MBA

Profiles

Jennifer Kelly, MBA 2010

In the Philippines, Jennifer Kelly grew up under the inspiring example of her parents, both social workers who served in rural communities. "I wanted to follow in their footsteps," Jennifer says. "But in college, I began to see how much impact business can have on society. My parents made a difference by working through grassroots organizations; I saw ways businesses could contribute that were not dependent on donations." As an example, Jennifer refers to the Manila Water Company. "They found a way to lower the cost of delivering water to urban areas so that the poor could have access to affordable, clean water. It's a business model that meets needs on a continuous basis."

From Aceh to Boston

At McKinsey, Jennifer "pursued a fairly balanced career path in both the private and public sectors." In fact, she was among the team of McKinsey consultants who spent six months in Aceh, Indonesia after the devastating 2004 tsunami tore through the island. "We worked with the government, the World Bank, and the Asian Development Bank to build a new organization, the Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency, from scratch."

That experience, among others, inspired Jennifer to get an MBA to "acquire more general management experience and hone my leadership skills." Choosing a program wasn't complicated: "HBS was my one and only choice," Jennifer says. "All the HBS alumni I met were strong leaders. They had different styles — some were authoritative, some preferred a service approach — but they were all effective!"

"The case method," says Jennifer, "is a much more challenging way to learn business concepts. It's easy to pick up ideas. But when you examine them in the context of a specific situation — with multiple stakeholders and market consequences and other complications — you see them with all the intricacies they have in real life."

"The biggest thing that has changed the way I think about the world," Jennifer says, "is our exposure to leadership in crisis — to things that can happen that may not have historical precedent. As a leader, you have to face challenges that take you into uncharted territory. HBS prepares us for leadership by teaching us how to structure problems and tackle them. And by instilling a core set of principles I can never compromise."

Helping young people realize what they can do

At HBS, Jennifer isn't just studying social enterprise, she's launching one of her own. Called "LeagueOfDreamers.com," the project, Jennifer says, "is an online platform that matches young people interested in specific careers with successful professionals all over the world. I'm excited about the enterprise because it covers the biggest gap in improving social mobility — helping young people realize what they are capable of doing."

This summer, Jennifer will begin the LeagueOfDreamers.com program in the Philippines. "I've found a large university network to help launch a pilot," Jennifer says. "Also, I've been chosen as an HBS Social Enterprise Summer Fellow, which will help me make connections and establish my enterprise. With growth and greater support, the program will eventually be available to youth all over the world."