The Women Administrators in Management Education (WAME) Affinity Group, part of  The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB ), has established the Patricia M. Flynn Distinguished Woman Leader in Business Education Award in honor of Bentley University’s Pat Flynn, trustee professor of Management and Economics. The inaugural award was presented to Flynn at the 2016 AACSB’s Annual International Conference and will be awarded annually to an influential woman in business education.

“WAME’s recognition of the profound contributions of Pat Flynn and those who follow provides the inspiration and direction to move us toward a future of gender equity in business education and the business professions,” says Christine Clements, chief diversity and inclusion advocate for AACSB.

In 1992 Flynn was named dean of the McCallum Graduate School of Business at Bentley University—a time when only five other women held deanships at the 254 AACSB accredited business schools. In partnership with her fellow female business school administrators, Flynn led the charge to bring gender diversity to the AACSB membership. She helped grow and develop a network of women administrators that now thrive as AACSB’s WAME Affinity Group.  She wove issues of gender diversity into AACSB programming, and helped develop a platform for professional development and networking so that women in business school leadership positions could achieve greater representation and advancement.

“I am honored to have this award named for me and to be the first recipient,” says Flynn. “Sadly, in 2016 we still face many issues of gender inequality at business schools and the workplace. It is my hope that addressing these issues will continue to be a priority for AACSB and that there will be numerous candidates for this award in the future.”

In addition to her work on the innovation economy and on corporate governance, Flynn continues to conduct research on women in managerial and leadership positions. She also plays a leadership role with the United Nations PRME (Principles for Responsible Management Education) Working Group on Gender Equality, involving more than 500 business schools in 80 countries. She remains active with AACSB, continuing to coach and mentor her peer women administrators, and teach the annual Business Advisory Council seminar.

Flynn holds a PhD and master’s degree in Economics from Boston University, and a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Emmanuel College.