Brooke Pillsbury has spent her career at the intersection of operational rigor and mission-driven work, and much of it has been spent at American College of Healthcare Sciences (ACHS). She joined the College in 2011 as Associate Registrar and Faculty Liaison, where she helped build the student lifecycle systems that support students from first inquiry through graduation, including registration, retention, faculty onboarding, and accreditation compliance. That early grounding in the daily mechanics of online holistic health education shaped how she leads today: from the student outward.
Her path took her from ACHS to Concordia University, Portland, where she served as University Registrar and, ultimately, Executive Closure Lead. Directing academic operations through a university’s closure, she managed the teach-out and placement of more than 8,000 students across partner institutions, work that demanded regulatory precision and genuine compassion in equal measure. She returned to ACHS in 2020 as Chief Operating Officer, leading institutional operations and strategy in partnership with the Executive team. During her tenure she led successful reaccreditation, served as Institutional Title IX Coordinator, and advanced the College’s Certified B Corporation and Green Business standards while employee engagement initiatives earned ACHS recognition in the 100 Best Companies to Work For in Oregon.
Brooke has since carried that experience into higher education governance and the private sector. As Chief of Staff at Clark College, she drove institution-wide execution of an Equity-Centered Strategic Plan, managed Board relations, and secured $2.1M in new funding for advanced manufacturing programs. In senior operations roles at Rose City Label and SariDLM, Inc., she owned P&L, rebuilt delivery and staffing models, and led lean and automation initiatives that measurably improved throughput and employee satisfaction. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Warner Pacific University with an emphasis in organizational leadership and project management. Her return to ACHS as Chief of Staff brings that path full circle.
Outside the office, Brooke is an empty nester and a proud University of Oregon parent (Sco Ducks!). She spends her time with family, in the garden, and in the kitchen testing new recipes, and she takes full advantage of everything the Pacific Northwest has to offer, from the coast to the Cascades.
“Leadership at this level is mostly about alignment: helping people see how their work connects to something larger, then removing the barriers so they can do it well. Done right, strategy reaches every team, shapes real decisions, and ultimately shows up in a student’s experience. That’s where great institutions find their momentum. ACHS students go on to build entire careers around wellness in their communities, and the faculty and staff here quietly make that possible. Clearing the way for that work is the best part of the job.”
