From the C-Suite to the Classroom: Mays Alumnus Devina Rankin Invests In Future Leaders

The greatest lesson on leadership that Waste Management CFO Devina Rankin ever learned didn’t come from an executive. Rather, it was from her nurse while receiving treatment for cancer. They discussed energy breeding energy — if you put good energy into the world, it will multiply. Through her dedication to investing in student development and mentoring future leaders at Mays Business School, her alma mater, Rankin exemplifies how positive energy can impact lasting change.

“For me, it’s about living a life of purpose and knowing that I’m doing something to give back to Texas A&M, because it gave so much to me,” says Rankin, who serves on the James Benjamin Department of Accounting’s advisory council and has been a visiting lecturer at Mays since 2002.

She credits the Aggie Core Values — specifically selfless service, excellence, and integrity — for guiding her development into the leader she is today. She implements these values in her class, ACCT 677 (CFOs and Financial Leadership), a high impact program for PPA students that she co-teaches with other CFOs each semester.

The brainchild of Mays Dean Dr. Nate Y. Sharp during his tenure as department head of the James Benjamin Department of Accounting, the course provides students with an opportunity to learn directly from CFOs about real-world business problems and how they’d approach them. “I’m proud of the class,” says Rankin. “It’s a really unique experience and helps open their eyes to things that they wouldn’t otherwise get access to for many years.”

Rankin’s career success was honored by the James Benjamin Department of Accounting in 2020 when she was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award. Her journey to the C-suite began at Arthur Andersen after completing the Professional Program in Accounting. She made a career move in the early 2000s to Waste Management, where her 20-plus-year tenure has led her to the role of executive vice president and chief financial officer. She says she feels as though she’s grown up in the organization, crediting her time and the people there for helping her grow.

When giving advice to students aiming for a senior leadership role, Rankin says to focus not on the destination, but the journey. “A lot of times we are really goal oriented, but also naive about what those goals represent,” she says. “It’s much more about being purposeful in building a career and a mentor community that will be supportive of your growth. Take roles that are going to challenge you, work hard, and be good to people.”

Colleagues and peers in other organizations often ask her how she finds the time to engage with Mays. Her reply is simple: We make time for the things that matter.

“There are three things I spend money on that I feel richer for: education, charitable giving, and traveling,” says Rankin. “If time is the most valuable currency we have, then spending time on these things will make you feel more fulfilled. Investing in an educated future is something that I feel better for being part of. It does a lot to create enthusiasm about the future of leadership. The future will be just fine in their hands. We might consume a lot of media that would leave us less hopeful, but this makes me incredibly hopeful.”