WHAT IS YOUR DAY JOB AT HBS?

I’m Assistant Dean for Administrative and Educational Affairs.  It’s a job that includes a little bit of everything, from strategic planning to community relations.  Some of my current projects include the role of convening at HBS, preparing for the move of the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) to Allston, and next steps for our outdoor sculpture-on-loan program.

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN A PROGRAM MANAGER BEFORE? 

I’ve been a Program Manager three times in the past.  Twice with FIELD 2 (Beijing in 2013 and Ho Chi Minh City in 2014), and once with IFC (Japan in 2015).

WHAT EXCITES YOU MOST ABOUT TRAVELING WITH STUDENTS AND FACULTY?

Immersion travel is wonderful for staff in so many ways.  Not only do those of us serving as Program Managers broaden our own horizons and develop our global intelligence by learning in-depth about the travel locations right alongside the students, but also we develop stronger relationships with faculty and students alike -- and we get to refresh our understanding of MBA students’ day-to-day experiences, concerns, hopes, and dreams in a way that just can’t be replicated otherwise. 

WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO LEARN IN ETHIOPIA & TANZANIA?

Although I’ve traveled extensively in both fully developed and “no frills” corners of the world, visiting Africa ticks a new continent off my bucket list.  I’m very much looking forward to better understanding even just a few of the places, cultures, and forces in motion there.

WHAT IS ONE THING YOU CAN’T TRAVEL WITHOUT?

I burn pretty easily, so sunscreen is a must for me.

IF YOU HAD TO CHOOSE THREE WORDS TO DESCRIBE YOURSELF AS A TRAVELER, WHAT WOULD THEY BE?

When it comes to travel, I’m obsessively organized, hungry for any and all (well… almost any and all) culinary experiences, and curious about what makes people and places distinctive.

IF YOU COULD SPEAK ANOTHER LANGUAGE, WHICH WOULD IT BE AND WHY?

I wish I could speak Hindi.  My wife’s family is from India, and it would be wonderful to be more self-sufficient in our occasional India travel -- not to mention more able to converse with relatives who speak little English.