Carnegie Mellon University
March 19, 2024

Tartans on the Rise: Torrell Jackson, Senior Director, Business Manufacturing & Operations, Orthodontics, Envista Holdings Corporation

Providing a Roadmap to Veterans

By Elizabeth Speed

When a close family member faced a catastrophic health issue at a young age, Torrell Jackson (HNZ 2017; TPR 2017) was inspired to pivot his career.

He left the world of finance to find an impactful role in health care.

After completing an MBA at CMU’s Tepper School of Business, Jackson entered a management training accelerator program at Danaher Corporation, a major innovator of products and services with a large footprint in the health and medical industry.

Torrell blazed a path through many Danaher divisions. His expansive, cross-functional skills landed him an executive role with Danaher’s orthodontics spinoff Envista Holdings Corporation. He’s leading a team of 200 associates to research, develop, produce and distribute clear aligners and traditional wire-and-bracket products that straighten teeth.

“People are self-conscious about their appearance, so you can transform someone's life just from changing their smile,” Torrell says. “What we're manufacturing and providing creates that confidence, and that is what keeps me going.”

Traditionally, Torrell’s dental products have competed with one another.

Clear aligners rose in popularity especially during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, taking part of the market for braces. Torrell’s approach to managing his product lines finds space for both technologies, often working together to find an optimal mix of approaches that’s right for each patient.

“I want to be CEO of a company myself one day,” Torrell says. “I realize that I need a little bit of everything in order to be the most well-rounded leader I can be.”