business school to unprecedented heights,” Reyes said. “I have no doubt that Dr. Charbonnette and Dr. Vitullo will provide contributions of engagement, innovation and impact that will help fuel our continued upward trajectory.”