The HBS African American Student Union (AASU) strives to be an extended family for its members from the moment they decide to attend HBS, through the transition to second year, and beyond graduation. Here we profile two AASU members who came to HBS from the public sector about their experiences before and during the MBA program.
Leah Azeze (MBA 2023)
Where is your hometown?
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
What was your pre-MBA industry and role?
International Development / Senior Program Manager.
Post-MBA industry and role?
Consulting / Consultant.
At what point did you decide to pursue an MBA, and why?
Under a U.S. government-funded project focused on increasing entrepreneurship in Uganda’s agriculture sector, I supported the creation of economic opportunities for over 350,000 youth and leveraged $13 million in private sector investment. It wasn’t until this experience that I fully grasped the power of the private sector. Business is uniquely effective at scaling sustainable solutions. Ensuring that existing businesses led our interventions enabled us to avoid the all-too-common pitfall in foreign aid: offering band-aid solutions that disappear with the project’s end.
How have you leveraged your unique professional experience in the public sector at HBS?
My unique professional experience in the public sector has enabled me to become a passionate voice for corporate accountability, public-private partnerships, and the role of business in society. I often find myself raising issues around the weight assigned to ethical concerns, especially when they are judged against financial considerations.
What has been the highlight of your HBS experience thus far?
The students and alumni I have met so far are catalysts for change in their communities. Every day, they are inspired to translate their good intentions into action and tackle society’s most complex challenges with grace.
Quintin Haynes (MBA 2023)
Where is your hometown?
Rockledge, Florida.
What was your pre-MBA industry and role?
NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services / Executive Deputy Commissioner.
Post-MBA industry and role?
Public Sector / City Development.
At what point did you decide to pursue an MBA, and why?
After over a decade of government service, I am focusing on the future of cities that will combine my interests in urban governance, policy, planning, and development. I am confident that pursuing an MBA at HBS will provide a global residential experience to become a successful public entrepreneur and city developer.
The United Nations projects that by 2050 more than 68 percent of the world's population will live in cities. These urban areas will require significant investment in infrastructure modernization, economic diversification, environmental resilience, social and cultural innovation.
Like the work of O.W. Gurley and J.B. Stradford, founders of the historic Greenwood district known as Black Wall Street, I will build on their ingenuity to construct master-planned communities that can be personalized, owned, and operated by their residents. This focus will increase property ownership, livability, and community equity. It will also enhance resident engagement, lower the cost to serve, and, more importantly, restore a pathway to generational wealth.
How have you leveraged your unique professional experience in the public sector at HBS?
I have worked on some of the most complex operating challenges facing governments to date, including lack of public trust, deteriorating service delivery, end-of-life systems, loss of skilled talent, and budget deficits. I leverage these experiences at HBS to analyze trends, find synergies, and negotiate differences.
What has been the highlight of your HBS experience thus far?
Each day, with limited information, I am challenged to solve complex problems that require navigating sectors, aligning incentives, and activating diverse actors.