David Altounian named vice provost for graduate and professional studies

David Altounian, a longtime business executive and entrepreneurial leader with more than a decade of higher education experience as both a professor and administrator, has been named Salve Regina’s new vice provost for graduate and professional studies. He will be starting the position on Dec. 1.

Altounian brings to Salve Regina 30 years of corporate experience in both domestic and international strategic marketing and operations positions, including serving as a CEO and COO. He has spent the last 13 years in academia, most recently as the associate dean of academic programs and director of the MBA program in the Bill Munday School of Business at St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas.

“David is an agile, entrepreneurial and creative leader who has had the rare experience of successfully leading people in both the academic and corporate arenas,” said Nancy Schreiber, provost and vice president of academic affairs at Salve Regina. “As Salve’s vision to provide education for the varied needs of lifelong learners unfolds, we are very fortunate to have David bring his vast talent to accelerate programming in areas where our Mercy mission meets the market.”

While at St. Edward’s, Altounian worked closely with the Texas business community as a board member of the Austin Technology Council, and as a partner and mentor at Capital Factory, one of the leading entrepreneurship centers in the country. He served on the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce board, receiving the Chamber’s Volunteer of the Year Award for Global Technology and Innovation in 2018. He said he looks forward to working with Salve Regina’s talented faculty to innovate and expand opportunities for graduate students.

“I firmly believe in the value of cultivating strong partnerships between universities and communities, a pursuit that has underpinned much of what I’ve strived to accomplish throughout my career in business and higher education,” Altounian said. “Salve’s diverse programs in graduate and professional studies stand out because of the faculty’s unwavering commitment to developing opportunities and pathways that empower students to make societal impacts. I look forward to joining this supportive, inclusive community.”

Altounian earned his doctorate in business administration from Oklahoma State University’s Spears School of Business, a master’s in business administration from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and his bachelor’s in business administration from California Coast University.