Randy Abbott

President

Schwan’s University President Randy Abbott is well qualified to lead learning and development efforts at The Schwan Food Company. Based at Schwan headquarters in Marshall Minnesota, Abbott leads the efforts of more than 90 professionals in 25 locations, supporting the learning, performance, and organizational development of four major business units and 21,000 employees worldwide. Randy has helped Schwan’s University (SU) build and maintain a national reputation for excellence within the industry. This past February, SU was named Best Overall Corporate University by Corporate University Xchange (CUX), and won awards in seven out of eight categories at the CUX Awards for Excellence and Innovation. The organization also has been recognized for international excellence the past seven years as a winner in the American Society for Training & Development's annual BEST Awards competition. Prior to coming to Schwan’s, Randy worked for Southwest Minnesota State University (SMSU) in Marshall, where he served as a faculty member and university provost. During his years in administration, SMSU was one of the fastest growing universities in the Midwest. Randy also serves as one of the SMSU Sam M. Walton Free Enterprise Fellows, in which capacity he advises the SMSU Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) team. Randy received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Minnesota and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Minnesota Law School.