The first of three candidates for Emporia State University’s Dean of the Business College was stepping back into familiar surroundings as part of his official visit to campus Thursday.
Former ESU professor and current Director of the Brown Innovation Center at Flagler College in Saint Augustine, Florida, Derek Yonai, took part in a special gathering Thursday afternoon inside the Breidenthal University House, where he met with community and ESU faculty members. During the reception, Yonai spoke with KVOE News and stated, “It feels great to be back on campus,” before noting that the more things change, the more they stay the same.
When asked if he believed his prior experience at ESU as a professor from 2017 to 2023 could be an advantage to him in the selection process, he stated it could actually be a liability. He clarified, saying that it could be detrimental to his candidacy if he were to rely too much on his past knowledge, as ESU in 2026 is far different from ESU in 2023.
As for his model for the Business College, if selected as its next Dean, Yonai says he plans to focus on “Return on Investment” and tuning processes to fit that model.
In addition to his time at ESU and Flagler College, Yonai has also spent time at Southern Methodist University, Florida Southern College and Campbell University. Yonai has a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of California, Irvine, as well as a juris doctorate from Whittier Law School, and a master’s and Ph.D. in economics from George Mason.
As mentioned, Yonai is one of three candidates for the position, with the final two candidates coming to campus next week on May 4th and 5th and May 7th and 8th. The names of those candidates and their backgrounds will be divulged at a later time.
