In May 2018, the Oregon Executive MBA welcomed its new director, Rachel Todd. She will work closely with executive director Julianna Sowash and the rest of the Portland team, focusing on three key areas for the Oregon Executive MBA:

• Strategic planning
• Recruiting
• Daily operations

Thanks to a career that blends executive MBA-specific experience with stints in outside industries—including finance, media, and entertainment—Todd is especially qualified to assume a leadership position at the Oregon Executive MBA.

From 2009 to 2017, Todd served as director of operations for the executive MBA program at Pepperdine University's Graziadio Business School. Todd's achievements in that position included directing a complex program supporting more than 150 executive MBAs with seven starts per year across five campus locations. During Todd's time there, Graziadio's executive program moved from 31st place to 23rd place in Bloomberg Businessweek's annual executive MBA rankings.

Todd also has a longstanding commitment to nonprofit work. A recent high point for her was serving as a nonresident runner with Back on My Feet, the national nonprofit that uses early morning runs to help homeless people gain independence, living skills, and connections with community services. In addition to running twice a week with homeless individuals, she raised more than $4,400 for the organization through a Ragnar Relay Series running race, in which she was a member of nine-woman team that covered 185 miles.

Todd earned her MBA through Pepperdine University's part-time program for working professionals, an experience that has garnered her meaningful insights into many of the challenges Oregon Executive MBA's busy professional students must navigate as they balance their professional, personal, and school-related responsibilities.