GOVERNING BOARD
The university is overseen by a governing board committed to excellence in academic and student services. The university administration and faculty bring their experience to designing and delivering student-centered services and programs.
MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD
“Our goal, at the Governing Board level, is to ensure that MUST University operates autonomously, with the highest standard of governance and in compliance with all the regulatory stakeholders in the United States. Ultimately, MUST University’s main objective is to offer the best service and education it can provide to its students”.
Renato Souza – Chairman.
GOVERNING BOARD MEMBERS
RENATO SOUZA NETO
CHAIRMAN
Renato Souza Neto is the co-founder and Managing Partner of Prismapar, a financial advisory firm focused on cross-border mergers and acquisitions, capital raising and venture capital investments across major markets in Latin America. In 2003, Mr. Souza Neto, together with former Minister of Education of Brazil, Paulo Renato Souza, co-founded PRS Consultores, a consulting boutique in Brazil specializing in the education sector that later became Prismapar.
From 2006 to 2008, Renato was also the Brazilian director of Egon Zehnder, a global executive search firm. Previously to Prismapar, Renato worked for 6 years at J.P. Morgan in the Mergers, Acquisitions, Equity Capital Markets and Client Coverage groups, both in the New York and Sao Paulo offices.
Mr. Souza Neto graduated with honors in Economics from the George Washington University, D.C., United States, and he obtained a full time MBA from INSEAD, Fontainebleau, France. He is fluent in Portuguese, English and Spanish.
Giulianna Meneghello
University President
Giulianna Carbonari Meneghello is the President of MUST University and a distinguished professional with over 20 years of experience in higher education leadership, marketing, and institutional development. Her career began at Anhanguera Educacional in Brazil, where she served as Director of Marketing and Social Media, contributing to the institution’s national growth and increased access to higher education.
Since co-founding MUST University in 2017, she has held key leadership roles including Director of Admissions, Director of Operations, and now President. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Social Communication with a concentration in Advertising and Public Relations, a Post-Graduate degree in Marketing from the Pontifical Catholic University of Campinas, and a Master’s in Emerging Technologies in Education from MUST University. She has also completed executive education programs at the University of California and ESPM – Higher School of Advertising and Marketing.
Maria Elisa Ehrhardt Carbonari
University Vice President
Maria Elisa Ehrhardt Carbonari is an outstanding professional in the field of education, having held positions from dean to vice-president of Anhanguera Educacional, one of the largest educational groups in Brazil. She holds a degree in Literature – Portuguese/English from the Pontifical Catholic University of Campinas , a Master’s in Education from the same institution and a PhD in Education from the State University of Campinas.
The educator also served as Researcher and Executive Director of Scientific Publications of Anhanguera Educacional and was a member of the State Council of Education of the State of São Paulo – CEESP. Her areas of expertise include Institutional Evaluation, Social Responsibility, Community Outreach and Sustainability, Journal Publishing, Library Systems and Institutional Programs.
Dr. Carbonari is the author of several articles and academic books, as well as a researcher and manager in the field of higher education. Dr. Carbonari’s active participation as a member of the university leadership earned her the title of Vice President. Currently and in addition to her role as the Chief Academic Officer, Dr. Carbonari teaches Capstone courses in the Emergent Technologies in Education program. She is also involved in the university-wide Institutional Assessment Program.
Undoubtedly, she is an extremely relevant professional for the Brazilian educational landscape, who now projects her expertise beyond national borders.
VALERIE MENDELSOHN
BOARD MEMBER
Valerie Mendelsohn is a board member and senior executive with more than 20 years of combined for-profit and traditional education experience. She is president and co-founder of Mendelsohn Solutions, a comprehensive compliance, risk management, accreditation and Title IX consulting firm.
As former Vice President of Compliance and Risk Management for American Career College and West Coast University, Valerie built the first enterprise-wide compliance and risk management department for a large, multifaceted institution. Prior to her tenure with American Career College and West Coast University, Valerie spent more than 7 years with Career Education Corporation, working extensively with all regionally accredited institutions within CEC’s portfolio and helping Colorado Technical University obtain a 10-year reaccreditation from the Higher Learning Commission. Valerie received her Bachelor of Arts from Lake Forest College and her Juris Doctor from the DePaul University College of Law. Valerie previously served as an Executive Board Member for the California Association of Private Postsecondary Schools.
Carlos Eduardo Omine
BOARD MEMBER
Carlos Eduardo Omine is a seasoned financial executive with over three decades of leadership experience across banking, capital markets, and investments. He has held senior positions in both Brazil and the United States, including CEO of BB Americas Bank and Banco do Brasil Securities in New York. Carlos has a proven track record in expanding business lines, optimizing operations, and advising businesses and institutions.
He currently leads a consulting firm based in Miami, where he advises investors and entrepreneurs in expanding their operations in Brazil and the U.S. Carlos is also actively involved in private equity and real estate co-investments.
Carlos has served on several prominent boards, including Banco do Brasil Americas, BB Securities and BB USA Holdings, CADAM S.A., a Brazilian mining company, a range of Brazilian Single Family Offices, Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce in Florida (Advisory Board) and IfYou Foundation (Non-Profit Organization).
He holds a law degree, an MBA in Agribusiness and Law and has completed executive education programs at Chicago Booth. Carlos is fluent in Portuguese and English, and is deeply committed to business ethics, governance, and sustainable finance.
FERNANDO VALENZUELA
BOARD MEMBER
Mr. Valenzuela is a recognized leader in the field of digital transformation, as noted by Edtech Digest. With more than 30 years of experience, Mr. Valenzuela holds several partnerships with education-focused entities, such as Aspen Institute of Mexico, EdTech Times, Global Edtech Impact Alliance, Studiorum, EDT Partners, and Outliers School to name a few.
He has held high-profile executive posts, such as President of Cengage Learning Latinoamérica, President of McGraw Hill Latinoamérica, President of Relacom Latinoamérica, and President of Ticketmaster/GCi. Mr. Valenzuela’s experience in operations, fiscal analysis, educational technology, education operations, and business development would be an asset to institution’s growth. Mr. Valenzuela resides in Mexico.
ARMANDO BADILLO
BOARD MEMBER
Armado Badillo founded Stella Maris Partners in July 2021. As an investor focused on carving a social impact. Mr. Badillo works with entities specializing in technology and innovation, healthcare, education, and financial services.
Prior to his current post, Mr. Badillo was a founding partner at Radiocare, a company offering distance imaging services to healthcare facilities. His experience in education operations spanned from 1998 until 2012, having held various key executive posts at Anahuac Educational Consortium. Mr. Badillo holds a Bachelor degree in Physics from the Universidad Tecnológica de Monterrey.
