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Office of the President

Office of the President

Jody Horner, Midland University President

Jody Horner was announced as Midland University’s 16th president in December of 2014 and has guided the university to exponential growth during her tenure.

Horner oversaw the development and opening of the Omaha location in 2017 and her eye for innovation-led Midland to introduce the 1:1 Initiative in 2019 where each student on the Fremont campus receives a free iPad and Apple Pencil. She has also been a part of numerous campus improvements, including the addition of Midland’s newest residence hall in 2020 with the completion of the Miller Hall, a $10 million project.

The Midland athletic department has grown to 33 varsity sports and more than 900 student-athletes during her time as president, making it the largest athletic program in the state and one of the largest in the country.

In addition to student support and athletic enhancements, the university has expanded to more than 250 opportunities in the arts, added numerous clubs and student groups, and launched new options for graduate studies. 

Prior to her arrival at Midland, Horner served as President of Cargill Meat Solutions and Cargill Case Ready. Responsible for a multi-billion dollar corporation that supplies some of the world’s largest retailers and leading more than 3,000 employees, Horner facilitated a high-growth strategy through approaches that increased employee engagement while dramatically reducing turnover at all levels. Before taking over Cargill Meat Solutions and Cargill Case Ready, she served as president of one of the world’s largest food, industrial, and agricultural salt enterprises.

As an advocate for the power of education and innovation, Horner championed the successful launch of the Cargill Innovation Center. A $15 million investment, the project created a world-class destination for collaborative efforts by food scientists, microbiologists, and culinary teams engaged in research and development.

In addition to extensive corporate success, Horner has applied her skills to leadership in higher education. She has actively served on the Board of Regents for St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. A featured classroom speaker, she draws on previous experiences managing college recruiting at Cargill to consider methods of better connecting students with employers at graduation.

Horner holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from St. Olaf College and holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Minnesota – Carlson School of Management.


Contacts:

General Inquiries

Jess Knoell
Phone: 402-941-6142
knoell@midlandu.edu

Media Inquiries

communications@midlandu.edu

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