How Jordan Sallusti Advanced to Vice President With an EMBA

Choosing What’s Next and Choosing to Grow

When Jordan Sallusti (EMBA ’25) started the Notre Dame Executive MBA, he was already building a successful career at Bunzl Retail Services. As Senior Director of Customer Experience, he had established himself as a strong leader—but those around him saw even more potential ahead. “At the time, one of my peers at the company—Christine Huffer (EMBA ‘24) —started pushing me when it came to career path and development,” he says. “She said, ‘I think this is exactly what you need for what’s next… we all see your potential within the organization.’” That message was reinforced by his business unit president. Advancement to the executive level would require an MBA. While Notre Dame had always felt like a distant dream, Christine gave him the confidence to take the leap. “She came back into my office and said, ‘You could do Notre Dame. You’d be a great fit.’ So I decided to go for it. And it was one of the best decisions I've ever made.”

Advancing With Confidence While in the Program

Jordan didn’t need to wait until graduation to see results from the program. While enrolled in the Executive MBA, he transitioned into a Senior Director of Business Development role. Then, just two months after graduating, he was promoted to Vice President of Business Development and Marketing. “I was told in so many words that once I graduate, I was going to get VP. They were waiting for the graduation to happen so I had all the boxes checked,” he says. But the impact went far beyond credentials and checked boxes. The program sharpened how he showed up as a leader and strengthened his confidence in high-level business settings. “The biggest impacts for me were really the leadership guidance and the finance material,” he says. “It reinforced language… I now had the right vocabulary, and my confidence within certain areas was just lifted up to where it needed to be.” That shift also became immediately visible in his day-to-day work. “It helped me feel a lot more comfortable with the meetings I started to be pulled into—from strategic planning meetings to budgeting meetings for the entire business unit,” he explains. “To be able to participate in those conversations with our CFO… it definitely helped me on my career path.”

Learning Alongside a Diverse Cohort

A key part of Jordan’s experience was learning alongside a wide range of professionals. “The diversity of candidates… from C-suite finance leaders to entrepreneurs, across legal, HR, operations, sales, marketing—that was what I was really looking for,” he says. “It just continues to help you—iron sharpens iron.” His cohort quickly also became more than classmates. “It was just a really cool group of people,” he says. “Everybody was different… but we all came together academically, socially, and professionally.” That dynamic created an environment where collaboration came naturally, both inside and outside the classroom. “We were able to play on each other’s strengths and weaknesses,” he explains, noting how the experience pushed everyone to grow. “I think it helped us all grow intellectually and academically in the classroom, but also professionally and personally when we left South Bend.” That sense of connection didn’t end at graduation. Today, the network continues to deliver real impact, both in a professional and personal capacity. “I was fortunate enough to hire someone from the cohort onto my team,” he says. “The network paid for itself right there.”

Balancing Career Growth with Family Life

Pursuing an MBA while working full-time is a major commitment—and doing it with a young family adds another layer. At the time he started the program, Jordan’s daughter Leona was just five years old, and his son Rocco was just a toddler. “My wife and I sat down and had the conversation,” Jordan says. “She’s super supportive… she said, ‘I know it’s going to be tough sometimes, but it’s two years… go for it. You only live once.’” That support made all the difference. “There’s sacrifices that are made, but it all pays off in the end,” he says. For all the sacrifices, the experience also created meaningful moments with his family. “My daughter loved that daddy was in school again,” he says. “She would ask me, ‘What did you do at school? Did you ask questions in class? Do you raise your hand?’ It was just really fun.” Moments like that made the experience about more than just school, it became something his whole family was part of.

A Lasting Return on Investment

Today, the impact of the program continues to compound both professionally and personally. Jordan sees that return not as a one-time outcome, but something that continues to grow over time. “I think it absolutely continues to positively impact my career and my personal life… in perpetuity,” he says. That impact shows up in many ways, from new business opportunities to a mindset rooted in continuous growth. The experience pushed him to keep learning long after graduation. “It’s got me to challenge myself all the time and embrace being a lifelong learner,” he explains, noting that the lessons and habits he built during the program will continue to shape wherever his career goes next. For prospective students weighing the investment, his perspective is straightforward: the value is there—but only if you fully commit. “If you embrace it and go all in, it will pay for itself 10 times over,” he says. Ultimately, choosing Notre Dame meant choosing growth—even when it required stepping outside his comfort zone. As Jordan puts it, “I kind of chose hard… because if you want to take the next step in your career and in life, sometimes you have to be willing to do things that are going to challenge you.”

Are you ready for your next step? Learn more about Notre Dame’s Executive MBA program.