September 4, 2002
Contact: Catherine Walsh
Harvard Business School
(617) 495-6931
BOSTON -- Nine newly minted Harvard Business School (HBS) graduates overcame stiff competition from classmates for the chance to apply their skills to help various organizations combat HIV/AIDS in Africa, fight crime and terrorism, improve the performing arts, and help women and children move out of poverty.
Chosen from more than sixty applicants, HBS Service Leadership Fellows are now in their first weeks of a unique year-long partnership with nonprofit and public sector organizations. Supported by Harvard Business School, the Fellows report to the heads of selected organizations from Boston to Botswana, learning early in their careers about the challenges and rewards of the non-profit and public sectors while contributing leadership and management skills honed during their two years as MBA students.
Mark Bearn began work in Botswana earlier this month as a project manager for the African Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Partnerships (ACHAP), an organization funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Merck & Co - the New Jersey-based pharmaceutical company - to support Botswana's efforts to tackle HIV/AIDS through strategies embedded in the local culture and customs.
"It has always been my intention to work in Africa after graduation," says Bearn, who came to Harvard from England on a Fulbright Scholarship in 1999 and received masters' degrees in June from both HBS and the John F. Kennedy School of Government.
"I strongly believe that the enterprise skills that Harvard Business School teaches are a big part of what is required for Africa's development," he adds. "And since successful development in Africa will be driven by collaborative alliances of business, government, and non-profits like ACHAP, I can think of no richer way to strengthen my skills."
As part of the program, Harvard Business School provides grants to Fellows, who also receive a salary from their host organizations. HBS wants to ensure that the program is affordable both for Fellows - many of whom need to pay back student loans - and the organizations they work for, which are often strapped for funds.
"The challenge of managing a nonprofit or public sector organization has never been greater," says W. Carl Kester, senior associate dean and MBA Program chair. "At the same time, students have been expressing a growing interest in exploring the special challenge and rewards of working in this arena. By lowering the barriers, this program creates a win-win situation for all."
By bringing the total compensation of an HBS Service Leadership Fellow within a competitive range of what he or she would receive in the for-profit world, Kester adds, "the program was able to attract top students."
HBS selects non-profit and public sector organizations for the program based on their ability to benefit from the skills of a Harvard Business School MBA, as well as on the potential interest of students. Fellows are chosen through a highly selective process that includes interviews both with HBS faculty and the leaders of organizations where potential fellows are interested in serving. Throughout the fellowship year, which can be renewed for an additional year on a case-by-case basis, HBS Leadership Fellows will receive training and support from the School as well as their host organization.
The idea of creating this fellowship program to connect Harvard Business School MBA's with the nonprofit and public sectors came from Professor Michael E. Porter, a leading authority on competitive strategy and the competitive development of nations, states, and regions.
"The role of the leader in business has changed," says Porter. "Many business leaders today spend thirty to forty percent of their time working with the government and social sectors. My hope is that, in time, we will have a network of Service Fellow alumni playing a key role in managing the increasingly overlapping relationships between business, government, and the non-profit worlds."
Participating in the inaugural HBS Service Leadership Fellows Program are the following graduates and organizations:
- Mark Bearn (MBA '02)
African Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Partnerships (ACHAP), Botswana
Bearn supports the Government of Botswana's efforts to develop and implement an HIV/AIDS strategic planning process that is embedded in local culture and customs.
- Monica Chi (MBA '02)
Federal Bureau of Investigation, Washington, D.C.
Chi works directly with Director Robert Mueller and his Chief of Staff to assist with the agency's reorganization in its efforts to more effectively combat crime and terrorism.
- Nicole Hanrahan (MBA '02)
Women's Educational and Industrial Union, Boston, Mass.
Hanrahan will develop innovative programs to provide low-income women with the skills they need to attain economic self-sufficiency for themselves and their families. - Mardie Oakes (MBA '02)
Boston Community Capital (BCC), Boston, Mass.
Oakes will work with the CEO of this leading community development venture capital organization on the planning and implementation of selected initiatives. - Stanley Omosa (MBA '02)
Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC), Boston, Mass.
Omosa will coordinate and implement ICIC's Inner City Entrepreneurship Academy, which studies and shares the best inner-city business development practices. - Alexis Palmer (MBA '02)
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, New York City, N.Y.
Palmer will initiate and coordinate a variety of special projects in conjunction with the Lincoln Center's president. - Juan Carlos Pereira (MBA '02)
Presidential Commission for Investment Promotion, Managua, Nicaragua
Pereira will report to President Bolanos and will coordinate the Commission's decisions and recommendations for improving Nicaragua's business climate. - Meredith Weenick (MBA '02)
Mayor's Office, City of Boston
Weenick will work with Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and his team to better leverage the city's resources and create mutually beneficial public and private partnerships. - Rob Zeaske (MBA '02)
Mercy Corps, Portland, Ore.
Zeaske will help develop and implement a common approach to program monitoring and evaluation for worldwide programs of this international relief and development agency.
The HBS Service Leadership Fellows Program builds on a long tradition of support for social initiatives and public service at Harvard Business School. In 1993, HBS founded the Initiative on Social Enterprise, an ongoing and comprehensive effort to involve students, faculty, and alumni in shaping successful non-profit and other social-purpose organizations. The School's curriculum now includes a number of MBA elective courses, as well a variety of executive education programs, that focus on social enterprise.
Founded in 1908 as part of Harvard University, Harvard Business School (www.hbs.edu) is located in Boston and offers full-time programs leading to the MBA and doctoral degrees, as well as a portfolio of more than 40 Executive Education programs. With a faculty of over 200 distinguished scholars, the School is dedicated to educating leaders who make a difference in the world. Its core focus is to shape the practice of business, build enduring knowledge, and effectively communicate important ideas to meet the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century.