Christine Huffer '24 Steps Into VP Role with Confidence and Community Behind Her

"Don’t wait. If you’re ready to lead, this is the place that will get you there and surround you with people who believe in you every step of the way."

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A Nonlinear Path to Leadership

For Christine Huffer, earning an Executive MBA from the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business was more than just an academic pursuit, it was a strategic move that gave her the confidence and credentials to elevate her from director level to VP.

Christine will be the first to admit that her career has been anything but linear. “My career is all over the place with each change leading toward more responsibility, authority, and autonomy. In undergrad at Notre Dame I studied engineering. No surprise, I am operationally, and process oriented with a strong inclination toward problem solving.” After graduation, she began her career working at Better World Books, a Certified B Corporation founded by her friends and fellow Notre Dame alumni. From there, she pivoted into insurance sales, then operations at a visual merchandising company, before landing with her current company. Even then, things didn’t exactly settle down. “It was a kind of trial by fire… I had to constantly pivot,” She recalls reflecting on the challenges and excitement of finding her footing while navigating acquisitions, both her company being acquired and acquiring others.

Through hard work and constant learning, Huffer rose into leadership at a company undergoing rapid growth and integration. “We acquired another company and were forced to merge two cultures in the same space.  It was really a great experience on how to blend two different approaches to the same problem.” She took on major responsibilities, including leading sales operations and overseeing large-scale systems transitions. “How do you move from QuickBooks to a larger platform like JD Edwards and train staff who have never seen a green screen? How do you develop a new blended team of previous competitors? How do you reset a new culture and move from tenure based to performance based?” These were just some of the big-picture questions that Huffer was responsible for solving. She was not just building systems but developing cohesion.

The EMBA Advantage

The turning point? “When I looked at my boss, my boss’s boss, all the executive team – every single one of them had an MBA.”

So she made a plan. “When I was looking ahead, I knew an MBA would help me solidify my role in leadership.” With her family and career based in Chicago, the Notre Dame EMBA program offered the flexibility she needed: “I knew I could commit to three days a month in person, plus the expected workload conducted outside the classroom. In totality, Notre Dame was the best option for me, from a cost perspective, time perspective, looking at everything Notre Dame made the most sense.”

Professionally, the Executive MBA paid off for Huffer, not just in what she learned, but in the confidence and initiative it demonstrated to others. “It added to my gravitas within the leadership team, and elevated my status within the larger organization. Successfully completing my MBA and graduating Summa Cum Laude, showed that I was dedicated to advancing in my career and willing to put in the work to receive the maximum value. It demonstrated  my commitment to improvement and ability to do so without neglecting my day-to-day job.”

During the program, Christine was promoted within her company, and she credits the Notre Dame Executive MBA with being what tipped her over the edge to receive the promotion. “During the program I was promoted from senior director to vice president. A vacancy arose within the company, and I think that leadership knowing  I was succeeding within the Executive MBA program made it a much easier decision for them to select me for the position.”

Growing in Knowledge—and Community

Academically, Huffer gained far more than just technical skills, she developed fluency in the language of business. “The first accounting class I had ever taken was in my MBA program… Specifically finance was my biggest gain from a language perspective and the ability to clearly articulate business needs in terms that are relevant to the VP of Finance.”

The program also gave her greater confidence navigating legal and contractual issues. “Understanding what a non-compete means, what does a non-solicitation mean, I felt more empowered and was able to leverage this knowledge to negotiate better terms with my employer. For my role within the organization, Business Law provided a key foundation for the contracts my team and I are responsible for executing and negotiating.”

For Huffer, one of the most unexpected gifts of the EMBA program was the strength of the community inside and outside the classroom. Her classmates came from industries ranging from manufacturing and finance to healthcare and the military, each bringing unique insights and lived experiences to every discussion. “The diversity of thought in the room was incredible,” she explains. “Some days we’d discuss merger strategy, and I’d hear one perspective from someone in finance and a wildly different one from someone leading a supply chain. It made every conversation richer and more real.”

Beyond academics, Huffer found enduring friendships and a professional network she continues to lean on. “I walked away with not just an education, but great friends,” she says. “I think the Notre Dame network is incredibly unique. It’s not just, ‘Who do you know?’ It’s, ‘How can I help you?’ If I were to lose a job, I know I have people who would help me find a new one immediately. I have a network. And because of that, we’re just much stronger for it.”

Christine’s journey is proof that with the right mindset and support you can advance your career, grow personally, and still be there for your family. One source of that support came from an unexpected place: A group of moms in the program. “We have our mom group and our friendship remains strong… Our kids hang out… we are very much in each other’s lives discussing everything from work to children to geopolitical events. I consider myself truly lucky.”

Looking Ahead

As she continues to lead at the executive level, Huffer says the EMBA experience has left a lasting imprint—not only on her career but on how she views leadership. “I don’t just have new skills—I have a new lens,” she says. “Notre Dame challenges you to grow in ways that are deeply personal. I’m a more reflective leader, and that makes me more effective.”

She also knows the community she built at Mendoza will remain part of her life and career for years to come. “When I think about what sets Notre Dame apart, it’s the people,” she says. “You’re part of something bigger here—and that stays with you.”

Ready to step into your next leadership role?
Learn more about Notre Dame’s Executive MBA program.