She launched that career in January 2013, when after completing her PhD she joined the Mannheim Business School as director of MBA programs. The progression from student to administrator seemed a natural one.

“I loved teaching and supervising students and felt at home in the university,” she says. “Staying in higher education seemed to be the logical next step for me instead of pursuing a research career or moving into the corporate world after my PhD.”

Throughout the years, her responsibilities have grown: In 2018, she assumed leadership of the school’s three Executive MBA (EMBA) Programs, and a year later, all of the school’s executive degree programs.

In her role, Landauer works closely with the school’s board and academic directors for the strategic development of the school’s MBA, EMBA, specialized master’s, and international short programs and oversees program operations, including program development and delivery, international partnerships, and coordination with other departments. She also contributes to accreditations, international relations initiatives, and global networks.

Executives and working professionals face a more complicated and demanding set of realities in today’s world, says Landauer. “It feels like it has reached a new level recently, given the technological, geopolitical, and all the other disruptions out there.”

Landauer enjoys watching the progress that students make in meeting those challenges during and after the program, in many ways that they did not expect, as well as the dynamic learning environment that results from bringing executives and working professionals from different backgrounds together. Supporting those impacts is satisfying.

“We make a difference in people’s lives,” she says. “We enable once-in-a-lifetime experiences. It is a privilege to do so.”

Ensuring programs help students excel can mean finding the right balance between innovation and preservation, action and reaction, and courage and steadfastness, says Landauer. Programs may look at the balance differently in terms of priorities and funding. EMBAC, though, helps bring those programs together to share best practices and innovations.

Landauer learned about EMBAC from a colleague, who invited her to her first EMBAC Conference in Madrid. She immediately recognized the value, missing only one annual conference since 2018. “From the first moment on, I felt welcomed in the EMBAC family and have been impressed by the friendly and cooperative atmosphere.”

Members often share common concerns and face similar issues, which helps increase bonding and problem solving. “During COVID I profited immensely from EMBAC’s online offerings that reassured me that I am not alone in facing the challenges the pandemic caused in our industry.”

Landauer began volunteering, serving on EMBAC committees, including the planning committee for the 2022 EMBAC Conference in Austin, Texas. In 2024, she was elected to the EMBAC Board of Trustees.

“EMBAC with its great membership base, its committed contributors, and long-standing supporters has created a strong community in the higher education industry,” she says. “Serving on the board is my chance to not only give back, but also to help the council develop further.”

Landauer shared the following insights with EMBAC Voice:

My hobbies include: “Family, friends, sports, and knitting.”

My favorite city is: “New York City.”

I’m most proud of: “My core family consisting of two daughters and a husband with whom I already spent almost 27 years.”

I’m reading: “Too much work-related stuff.”

I’m passionate about: “All I do.”

My next project is: “I’m currently working across several projects, so my next steps are focused on developing those further unless something new pops up that needs my immediate attention.”

You may not know that: “I had been on stage at the Rhineland Carnival to give more than a dozen speeches to entertain crowds of several hundred people when I was in my early twenties.”

When I think about EMBAC, I think that: “For me, EMBAC is the most valuable professional network and a constant source of inspiration and support.”

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