Biography
Richard Maltsbarger is the Executive in Residence for the UCF School of Technology Leadership & Innovation, where industry can partner with world-class, interdisciplinary faculty for customized programs that connect emerging technologies with leadership, strategy, and organizational performance. His scholarship & professional career combine to drive “rigor & relevance” into UCF Executive Education opportunities.
Mr. Maltsbarger is also an active venture investor & strategic advisor to firms such as Lucid Bots and Home Technology Ventures. He also serves on the boards of The Michaels Companies, Inc., the North American celebrations & craft retailer, and the National 4-H Council, America’s leading youth development organization.
Prior to joining UCF, Mr. Maltsbarger served as Chief Executive Officer of Pet Valu Holdings Ltd (TSX:PET), Canada’s leading pet specialty retailer earning over $1.5B in sales through over 850 stores across all 10 Canadian provinces. Over 7 years at Pet Valu, he led teams to double revenues, quintuple profits, and double employee stability while modernizing the company’s omnichannel and retail technology platforms, completing a $100M supply chain transformation, and launching Pet Valu’s Initial Public Offering in June 2021.
Prior to joining Pet Valu, Mr. Maltsbarger held multiple senior positions at Lowe’s Companies over a 14-year period, including Chief Operating Officer, President of International, Chief Development Officer, and Vice President of Strategy. His earlier career included roles at IBM, Monsanto, Farmland Industries, and the Food & Agricultural Policy Institute focused on market research, customer analytics, econometrics, industrial simulation, systems dynamics, and big data modeling methods.
Mr. Maltsbarger earned a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Agricultural Economics from the University of Missouri, a Master of Business Administration from the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis, and a Higher Education Teaching Certificate from Harvardx.