Karen Wruck

Karen Wruck is Dean’s Distinguished Professor and Professor of Finance at the Fisher College of Business, The Ohio State University. Prior to her appointment at Ohio State, Wruck served on the faculty of the Harvard Business School. Her research and teaching are in the fields of financial and organizational economics, with special emphasis on corporate finance, restructuring, financial distress, governance, and management compensation. She has published numerous articles in leading academic journals and developed highly successful courses for delivery to MBAs and executives. In addition, her work and opinions have been highlighted in business periodicals. Professor Wruck has served as an associate editor of the Journal of Financial Economics, Journal of Corporate Finance, Journal of Accounting and Economics, Journal of Financial Research and European Financial Management and an ad hoc referee for many other academic journals. She has served as an academic director of the Financial Management Association and the Turnaround Management Association, a consultant to major corporations and has worked on a number of high-profile corporate litigation projects as a subject matter expert.

During her time at Ohio State, Professor Wruck has served in senior leadership positions at the Fisher College of Business, including Associate Dean and Senior Associate Dean with responsibility for all Fisher’s degree granting academic programs and major operating units within the College. In addition, as a senior leader of the College, she worked on significant issues including strategy, centers of excellence, AACSB reaccreditation, curriculum design, semester conversion, new minors and degree granting programs, budget, faculty appointments, compensation, workload and a variety of special projects and initiatives. In recognition of her leadership and service, Professor Wruck received Ohio State’s Mary Ann Williams Award, which recognizes a woman exhibiting extraordinary leadership, and Fisher’s Bostick-Georges Pacesetter Service Award, which recognizes exceptional leadership and service to the College of Business. In addition, Professor Wruck has on multiple occasions been selected as outstanding professor by Ohio State’s full-time and executive MBA programs.

Professor Wruck holds an A.B. from Davidson College, Phi Beta Kappa, in Economics, and both an M.S. in Applied Economics and a Ph.D. in Finance and Accounting from the University of Rochester.