Nicholas C. Petruzzi has assumed the role of chair of the Department of Supply Chain and Information Systems in the Penn State Smeal College of Business.
He succeeds Gene Tyworth, John J. Coyle Endowed Professor of Supply Chain Management. In his 17 years as chair, Tyworth oversaw incredible prosperity for the department, including No. 1 rankings for supply chain at Penn State. He will continue in his role as a faculty member.
“The first thought that pops into my head upon entering this place is ‘infectious energy.’ This is a vibrant department bubbling with potential, and I feel nothing but unbridled excitement for landing in the middle of it all,” Petruzzi said. “It is my distinct honor to assume a central role amid the talent that is the Department of Supply Chain and Information Systems at the Smeal College of Business.”
Petruzzi’s current research interests include pricing models in supply chain management, stochastic inventory theory, the operations/marketing interface, and supply chain coordination.
He comes to Smeal after 19 years as a faculty member at the University of Illinois, most recently as associate professor of business administration and Seass Faculty Fellow. Petruzzi taught courses in operations and supply chain management, manufacturing planning and control, design and management of service systems, and project management.
He also served as academic director of MBA Programs from 2007-14 and Gutman Teaching Excellence Fellow from 2006-13.
Petruzzi holds a doctoral degree in operations management from Purdue University, a master’s degree in systems analysis and management from George Washington University and a bachelor’s degree in physics from the College of William and Mary.
“My plans are to invest in people and programs,” Petruzzi said. “The Department of Supply Chain and Information Systems has a storied history of success; it is my plan to build on that success and to press it forward.”
Supply Chain at Penn StateSmeal’s No. 1 supply chain program offers a comprehensive suite of supply chain education, beginning at the undergraduate level with a bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain and Information Systems. In conjunction with Penn State's World Campus, students can earn a Master of Professional Studies in Supply Chain Management. The Penn State Smeal MBA Program offers a concentration in supply chain management, and the college also offers a doctorate in supply chain. Smeal’s Center for Supply Chain Research and Penn State Executive Programs offer certificate programs in supply chain management and supply chain leadership.