Dr. Rachel Ruan McLean - Vice Chair
Vice President, Ruan Companies
Dr. Rachel McLean currently serves as Vice President Community Relations for the Ruan Companies, overseeing charitable giving through the Ruan Family Foundation. Prior to this role, from 2009 to 2013, she served as Vice President of Communications for Ruan Transportation Management Systems, overseeing communications for Ruan’s 4,500 transportation and logistics employees. In this role, she also designed and implemented Ruan’s customer satisfaction program to assess the company’s performance across its customers.
Prior to working for the Ruan Companies, McLean served as Strategic Research Analyst for Starcom Worldwide in Chicago, Illinois. In this role, she was the principal research investigator for a large automotive client, assessing the effectiveness of its multi-billion dollar digital media spend across its brands.
Dr. McLean received her B.S. degree with honors in Communication Studies from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. She also earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in Communication Studies from Northwestern, and was the recipient of the Irving J. And Laura L. Lee Scholarship Award.
Presently, Dr. McLean serves on the National Advisory Council for the Harkin Institute of Public Policy at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. She has also served on the boards of Youth Homes of Mid-America and the Des Moines Community Playhouse.
World Food Prize Board of Directors Member