Chris Shaffner, MBA '15

After receiving his law degree in 2003, Chris Shaffner held senior leadership positions in private equity investment firms and public sector organizations—including serving as the Operations Director for New York City Housing Authority, where he led a team of more than 1,500 employees. But in 2013, he came to Ross ready for a change.

“While my law degree opened lots of doors for me in business, I felt that I’d ultimately hit a ceiling because I lacked a traditional financial background,” he says.

Ross allowed me to hone my technical skills, particularly in the areas of finance and financial analysis, without compromising my executive position and career progression.

In addition to a promotion during the program, Chris also landed his dream job upon graduation. He made a successful transition into the financial services industry, assuming a position at CoBank as Vice President of Public Private Partnerships. Six months later, Chris was promoted to Sector Vice President, where he now leads two of the $125 billion bank’s lending divisions.

“I am absolutely in love with my work. It’s demanding, complicated, and rooted in a mission that I care deeply about. I credit Ross with accelerating the trajectory of my career and for much of the value that I’m able to deliver to my organization.”

The skills he learned during the EMBA program have proven to be a real asset on the job. In the last year, Chris has provided corporate media interviews, presented a comprehensive growth strategy to his executive team, and twice represented his organization at the White House. Each of these opportunities, he notes, relied upon his experience at Ross. 

Chris’ Executive Multidisciplinary Action Project (ExecMAP) has also been instrumental in his new role. He worked with a team to design a pricing and go-to-market strategy for a start-up company launching a line of cannabis-based pet products. While seemingly dissimilar from his day job, he recognized the tasks of navigating complex regulatory and compliance guidelines, competitive pricing and market research, as well as earning the trust of executive stakeholders as all fundamentally important across industries.  

“The opportunity to dive into an industry in which we had no previous working experience, learn the key levers of the markets that mattered to us, and then work to produce what turned out to be very meaningful recommendations for the company—was just a tremendous experience. The practice of leadership and decision-making amidst ambiguity in the data and measuring reliance against predictors in the marketplace—these are efforts that I apply regularly at work.”

He also appreciates taking a different approach to problem-solving. “The commitment to creative and original problem-solving throughout the program was refreshing and, I think, a key hallmark of the Ross program for me. Imagine this combination of world-class professors and wildly bright and successful classmates, now add the constant call to push beyond old approaches to current business challenges—that was my experience at Ross.”

Chris continues to reap the benefits of Ross as an alum. “The best part, and something I didn’t really expect, was the endurance of the Ross network after the program. My EMBA peers continue to be professional resources of mine, whether it’s sharing thoughts on strategic planning, technical questions, or leadership advice from a trusted peer. I luckily also ended up with some true, lifelong friends.”