Dr. Sawyer joined the Lerner College faculty in 1991 as an assistant professor of business administration, becoming an associate professor in 1995 and a full professor in 2002, when he was also given a joint appointment in the Department of Psychology and Brain Sciences. From 2001-6, he chaired the Department of Business Administration. Founding director of the Master of Science Program in Organizational Effectiveness, Development and Change in 2004-5, he directed the program again from 2007-12.

In 2008-9, he was a faculty fellow and director of professional education initiatives in the then Office of Graduate and Professional Education. The following year, he was appointed to a three-year term as associate provost for professional education. In that role he provided critical leadership and strategic direction to integrate the Division of Professional and Continuing Studies into the Office of Graduate and Professional Education, collaborating with deans, department chairs, institute directors and faculty to support the continued development and enhancement of professional education.

In 2013, Dr. Sawyer was named associate provost for institutional research and effectiveness. Reporting to the deputy provost, he oversaw Institutional Research, the Data Warehouse/Business Intelligence Report Team and the Higher Education Consortia, and worked with academic leaders to assess and address information needs related to strategic planning.

In 2014, Dr. Sawyer was one of the co-investigators of a prestigious National Science Foundation ADVANCE Institutional Transformation grant the University received to improve transparency in policies and procedures and to mentor women faculty to advance into senior leadership positions.

Dr. Sawyer retired from UD in 2024 and moved to San Diego, California. 

Colleagues remember

Several of Dr. Sawyer’s colleagues and friends shared their memories.

Hemant Kher, chairperson of the Department of Business Administration:

“John Sawyer was a great department chair, a mentor to me and many other department faculty. He was a true teacher/scholar. Well after he stepped down from administrative duties at UD, he continued to excel in the classroom and continued to publish in leading journals in his field, often with young faculty, setting a great example for all faculty.”

Dustin Sleesman, associate professor of business administration:

“John and I were co-authors on negotiation research, and I always appreciated his ambition, creativity and kindness throughout our work together. I visited John in San Diego shortly after he retired from UD. He showed me around his local marina where we raced boats with friends. He was really living life to the fullest! John was a kind and gentle man, and he is missed greatly.”

Wendy Smith, professor of business administration:

“John not only taught leadership, he embodied it. He brought bold visions that put Management and Leadership at UD on the national and international map, and then worked with us as faculty so that we were inspired to implement those ideas. The legacy of his leadership lives on through our department's successes. Personally, I am so grateful to John for his unwavering support both formally as my first department chair and informally as a mentor, adviser and colleague.”

Kyle Emich, professor of business administration:

“What I remember most about John is his kindness, wisdom and willingness to support and develop his junior colleagues. He significantly helped me during the tenure process and more importantly was always there to meet when I felt overwhelmed. John really cared about his communities: his community of colleagues at UD, in the management department, across academia and, of course, his family and friends. He painstakingly played a major role in building our department into what it is today at great personal cost. I will remember John for always trying go help and do what is right,”

Katalin Takacs Haynes, professor of business administration:

“John was a special colleague and friend to us, and his loss will be felt for a long time. He was an accomplished senior colleague and administrator when I joined UD as an assistant professor. His door was always open to those of us who were just beginning to navigate academia. He was a wonderful adviser and mentor. John often told us fun stories about his family and life outside of work, especially his love of sailing. There are so many wonderful memories with John, but one I will always remember is him and his family kindly hosting at their home at the Polar Bear Plunge in Rehoboth.”

Amanda Bullough, professor of management and global leadership:

“John gave a lot to UD and Lerner for many years and was a good mentor to me personally. He was welcoming to new faculty and always had a smile. John was just one of those people who made you feel good just being around him. He is missed dearly.”

Jack Baroudi, professor of accounting and MIS:

“John was a kind person and an excellent scholar. He did a great job as chair and helped move the college and the University forward. He was one of the first people I met when I moved here and he reached out and introduced me to a number of people and helped me adjust to my new role and to Delaware. I am very saddened to hear that he passed away. He was still teaching in our online MBA program from time to time, and he always got rave reviews from his students.” 

About John Sawyer

John Sawyer received his bachelor's degree in psychology with distinction from California State University Long Beach, a master's degree in counseling education with great distinction from California State University Fresno and a doctorate in industrial and organizational psychology from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Before joining the Delaware faculty, he taught organizational psychology at Texas A&M University for four years.

Dr. Sawyer’s research focused on contextual effects on negotiations and on science and technology management, from research and development to market implementation. 

He served on editorial boards of four journals in the management sciences and held research grants from NSF, the Army Research Institute and several corporate contracts.