Marianne W. Lewis

Marianne W. Lewis is an American academic and since 2019 the dean for Carl H. Lindner College of Business (Lindner College of Business) at the University of Cincinnati. She was previously the dean of the Cass Business School in London, England. Her research on paradox theory examines how organizations can simultaneously embrace persistent, interwoven tensions rather than choosing between them, showing that actively engaging with and managing apparent “both/and” contradictions can lead to opportunities for learning and sustained high performance.

Early life and education Lewis was born in Salt Lake City, the eldest of five children, to Steven C. Wheelwright and Margaret Steele. Her father is an academic who served as senior associate dean at the Harvard Business School and later as president of Brigham Young University–Hawaii from 2007 to 2015.

Lewis graduated from Tusculum College in 1989. She received a master of business administration from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University in 1991.

Career Lewis became a Professor of Management at Lindner College of Business in 1996, and served as its associate dean from 2009 until 2015. She was a visiting fellow at Keele University in 2000 and a Fulbright Scholar at Cardiff University in 2014. She is a member of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, and serves on the advisory board of the Future Business Journal. She served as the Dean of the Cass Business School in London from 2015 to 2019,

Lewis’ studies into paradox theory opened a new field in management research. She, along with Smith, was selected for the Thinkers50 Breakthrough Idea Award in 2023, and they made the Thinkers50 Ranked list in 2025.

Personal life Lewis has 3 children, 2 sons and 1 daughter.