David Schmittlein

David C. Schmittlein (April 15, 1955 – March 13, 2025) was an American academic administrator who served as the John C Head III Dean and Professor of Marketing at the MIT Sloan School of Management for 17 years. He was appointed on August 27, 2007 and served until stepping down on February 5, 2024. Prior to joining MIT, Schmittlein was the Ira A. Lipman Professor and Professor of Marketing at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Background Schmittlein was a native of Northampton, Massachusetts.

Career Schmittlein was formerly a professor of marketing at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and chair of the editorial board for Wharton School Publishing. He joined MIT in 2007 as the first dean of the Sloan School of Management since 1966 to be recruited from outside the university.