Dean's Bio

Alejandro, Dean, Zimpleman College of Business, serves as the chief academic and administrative officer for the college and participates in the collaborative leadership of the university.

In this role, he sets the intellectual and programmatic direction for the college in collaboration with the broader university community, and in the context of Drake’s overall strategic plan and institutional goals.

He joined Drake in 2020 with 30+ years of experience in corporate America. He most recently was responsible for the development and integration of corporate social responsibility strategies at Wells Fargo. In this role, he managed disclosures and reporting on the company’s progress in making positive contributions to communities, and minimizing environmental and social risks.

During his 18-year career at Wells Fargo, he directed the company’s global social responsibility activities including charitable giving, volunteerism, and disaster response programs. Additionally, Alejandro crafted strategies to address the interests of a growing number of internal and external stakeholders as the manager of relationships with nonprofits that serve diverse communities and as the leader of the external communications team for Wells Fargo’s consumer lending businesses. Notably, he led the effort to publish the company’s first-ever human rights statement.

Before joining Wells Fargo, Alejandro managed the national and international operations of global communications firm Porter Novelli’s Florida office. In that role, he led the company’s network of offices across Latin America. Prior to that, he spent nearly a decade in management and consultant roles at other global public relations agencies and corporate communications teams.

A native of Chile, Alejandro earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism from California State University, Long Beach, and received a reputation management certification from the Reputation Institute in 2010. In 2015, he completed a master’s degree program in social responsibility and sustainable communities at Western Kentucky University.

Alejandro previously served as an adjunct instructor at Drake and was a member of the university’s board of trustees. He has served on a number of non-profit boards and is currently on the board of the YMCA of the Rockies as a member of its executive committee.

Alejandro also has been involved in the snow sports since he became a ski instructor at Centro de Ski La Parva, Chile in 1984. Over the years, he has taught skiing at several ski areas and currently coaches the Seven Oaks Ski Development and Racing Team in Boone, Iowa. He holds a Level 2 certification from the Professional Ski Instructors of America and the National Ski and Snowboard School of Chile.