As Peregrine Global Services’ founder and late CEO, Dr. Olin Oedekoven left behind a vision of making a difference in the world by developing values-based leaders and impacting the quality of higher education. Dr. Oedekoven took the company from a leadership seminar in a living room in 2003 to a globally recognized corporation serving more than 150 business & industry partners and over 500 higher education institutions. Because of his entrepreneurial spirit, he has successfully guided the Peregrine team to improve and create services, including programmatic assessment services, online instructional modules used to develop business acumen and essential soft skills, and various leadership and professional development services.
As a retired Brigadier General, Dr. Oedekoven learned and practiced leadership over a 33-year military career with the U.S. Army, the Army Reserves, and the Wyoming National Guard. He completed several advanced programs on leadership, human resource management, international affairs, conflict management, and diplomacy during that span, which helped forge his leadership path.
After successfully adapting his military leadership knowledge to develop the skills of others in that seminar in 2003, Dr. Oedekoven and one of his colleagues put their energy into providing businesses with experience-based leadership training and development.
Thus, Peregrine Leadership Institute was formed, and Dr. Oedekoven subsequently conducted workshops and seminars on organizational/strategic leadership, human resource management, consulting, and continuous improvement mentoring for over 250 organizations across the world.
Along with Dr. Oedekoven’s passion for leadership, he always had an intrinsic enthusiasm for education. In 2009, while working as an adjunct professor for a university undergoing its accreditation in business administration, Dr. Oedekoven discovered that the evaluating processes and tools used to satisfy the various accreditation requirements were inadequate. Being a solutions-focused leader, Dr. Oedekoven developed a solution and formed Peregrine Academic Services. Peregrine emerged as a global leader and thought-partner in higher education services providing online assessment and instructional solutions to more than 500 higher education institutions worldwide.
Dr. Oedekoven led Peregrine Global Services with heart. Because of his entrepreneurial spirit, he successfully guided the Peregrine team to improve and create services, including programmatic assessment services, online instructional modules used to develop business acumen and essential soft skills, and various leadership and professional development services. In addition, he personally conducted site visits for schools across the globe to consult on quality, assessment, and outcomes-based education, as well as assisted several of these schools to obtain internationally recognized programmatic accreditation. Thereby, impact higher education all over the globe.
Most importantly, Dr. Oedekoven was committed to making a positive impact on the world, whether a supervisor in Poland, a school in Ghana, or a small town in Wyoming – each act of service made a difference. Dr. Oedekoven cared about his team and went above and beyond to ensure team members’ educational, spiritual, and physical needs were met. Dr. Oedekoven was known for his hands-on approach to leadership as he desired to share his knowledge and wisdom at every level and across multiple dimensions. Leading with a heart of gold, Dr. Oedekoven inspired and motivated his employees to make a difference in the world collectively.
Dr. Oedekoven also spent 15-plus years teaching graduate students in business management, public administration, and human resource management. He was a Fulbright Specialist, in which he shared his expertise at international host institutions, including teaching doctoral-level courses at Swiss Business School (Zurich, Switzerland) and masters-level courses at Wyższa Szkoła Bankowa (Gdansk and Poznan, Poland). He also served on advisory boards at Forbes School of Business and Technology at the University of Arizona Global Campus (San Diego, California) and Maastricht School of Management (Maastricht, The Netherlands). He assisted in the development of the Association for Transnational Higher Education Accreditation (ATHEA), a European-based institutional accreditation agency. Dr. Oedekoven also served as a facilitator with Harvard University’s Security in the Black Sea Region program, overseeing conference logistics, speaker coordination, and seminar facilitation among the nations in the Black Sea region.
Dr. Oedekoven earned five advanced degrees, including a Doctorate in Business Administration and a Master of Business Administration in Public Administration from Northcentral University, a Master of Science in Strategic Studies from the United States Army War College, and a Master of Science in Wildlife Management from the University of Wyoming. Dr. Oedekoven earned his bachelor’s degree in wildlife and fisheries sciences from South Dakota State University. He co-authored four books on leadership, including Leading Organizations, Hiring, Leadership Foundations, and Leadership Essentials.
Through the years, Dr. Oedekoven was recognized for his meaningful work, including being named Mentor of the Year (Northcentral University), Business Education Entrepreneur of the Year (International Assembly of Collegiate Business Education), Business Leader Award (Gillette College Foundation Board), All Star Award (Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs), and “Ten Who Made a Difference” (Gillette News-Record, Wyoming).
“Our mission is truly to make a difference in the world. It’s about having a global impact and making a difference – whether it be a supervisor in Poland, a school in Ghana, or across town here at Gillette College. How we can influence them, make them see themselves, and improve upon themselves – either individually or organizationally – has consequence and meaning for us all.”
Olin O. Oedekoven, PhD
