Associate Dean, Heavener School Director Alex Sevilla to join Vanderbilt University
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – After 23 years with the University of Florida Warrington College of Business, Alex Sevilla will be joining Vanderbilt University as Vice Provost of Career Advancement & Engagement.
“From undergraduate to graduate students, Alex has made a lasting impact on the opportunities available to Business Gators,” said Dean Saby Mitra. “The college’s foundation of excellence wouldn’t be as strong as it is without Alex’s exceptional leadership and strategic vision. He is bound to have the same outstanding impact at Vanderbilt.”
Sevilla’s last day as Associate Dean and Director of the Heavener School of Business is August 6, 2021, before beginning his new role at Vanderbilt on August 9, 2021.
“I am humbled and elated to be joining Vanderbilt University in this dynamic new role,” Sevilla said. “Having said this, leaving UF and Warrington after 23 years will be the most difficult thing I’ve done in my professional career. It has been a lifetime honor to collaborate with so many amazing partners across the college and the university in our shared mission to deliver transformation in the lives of the students we serve. From talented faculty to inspirational teammates to dedicated alumni, and of course our amazing students, each one of you have given so much to me, more than you will ever know. Thank you for your trust, your friendship and your giving spirit. The Gator Nation will always hold a special place in my heart.”
Sevilla has been dedicated to preparing students for their future careers since he first came to Warrington in 1998 as an associate director of UF MBA career services. In the time after, he held many roles at UF MBA, with the longest being assistant dean & director from 2005-2016.
UF MBA benefitted greatly from Sevilla’s leadership, as he redesigned its admissions, recruiting and marketing strategies that increased Executive MBA, Professional MBA and Online MBA enrollment from 400 to 900+ students. True to his roots in the UF MBA program, Sevilla established the first-ever strategy for providing career services for Executive and Professional MBA students. In addition, he created and led two corporate advisory boards and drove board engagement to support enrollment and job placement.
During Sevilla’s tenure, Warrington launched its pioneering Online MBA program, established the Professional MBA program and teaching facility in South Florida, and created the Global Immersion Experience programs.
Sevilla is also responsible for advancing UF MBA’s rankings prominence. He partnered with many across the college to design and execute a comprehensive rankings strategy, which took Warrington’s unranked MBA in 2004 and developed it into a top tier globally recognized brand in U.S. News & World Report, Bloomberg Businessweek, Financial Times and The Economist.
Sevilla brought his strategic vision and leadership to the Heavener School of Business in May 2016 as Associate Dean and Director. During his tenure, he grew both the curriculum and professional development opportunities for Warrington’s undergraduate students.
Through partnering with faculty, Sevilla helped deliver a number of curricular innovations to the Heavener School, including a redesigned finance major, three new minors, four new specializations, the online BABA program and a new school-wide focus on AI and business analytics. His efforts with groups across the college led to advanced strategies that grew Warrington’s combination degree enrollment by 128%.
Sevilla’s focus on the importance of professional development brought the launch of Gator Ready, a first-of-its-kind competency development app designed to maximize student engagement and career readiness, as well as the Heavener Leaders Sequence program, which is designed to maximize career readiness and leadership skill development for Heavener students.
In addition, his efforts in collaboration with Business Career Services led to the launch of a career services division specifically for Heavener students. He also partnered with many across Warrington to design an Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access (IDEA) strategic plan for the Heavener School, set to launch in the summer of 2021.
Beyond his academic advancements and new professional development opportunities, Sevilla increased corporate sponsorships and engagement, including a partnership with Proctor & Gamble that earned an AACSB Innovations that Inspire Award in 2018.
During his time at Warrington, Sevilla also served as board member for the Graduate Management Admissions Council (GMAC), including serving as chairperson of the GMAC board in 2010-11. He currently serves on the University of Florida’s Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, Advisory Council for Undergraduate Affairs, UF Online Executive Management Forum, the Provost Important Issues Group and the University Athletic Association’s Pension and Investment Committee.
The Warrington College of Business sincerely thanks Sevilla for his lasting impact on the College and wishes him the best at Vanderbilt University.
