Bluntzer will lead the prestigious institute into the future of energy leadership, focusing on academic innovation, cutting-edge research and global outreach across industries.
March 29, 2022
By Neeley News
The TCU Neeley School of Business announced that Ann Bluntzer, PhD, associate professor of professional practice in management and leadership, has been appointed executive director of the TCU Ralph Lowe Energy Institute.
As executive director, Bluntzer works in concert with TCU’s Ralph Lowe Energy Institute Board of Advisors, which she has served on since 2013, to provide strategic direction and leadership for the program, including its award-winning Energy MBA and Energy Certificate.
Housed in the nationally ranked TCU Neeley School of Business, home of the No. 1 ranked Energy MBA program in Texas and No. 2 in the United States by Oil and Gas Investor magazine, as well as No. 1 ranked MBA Faculty in the world by The Economist, the institute is dedicated to developing tomorrow’s energy leaders for a sustainable future. This is achieved through its focus on academics and innovation in the classroom, research and outreach through building relationships with the energy and business industries.
“Bluntzer’s deep experience with and passion for energy, combined with her extensive network among domestic and global industry leaders, positions the Ralph Lowe Energy Institute to further advance TCU’s distinctive contributions to the energy space,” said Daniel Pullin, John V. Roach Dean of the TCU Neeley School of Business. “Likewise, as an award-winning professor, she brings an infectious enthusiasm to our goal of preparing students to lead in this all-important industry. While we are proud of TCU’s rich history of energy research and education, Bluntzer’s leadership is poised to extend the breadth and depth of our impact in the time ahead.”
Bluntzer’s passion for the energy industry, along with 23 years of experience working and teaching in the organizational management space, enhances TCU’s ability to prepare students to lead in energy as they work arm-in-arm with industry partners. In her time at TCU, she has helped create and fund 10 annual $10,000 energy scholarships, which enabled the Neeley School to recruit top students and greatly expand student financial aid.
“I am honored to serve as the executive director of the Ralph Lowe Energy Institute,” Bluntzer said. “TCU students, alumni, faculty and industry partners have an impressive and storied history with the energy sector. My intention is to honor that legacy while seeking new opportunities to grow TCU’s relevance as a global energy thought leader.”
Key to TCU’s distinctive edge in energy education is a forward focus on providing students a global view of this critical industry. In early January, Bluntzer and Pullin led a group of TCU Energy MBA students on a week-long study abroad trip to France, where they took an in-depth, first-hand look into the energy industry through an international lens. This unique opportunity provided TCU Energy MBA students with the valuable insights and confidence necessary to lead and compete on the global energy stage.
Bluntzer is credited with developing Faculty Fellows, a fellowship program to enrich the institute and support its mission to prepare and develop tomorrow’s leaders for an economical, sustainable and reliable energy future. She developed TCU’s graduate energy curriculum, which operates alongside the recently launched Sustainable Energy and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Certificate. Recently elected to serve on the Dallas Committee on Foreign Relations, a prestigious group of leaders from industry, academia and government, Bluntzer began her career as a Foreign Service Officer and has been teaching the Geopolitics of Energy course in the MBA program for eight years.
Learn more about the Ralph Lowe Energy Institute here.
Read the full story behind the naming of the Ralph Lowe Energy Institute here.
