JUNE 2008: AROUND THE STATE
Educating
Judi
Former PacifiCorp CEO Judi Johansen becomes president of
Marylhurst University on July 1, replacing Nancy Wilgenbusch,
who is retiring after 24 years. Johansen left PacifiCorp in
2006 after five years as its CEO and a long career in the
energy industry. Saying she was taking a breather for a while
for lifestyle reasons (her daughter, Anna, is 12 this year),
she gave up full-time work but has served on several boards,
including the Port of Portland, Schnitzer Steel and Bank of the
Cascades. When Johansen left PacifiCorp after it was bought by
MidAmerican Energy, some hoped she would run for public office
or take on another prominent business leadership role. But in
the end, it was a small Catholic university founded as a school
for women in 1893 that won her over.
HOW DOES A FORMER ENERGY
CHIEF BECOME HEAD OF A UNIVERSITY?
They didn’t come after me, I came after them. I have to
admit, I hadn’t had to put a resume together in a long
time. I had to work for it. I wasn’t looking for a
full-time job, but there was something special about this
situation. Marylhurst has always reached out to serve
underserved populations. Today that means adult learners; back
in the original days it meant women. I like the history and the
role that the order has played. There’s a selfish piece
to this as well. I’ve discovered that even though
I’m very active in the community on various boards, I
miss being a part of a team on a full-time basis. This allows
me to get back in the middle of being on a team.
WHAT’S FIRST ON THE
PRIORITY PAD?
When people ask me what the grand vision is, I say the school
is already pursuing the grand vision. My challenge is to make
sure that we are constantly ahead of the curve and to make sure
our curriculum and method of delivery is relevant and useful.
And frankly, Marylhurst is an icon in that respect; it’s
adept at redefining itself. My top priority is to learn from
each faculty member what is important to them and how they see
the future. The other top priority is working on fundraising.
I’ve never done that — unless you consider going to
the Public Utility Commission a fundraising activity.
DID YOU ASK TO SEE THE BOOKS
AT MARYLHURST?
There’s not much to look at. They are debt free. But
there’s a lot of headroom for growing the endowment.
HOW’S IT FEEL FACING
FULL-TIME WORK AGAIN?
Even though I’m going back to work full time, I can still
take Anna to school in the morning and be at work by 8:15. [She
lives less than a mile from the Marylhurst campus.] I feel a
lot happier. I have a lot left in me. The notion of being 49
years old and sitting on the sidelines just didn’t feel
right.
ROBIN DOUSSARD
PHOTO BY ADAM BACHER
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