After more than 35 years of shaping minds and inspiring future leaders, Dr. Larry Lad is preparing to retire this June – leaving behind a legacy defined by creativity, mindfulness, and deep human connection.
Since joining the Lacy School of Business in 1991, Dr. Lad has brought a distinctive and powerful perspective to the classroom. For him, teaching has never been just about delivering content, it has been about creating moments that spark reflection, evoke emotion, and inspire self-discovery.
“We are all artists searching for the canvas to express ourselves,” he often says. That belief has guided his entire career, transforming his courses into dynamic spaces where ideas, emotions, and experiences come together. In his classroom, students don’t just learn strategy – they learn how to see the world differently.
Before joining Butler, Dr. Lad spent time teaching at the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University and working in executive education, experiences that broadened his perspective and deepened his appreciation for the classroom. After those roles, he felt drawn back to the energy of teaching in a university setting.
“I missed the classroom,” the associate professor of management shares. “And Butler felt like the right place at the right time. A place that was on the move.”
Since that moment, he has been a constant and guiding presence through decades of transformation: teaching across eras marked by five presidents, five deans, and remarkable growth within the university. Along the way, he has taught more than 6,000 students across undergraduate, MBA, and executive education programs, each one leaving with more than knowledge – they leave with perspective.
“Students may forget the content,” he reflects, “but I hope they remember that I cared. That there was passion in the classroom.”
That care is unmistakable.
Dr. Lad’s courses consistently challenge students to think beyond the textbook, connecting strategy to leadership, and leadership to life. One of his signature assignments, developed more than 20 years ago, asks students to create a personal leadership development plan, linking business principles to their own lives and futures.
“Strategy isn’t just about a company,” he explains. “It’s about your life, how you make decisions, how you prepare for the future, and how you see your role in the world.”
At the heart of his teaching is a belief in mindfulness: the idea that awareness, reflection, and presence are essential to both leadership and learning. He encourages students to pause, consider, and feel – to recognize not just outcomes, but meaning.
That philosophy extends beyond business and into his creative practice. As both a published poet and visual artist, Dr. Lad brings creativity into everything he does. Whether guiding collaborative art projects or incorporating poetry into his lessons, he invites students to engage with ideas in ways that reach beyond logic alone.
“Art taps into all the senses,” he says. “It helps us experience awe, and when we experience awe, we learn differently.”
Throughout his time at LSB, Dr. Lad has also been a dedicated servant-leader. He has served on Faculty Senate multiple times, contributed to the university’s growth and evolution, and remained actively engaged in the broader community through service, including his volunteer work with Second Helpings and other initiatives addressing hunger and homelessness.
“It’s the relationships that matter most,” he says. “The classroom, working with colleagues, serving the community; those moments stay with you.”
He has also been a witness to, and a contributor to, Butler’s rise as a nationally recognized institution.
“It’s been incredible to watch the university grow,” he shares. “The programs, the faculty, the students – we’ve built something truly special. And we walk our talk. There’s an authenticity here that students can feel.”
That authenticity has defined his work from the very beginning.
Across his career, Dr. Lad has also taught internationally and at other leading institutions, including Purdue, LSU, and Harvard, extending his influence well beyond Butler. His research explores mindfulness, strategy, and business ethics, with publications in respected academic journals, further reinforcing his commitment to thoughtful, human-centered business education.
As he prepares to retire, Dr. Lad reflects on his journey with gratitude and pride.
“It’s been a great ride,” he says, pausing with emotion. “And it’s also been a privilege.”
In recognition of his distinguished career and lasting contributions to the university, the Board of Trustees has awarded Dr. Lad emeritus status, effective upon his retirement.
Retirement, however, is not an ending – it’s a new canvas.
Dr. Lad looks forward to spending more time in his art studio, continuing his creative work, and eventually relocating to Nashville to be closer to his family. He also plans to remain engaged in service, particularly around issues of hunger and homelessness, causes that have long been close to his heart.
“I’ve done my art to make the art,” he says. “Now it’s time to share it in new ways.”
Though he is stepping away from the classroom, his impact will endure – in the thousands of students he has taught, the colleagues he has inspired, and the countless lives he has influenced.
Because at its core, Dr. Larry Lad’s legacy is not just about teaching business.
It is about teaching people how to see differently, think deeply, and lead with purpose.
And that is a work of art.
If you want to find Larry over the next year before he heads to Nashville, you can find him in his studio in the Factory Arts District.