Executive Director

Meet our executive director and CEO, Peter J. Aranda III

Peter’s dedication to education comes naturally. When his parents brought home a set of the Encyclopedia Britannica, he remembers feeling like a kid in a candy store. He didn’t even resent it when an aunt required him to draft reports about what he’d learned from the volumes.

He managed to overcome one “B” throughout his entire high school career (typing class), and with a lot of work, earned his MBA — as a Consortium fellow — from Washington University in St. Louis.

Since 2003, Peter has served as The Consortium’s executive director and CEO, responsible for charting the overall direction of the organization, maintaining and building relationships with partner MBA programs and corporate partners, and speaking to organizations nationwide about the need to expand diversity and inclusiveness throughout corporate America.

During Peter’s tenure, The Consortium has seen marked growth. The number of member schools has increased from 12 to 21. Revenue has nearly tripled, up from $14 million to $40 million annually. And the organization’s recruiting classes have more than doubled from 200 to nearly 500 students a year.

Before moving to the nonprofit world as CEO of The Consortium, Peter had a successful career at Andersen Consulting, Price Waterhouse and MCA. He also ran his own entertainment consulting business.

During his professional career, Peter developed significant credentials in the academic arena, serving as an adjunct faculty member and guest lecturer in business at Belmont University, Parsons School of Design, University of Virginia, University of Southern California and Columbia University.

Peter has completed the coursework, residency requirements and qualifying exams (ABD) toward his Ph.D. in strategic management from Columbia University — work he’s done while associated with The Ph.D. Project, which works to increase diversity in business school faculties. Peter is on the board of College Horizons, a nonprofit organization that supports the higher education of Native American students.

A native of Los Angeles, growing up in the barrio, Peter was determined to attend his “local university” — the University of Southern California. That’s where he earned his bachelor’s degree, concentrating in marketing, with significant coursework in mechanical engineering.

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