Neeli Bendapudi, an Indian-origin professor who specialises in marketing and consumer behaviour, is now the first woman and person of colour to become the president of Pennsylvania State University in the United States.
The decision was announced by the university on Thursday, 9 December.
Bendapudi was born in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh and immigrated to the US in 1986 for higher education.
Before becoming the president of Pennsylvania State University, she served as the president and professor of marketing at the University of Louisville in Kentucky.
She earned her PhD in marketing from the University of Kansas and she has taught at Texas A&M University and the Ohio State University, according to the website of the University of Louisville.
“We are proud to welcome Dr. Bendapudi to Penn State. She is a dynamic and innovative leader who has dedicated nearly her entire professional life to higher education and is prepared to help our University advance in the ways we support students, create new knowledge and serve society,” said Matt Schuyler, chair of the Board of Trustees, as quoted on the PSU website.
Bendapudi's work has been featured by popular daily newspapers and big news media networks including The New York Times, CNBC, CNN, MSNBC, WebMD and Fox News Network.
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