Valerie Porciello
Executive Director, Division of Research and Faculty Development
Bio
Valerie Porciello is Executive Director of the Division of Research and Faculty Development at Harvard Business School and a member of the School's executive leadership team. Valerie joined Harvard Business School to create a new function dedicated to faculty support. Now called the Division of Research and Faculty Development (DRFD), the 300-person organization includes faculty administration, research administration, and a wide array of faculty research, teaching, and administrative support services. The purpose of a unified organization for faculty administration and services is to enable a holistic view across the life cycle of the faculty, from recruitment through retirement. The DRFD team's singular focus is supporting an environment where faculty members at all stages of their career have the opportunity to thrive and do their best work.
As Executive Director, Valerie is responsible for the overall strategy and performance of the DRFD. She also partners with HBS faculty leadership to advance a strategic agenda for faculty development and research. This work encompasses recruiting and onboarding, appointments and reviews, planning and staffing, and the allocation of research funding and other support resources to more than 300 faculty members, as well as initiatives related to faculty culture, mentoring, engagement, and governance, and the creation of new programs and services to enhance the faculty support infrastructure. New offerings have included Research Computing Services, the HBS Behavioral Lab (BeLab), the Case Research and Writing Group, the Christensen Center for Teaching and Learning, an Executive Fellows Program, and a Predoctoral Fellows Program.
Prior to Harvard, Valerie served on a leadership team at Digital Equipment Corporation managing the organizational transformation of an IT service delivery business spanning the Northeastern U.S. She holds a bachelor's degree, summa cum laude, and an MBA with high distinction from Bentley College (now Bentley University). She is also a graduate of the Program for Management Development at HBS.