College of Business Dean Dr. Robin Weinstein has dedicated his life to serving others. He offers innovative and evocative perspectives on business, enriching the educational experience for students who can change the world.
Dr. Robin Weinstein want-ed to achieve “three Ps” in his life: preacher, politician, professor. He accomplished the first two in his 20s and earned his doctorate a month before his 30th birthday, allowing him to obtain a faculty position later that year with Wilmington University.
That’s a lot of success for a person who endured a difficult childhood. But Dr. Weinstein, the dean of Wilmington University’s College of Business and a professor of Human Resource Management, was informed — perhaps motivated — by adversity.
Deeply spiritual and philosophical, he grew up in an environment that was constantly in flux, which made him more aware of and responsive to change. Had his life been stable and predictable, he may not have developed the soul of a preacher, the generosity of a teacher, or his love for humanity.
Nor would he have become an ordained minister, a deputy county administrator, a founder of a nonprofit who co-wrote legislation for people experiencing homelessness, a recipient of too many awards to list — most of them for service and leadership — or a dean. His résumé may not have been packed with achievements that many take a lifetime to accomplish.
He remains committed to his church and community, but now, Dr. Weinstein is focused on his deanship — though on Facebook, he calls himself a “professional helper.” He has no plans to radically change the College of Business. Instead, he hopes to enhance it by continuing to prepare students for the global business world, but also by inspiring them with a curriculum emphasizing ethical frameworks and servant leadership.
“There’s a legacy at the college and Wilmington University,” says Dr. Weinstein. “It’s about taking that mission, vision, and values and adapting them into the rapidly changing landscape of our world and giving our students the tools they need to be positive change agents in their communities and workplaces.”
Considering what he’s overcome, along with his candor, empathy, and humility, Dr. Weinstein is the ultimate change agent.
What matters to Dr. Weinstein about his upbringing is what he took from it: That life is precious. While we’re here, he thinks, we have an obligation to joyfully serve others. And what better way to serve than by encouraging future generations of global business professionals to lead with integrity?
“Leaders have the opportunity and honor to serve.” — Dr. Robin Weinstein
“Leaders have the opportunity and honor to serve,” says Dr. Weinstein, who was named dean in February. He earned his Ed.D. in Innovation and Leadership from WilmU in 2011, six years before receiving a Master of Theological Studies in Faith and Public Policy from Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and before
that, a B.A. in Justice, Law and Society from Eastern University. Like many alums, he loved the University so much he wanted to be a part of its staff.
“The faculty at WilmU were engaged, and there was a very supportive environment,” he says. “I had heard about the University from a friend who was an alumna, and the flexibility for students it offered was something I needed at the time.”
Dr. Weinstein had been the deputy county administrator and director of administrative services for the County of Salem (New Jersey). He was hired as a human resources manager and public information officer and was charged with creating an HR department for 750 employees and eight unions. Within a year, he was promoted to the deputy county administrator role, the No. 2 position. He earned the trust of colleagues, union leadership, and employees, but came to the position with no actual HR experience. What he did have was credibility: a team player who could forge organizational partnerships. And he thought of himself as a servant leader. (Servant leadership, a concept introduced by Robert K. Greenleaf in 1970, is a theoretical framework that emphasizes a leader’s primary motivation and role is serving others.)
He calls the former job a “mishmash,” doing everything from HR to public relations to tourism campaigns. When he didn’t have the answers, he consulted an impeccable source — something many professionals do but don’t admit.
“I went out and bought the book ‘HR for Dummies’ the day they offered me the job,” says Dr. Weinstein. “I always show it to my students and keep it on my desk.”
Dr. Weinstein’s life didn’t unfold the way he expected. At Eastern, he developed his own major in Justice, Law and Society by presenting it to faculty. He mostly went to divinity school to study the intersection of faith and public policy and ready himself for a Ph.D. until a graduate internship with former U.S. Senator turned New Jersey Gov. John Corzine re-routed him to politics. He also didn’t plan on becoming a pastor, despite becoming the founding pastor of Bethany Grace Community Church in Bridgeton, New Jersey, where he has served since 2005. He was supposed to be there for a two-week stint as a preacher, but he saw a need to serve Bridgeton, the third poorest city in New Jersey.
“I didn’t want to see a church in the city I grew up in close its doors,” he says. “I know it sounds cliché, but after seeing ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ for the first time in my senior year of college, I thought if I was going to make a difference, it should be in my home community.”
“I never thought I would have been deputy county administrator at 24 or a pastor at 24,” he adds. “And if you told me I’d be working in the College of Business (COB), I would have never thought that was possible. I don’t have the traditional educational background in business as I don’t have an MBA, and I took one undergrad business course and hated it.”
Dr. Robin Weinstein
He often finds answers (and comfort) in Scripture, in this case, Proverbs, which says, “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.”
“The journey changed me,” he says, explaining that people often chase after material things, relationships, or jobs they believe will bring them happiness. “I’m grateful that God didn’t answer prayers the way I wanted them answered.”
He had many prayers amid an unhappy childhood and had to overcome significant challenges, including depression, anxiety, obesity, and low self-esteem. He’s sought guidance from therapists for years, and, throughout his childhood, he had a lateral lisp.
“I spoke with a very bad speech impediment until I was 18, when I went to college and had to learn how to talk all over again,” he says. He found a speech therapist in the phone book who accepted his insurance and tackled the lisp with help from college pals.
In his desk drawer is his first-grade report card with notes from a teacher who mentioned his carelessness, which lowered his reading and language grades, yet contributed to his pleasant demeanor and eagerness to learn. “My mother wrote back to the teacher, saying, ‘We’re working on all his problems,’ and she underlined all,” says Dr. Weinstein.
“I was in first grade, so I didn’t see the report card until much later. Even as an adult, I figured, yes, I guess I’m still a work in progress,” he says. “I did have problems. I went to counseling for a lot of my childhood, trying to deal with the environment I was around. I have had to practice forgiveness because we’re all human and make mistakes. I have also learned to be an active participant in not only my healing, but the healing of others. There are things I wish were different, but those things shaped me, for good or bad, into the person I am today.”
In that same drawer, alongside the report card, sits an acceptance letter for graduate school from Yale University. He scored a half-scholarship and couldn’t afford the rest of the tuition, so he didn’t go. But the contrast between the report card and the Yale letter tells a tale of transformation, a journey from struggle to triumph, where dreams of an insecure kid became poetically tangible.
True Colors
Faith has been the guiding light that has enabled Dr. Weinstein to navigate and overcome challenges. “Rather than letting them be a hurdle,” he says, “I learned to let them be steppingstones to help other people.”
Throughout his journey, he has been blessed with “many angels along the way,” including teachers, church members, and several mentors. “I believe it’s my duty to pay it forward,” he says. “I strive to do so in every aspect of my life. Ultimately, our time is limited, but we have the power to use it and our resources to make a meaningful and lasting impact on each other’s lives.”
Especially WilmU students. “The nature of our student population is mostly open enrollment, and our students are coming in with different backgrounds and perspectives,” says Dr. Weinstein. “I share my life story and challenges openly because it’s important to acknowledge that how you start your race doesn’t determine how you finish your race.”
His true nature was unveiled through his own words, recently featured in WilmU’s Employee Spotlight:
“After my second year at Wilmington University, I had two experiences that profoundly impacted my life. In the spring of 2013, I was in Disney World when I sensed a calling to go to an orphanage in Kenya. It was an odd place for such a calling to occur, and I had no desire to follow through on it. Nevertheless, I went during the summer to an orphanage where two-thirds of them had HIV. The love of the children was transformative. Upon my return, I spoke to my church about the experience, and I thought my mission was complete. While unpacking my bags from the trip, I was compelled to go to the mission field in my backyard. In October of 2013, I went undercover and spent a weekend with our homeless community in Bridgeton. It was one of the hardest and scariest things I have done. I then sat in my church, still dressed in my homeless attire, waiting for the Sunday service to begin. No one came to greet me, as they thought I was just another drifter from the streets. I went to the pulpit and shared my experiences from life on the streets for those 48 hours.
These two experiences led me to create the first Code Blue program in our community, where we sheltered our homeless brothers and sisters in churches during cold winter months. This program grew throughout the county and is now a statewide law to provide emergency winter shelter. I had the privilege of helping the legislature write the legislation, provide testimony for the legislation, and continue to advocate for those without a voice. These experiences helped prepare the way for a nonprofit I founded called The M25 Initiative. In 2021, we celebrated housing our 100th individual dealing with chronic homelessness. As I reflect on this journey, it is amazing how I had to go from the Magic Kingdom to an orphanage across the world before responding to the need right in front of me all along.”
—Dr. Robin Weinstein Note: In 2023, the initiative housed over 150 people before the organization was dissolved.
Dr. Robin Weinstein
The Road to WilmU
Dr. Weinstein began his WilmU career in 2011 as an assistant professor and assistant chair of New Jersey business programs. He was later named chair of the Human Resource Management Program in the COB and its dean in February.
“Wilmington provided me the opportunity to engage in education, which is a powerful way to change both people’s lives and communities,” he says.
He takes a holistic approach in working with people and organizations by “investing in and empowering them to be the miracle in their lives and the lives of others,” he says. “It’s about how we as individuals can inspire and encourage the impact of collective goodness.”
He’s moved by volunteers who give of their money and time in service to others, and his philosophies are transferable to his University work. “It’s about being a good human being,” he says. “When you do a little good wherever you are, it creates a ripple effect. If each of us made that effort, imagine how much better the world could be.” Not that he thinks it’s easy. In general, church work and philanthropic efforts are difficult to navigate in today’s divisive society. “When I started at the church,” says Dr. Weinstein, “it would be unheard of to think about locking the doors for a service. Now, it’s second nature to lock the doors. We have to be concerned about security and active shooters and drills.”
“When you do a little good wherever you are, it creates a ripple effect. If each of us made that effort, imagine how much better the world could be. — Dr. Robin Weinstein
He worries about the disruptiveness of social media and how it fosters tribalism and a reluctance to listen to one another. “We’re quick to vilify each other. Instead of embracing each other’s humanity, we dehumanize one another,” he says. Dr. Weinstein will step down as pastor this December, which might prompt the question of why he’s leaving now when values like his seem to be needed most.
“I had decided to leave the church in January, a month before becoming dean,” he says. Being bi-vocational was taking its toll, and the pandemic didn’t help. It’s important to note that he’s not leaving his faith or community, just his administrative church role.
“A good lesson in leadership is knowing when it’s time to step aside for the next generation,” he says. “I love preaching, and I love my flock. But sometimes, when you love something, you have to let it go. I think they’re ready for their next chapter, and I’m ready for mine, as well.”
That chapter will focus on his WilmU students and colleagues. “I view my work at the University as a form of ministry,” he says. “It’s an opportunity to serve, equip, empower, and inspire everyone who comes to the University to realize their potential and become positive change agents in the world.”
It’s awe-inspiring to imagine all his energies being channeled into his deanship. He has shepherded a congregation, managed a large government organization, led a nonprofit, and improved the lives of countless people in need. As the first Wilberforce Public Policy Research Scholar at the Sider Center, Dr. Weinstein was a principal researcher in revising widely read social justice publications like “Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger,” and “Just Generosity: A New Vision for Overcoming Poverty in America.”
He holds professional certifications from the Society for Human Resource Management, Human Resource Certification Institute, and Cornell University School for Industrial and Labor Relations. He has taught human resource and business management, leadership, ethics, philosophy, biblical and theological studies, and political science. He examined the relationship between servant leadership attributes and faith development among governmental leaders for his doctoral dissertation. There are more achievements; far too many to recount here.
His awards are numerous, too, including the Rutgers University Rand Center South Jerseyan of the Year, Greater Bridgeton Chamber of Commerce Gary Simmerman Community Leadership Award, Social Service Partner of the Year Award by the Puerto Rican Action Committee of Southern New Jersey, the Cumber-land County Hometown Heroes Award, the NAACP of Cumberland County Freedom Fund Award — and the list goes on.
“Dr. Weinstein is an incredible colleague whose dedication to helping others and high energy make him a powerful force for change.” — Dr. Denise Wells
“Now I can serve on a larger scale by equipping others to be agents of change worldwide,” he says of his deanship, a philosophy that aligns with the University’s mission, vision, and core values and, to him, the business world.
“Our College of Business prepares students to make a significant impact across diverse career fields, including for-profit, nonprofit, government, and social services,” he says. “We equip them with a versatile toolkit of skills that are transferable wherever they go, empowering them to become effective leaders in their organizations and communities.”
“Dr. Weinstein is an incredible colleague whose dedication to helping others and high energy make him a powerful force for change,” says Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Denise Wells. “His charisma and creative problem-solving skills lead to meaningful results that benefit our community and beyond.”
Most important to him are the ethical frameworks embedded into the COB curriculum that are illustrative of leading with integrity and servant leadership. His vision for the college can be summed up in one word: flourish.
“I want to help faculty and staff flourish as human beings and in their professional careers, so we can, in turn, help students flourish as well by achieving their career goals while making a meaningful, positive impact in the world,” he says. He’s aware that not everyone equates business with these powerful intangibles.
“Business is not about choosing between success and giving back,” says Dr. Weinstein. “I challenge that notion with an ‘and.’ We can be successful and have an obligation to give back.” He believes that when we embrace our humanity, we lead with humanity. “That’s when we’re authentic. That’s when people will follow.”