Peel ’74 to help Mays fulfill strategic plan, remain international leader in innovation

Mays Business School takes great pride in its commitment to being on the leading edge of business, education, and research. The latest evidence is the hiring of corporate management and marketing executive Bill Peel ’74 as the school’s executive director of innovation and strategic planning, a role that is unique in higher education.

Peel’s diverse professional background and knowledge of design thinking will be a tremendous asset to Mays. “Bill comes to us with an extensive business background and is someone who is very creative and has a high level of integrity,” said Mays Dean Eli Jones. “Plus, Bill’s an Aggie so he understands and embraces Texas A&M’s unique culture and inherent values.”

In his new position, Peel – who holds degrees in environmental design and architecture from Texas A&M – will facilitate the implementation of the school’s strategic plan. He also will oversee Mays’ marketing, communications, public relations, corporate relations and alumni relations.

Providing strategic oversight

Mays’ strategic plan – which addresses three grand challenges of entrepreneurship, energy, and health care – is grounded in the school’s vision of advancing the world’s prosperity. The innovative plan calls for the school to become a vibrant learning organization that creates impactful knowledge and develops transformational leaders. “Our dean is a pioneering individual and he’s a risk taker because he is so strategic and visionary,” Peel said. “After he joined Mays, Dean Jones initiated this strategic planning process, which has resulted in a very high-quality strategic plan.”

Peel sees his role as serving as “a champion, a facilitator, and a catalyst to promote the strategic plan and advocate for continuous improvement and impactful action around the plan.” He plans to work collaboratively to leverage the resources and talent of Mays’ internationally recognized faculty and staff, dedicated students and their parents, a committed group of donors, strong corporate partners, and loyal former students to bring the strategic plan’s initiatives to fruition.

As part of his effort, Peel will work closely with the new Mays Innovation Research Center, which is charged with examining the nature of innovation by drawing from Texas A&M’s various academic disciplines. Peel also will ensure that Mays’ efforts integrate with Texas A&M’s new School of Innovation, which serves as an interdisciplinary environment for problem-solving initiatives.

In addition, Peel will oversee Mays’ building expansion, which will create a state-of-the-art learning environment and house the Innovation Research Center, along with leading-edge spaces for learning, teaming, and research.

A long history of success

Over his 40-year career, Peel has held senior positions in top design, development, marketing, and management consulting firms. “I’m a conceptual and catalytic person. Other people have the gift of execution,” he said. “I have focused my career on leveraging my strengths in strategic planning, visioning, alignment, branding, and communications.”

His hard work paid off. Professionally, he has been recognized with the Society for Marketing Professional Services’ Marketing Excellence Award and was named an Outstanding Alumnus by Texas A&M University’s College of Architecture. He also has served on the boards of the Boy Scouts of America’s Sam Houston Area Council, Houston Christian High School, the Collaborative for Children, and Recenter. He also is a long-standing member of Texas A&M’s College of Architecture’s Development Advisory Council.

Focused on the future

At an age when many of his peers are considering winding down their careers, Peel is relishing his new professional challenge and the opportunity to utilize his unique approach of creativity, collaboration, design thinking, and innovation. “I’m excited about accelerating the execution of our strategic plan to make Mays internationally prominent in innovation and transformational leadership,” Peel said. “It’s a blessing to have the opportunity to work with such a motivated and energized group of colleagues. They are truly amazing.”