MBA

Profiles

Ann DeWitt, MBA 2009

After five years as a research scientist at 3M, Ann DeWitt was ready for managerial responsibilities that would require a new set of skills. "I wondered how I would make the transition," Ann says. "In slow steps or in one big leap?" Subsequent research into MBA options confirmed her desire for an education that would be immediately actionable. "I didn't need theory – I needed something rooted in practical, day-to-day decision making," says Ann.

Two things convinced Ann that HBS was right for her. One was the case method, rooted in the real experiences Ann respects. The other was the HBS network. "It's very different from the scientific network I'm already a part of," Ann says. "HBS would allow me to extend my science network into the business community."

Seeing the whole

The pre-MBA Analytics Program gave Ann a chance "to get into the case method," she says. "I had taken a few finance courses before, but Analytics clarified how these skills can be meaningfully applied within a business context."

Combined, the case method and section experience add up to something greater than the sum of its parts. "I came to HBS to pick up new skills," says Ann, "but the education here goes deeper. Through the variety of courses you take in your first year and the mixing of students with different interests, you gain the ability to see the whole business picture. Everyone see things they hadn't seen before."

As the education representative for her section, Ann serves as a liaison among various constituencies. "I get to know both the students and the faculty very well," she says. "We examine how classes are going – what's working and not working. It allows us to set up an atmosphere that encourages a stronger education." With her ongoing MIT connections – Ann currently runs the healthcare side of MIT's $100K Business Plan Competition – she is well placed to reinforce the bonds between MIT and Harvard. "Building these connections," Ann says, "helps both communities find value at the intersections of technology, business and clinical practice."

Start-ups begin now

This summer, Ann will apply her new business skills to a healthcare start-up in the Boston area, "helping the scientist founders write the business plan and get seed money." When she completes her MBA, Ann would like to start a new business of her own. "I think my career will go back and forth between small start-ups and large companies," says Ann. "They'll probably all be healthcare or bioscience related – my sweet spot."