Dr. Austin leads and manages the launch of new venture initiatives and is charged with identifying, vetting and implementing new and transformative efforts for George Mason. His team is responsible for the planning and implementation of OPM (online program management) partnerships, university and community college alliances, and the evaluation of technology partners. Dr. Austin is a former management consultant with nearly two-decades of experience working with F500 companies and large public institutions on strategy, growth, planning, organizational transformation, and analytics. At Booz Allen, Dr. Austin led the Performance Management capability and Center of Excellence, specializing in the development of executive decision making tools. At CEB (now Gartner), Dr. Austin launched and managed research and operations for executive education programs delivered to c-suite executives in Corporate Strategy, Finance, as well as R&D.

A thought leader recognized for his work on strategy execution, Dr. Austin has authored over 30 publications on strategic planning, finance and operations, teaches and speaks on topics related to strategy, innovation and performance management. Dr. Austin holds a Ph.D. from Columbia University, and MSc from the London School of Economics, and a BA from the University of Pennsylvania.