New Enactus CEO to start next month

Springfield-based international academic and entrepreneurial nonprofit Enactus hired a new president and CEO to take over for its retiring top executive.

Rachael Jarosh is scheduled to start Oct. 1, according to an Enactus blog post last month. She succeeds Alvin Rohrs, the organization’s 34-year CEO who announced his retirement in April. The Enactus board retained global search and talent firm Korn Ferry to conduct a search for his replacement.

“Rachael was unanimously voted as our top choice among many strong candidates in a global search,” said Kees Kruythoff, president of Unilever North America and Enactus Worldwide board chairman, in the blog post. “As we seek to position Enactus for future success, the board focused on identifying an extraordinary leader who brings vision, focus and a breadth of experience.”

Jarosh, who has 22 years of branding, communications and philanthropy experience, previously worked as president of the Pentair Foundation, the philanthropic arm of global water, fluid and thermal management firm Pentair PLC. She also led global corporate communications for Pentair.

As CEO of Enactus, Jarosh will be in charge of the organization’s overall mission to help students improve the world through entrepreneurial projects, according to the blog post.

“I am passionate about the entrepreneurial spirit that is at the heart of the Enactus mission and am committed to empowering the talented team to realize its full potential,” she said in the release. “As we look to the future, I will focus on our current performance, on strengthening our global community of current and former students, academic and business leaders, and on realizing the impact of the Enactus student leaders.”

Rohrs, who oversaw the name change to Enactus from Students in Free Enterprise, helped grow the organization to over 1,700 universities in 36 countries. The April blog post cited 800,000 students who became involved during Rohrs’ tenure, as well as 18 million people who have been helped through their efforts. Rohrs is slated to stay on in a consulting role.

Some 420 corporate partners contribute $20 million annually to the nonprofit’s entrepreneurial cause, according to Springfield Business Journal archives.