Dr. Geralyn McClure Franklin

Dr. Geralyn McClure Franklin

Geralyn McClure Franklin (PhD, University of North Texas) is an innovative, knowledgeable, and effective academic leader with more than 30 years of direct higher education experience at diverse types of universities including research, research-teaching, and teaching-research focused institutions. She served as dean or interim dean of business at four higher education institutions
in the United States for 13 1/2 years and then as dean of the College of Business and Economics at the United Arab Emirates University for two years before retiring in June 2016. In 2019-2020, she returned to academia as interim dean of business at a fifth US institution.

As a business dean, Geralyn led successful AACSB International accreditation initiatives, including one initial and two continuous improvement efforts. She also contributed to reports for AACSB, ABET, ACBSP, IACBE, SACSCOC, WSCUC, and other accrediting and reporting bodies during her academic career.

Upon retirement from full-time academia in 2016, Geralyn initially began consulting with business schools globally on accreditation but has expanded her collaborations to universities and business schools around topics like strategic initiatives and planning, internationalization, new program development, and enrollment. Besides projects through her start-up firm, GMF Academic Advisors, LLC, she collaborates with major consulting firms on higher education projects. Geralyn’s work has
included projects in Bahrain, France, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Russia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and multiple states in the United States. She also serves as a Special Advisor to ACADEM by Rima One, a comprehensive web-based software solution for faculty and research data management.

Since 2017, Geralyn has served as a search consultant for Higher Education Leadership Search, where she focuses on dean and equivalent administrative searches along with faculty searches in business and related disciplines. Geralyn has been involved in more than 10 searches during her affiliation with the firm.  

Throughout her career, Geralyn has advocated for and supported the establishment and expansion of innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurial courses and programming along with promoting the entrepreneurship discipline through her work with the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE), AACSB International, and other professional organizations. In January 2023, she was recognized by USASBE as the 20th recipient of the Max S. Wortman, Jr. Award for Lifetime Achievement in Entrepreneurship.

Office: 256-239-2305  

Cell: 936-371-0549