“When I think about the value proposition of higher education… I think about the essence of leadership where they call it the knowing, being, and doing.”
Featuring the first female president of Penn State University, Neeli Bendapudi, we discuss what it means to be a Nittany Lion, how to create “customer” loyalty, and three time-tested leadership practices that have served my guest well at organizations like Proctor & Gamble, the U.S. Army, and, of course, Penn State.
About the Guest
As Penn State’s first woman president, Neeli serves the University’s modern land-grant mission of teaching, research, and public service across 24 campuses and the online Penn State World Campus. She has built a 30-year-career in higher education and business bolstered by her purpose-driven, people-first leadership style. She’s committed to student success, academic excellence, and creating opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to thrive.
Even as a child, Neeli always valued education. For her family, like so many others, education is so much more than a degree—it’s a pathway to a better life. She’s delighted to have the opportunity to help every Penn State student succeed academically, begin a meaningful career, and benefit their family and community.
After earning her bachelor’s degree and MBA from Andhra University in India, Neeli came to the U.S. to pursue her doctorate in marketing from the University of Kansas (KU). She launched her teaching career and is proud to have earned national and university recognition for her contributions in the classroom.
Prior to coming to Penn State, Neeli was president of the University of Louisville. She has also served as provost and executive vice chancellor at KU, dean of the School of Business at KU, and as founding director of the Initiative for Managing Services at The Ohio State University.
Her research—focused on how organizations can best serve their customers—has appeared in Harvard Business Review, Journal of Academic Medicine and Journal of Marketing, among other publications. With a background in customer loyalty and consumer behavior, Neeli has consulted some of the world’s largest companies and organizations—from Procter & Gamble to the U.S. Army—and became the executive vice president and chief customer officer for Huntington National Bank.
