Melody Rose

Melody Rose is the Chancellor of the Nevada System of Higher Education. The first in her family to earn a college degree, Rose is passionate about improving equitable educational access and outcomes, identifying cutting-edge innovations, and driving data- driven, student- focused change.  She has been a campus president, and previously served as Chancellor of the Oregon University System, after having served in numerous leadership roles at Portland State University including Special Assistant to the President, Vice Provost & Dean, and Department Chair.  Along the way she advanced equity and innovation, overseeing the transformation of PSU’s online learning portfolio and founding PSU’s Center for Women’s Leadership.  

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Rose’s academic scholarship focuses on American government and good governance.  Throughout her years on the faculty, she focused her teaching and research on issues related to American women and politics, campaigns and elections, and social policy, earning awards for several books, including Hillary Clinton’s Race for the White House, which she published with coauthor Regina Lawrence.  Today her scholarship focuses on higher education governance; she has a book forthcoming this fall with coauthor Larry Large on Board governance and higher education business models, drawing from her experience at Marylhurst University and as a consultant on strategic partnerships, mergers & acquisitions, and closures.

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Rose earned her BA in Politics (Phi Beta Kappa) from UC Santa Cruz.  She earned an M.P.A., M.A., and Ph.D. in Government from Cornell University.
Rose is also an committed member of her community, serving on multiple boards and commissions, currently including the National Association of System Heads (NASH) and the Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED).  She is an active member of the International Women’s Forum, and her work has been honored with numerous awards, including the 2018 Girl Scouts Women of Distinction Award for “courageous leadership.”