17 Dec 2025

Know Your HBS Staff: Juan Medina

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by Shona Simkin

What’s the connection between high-end car brands and managing operational residential services for Executive Education? For Juan Medina, it’s attention to detail and providing a high level of service. We asked Juan about his role, his unconventional path to HBS, and driving on the Autobahn.

Father and son pose in front of vintage cars at a car show on a sunny day, with a historic stone mansion and crowd in the background.

Tell us about your role.
I’m the manager of operational residential services. I’ve been in this role since November of 2021. I oversee the day-to-day residential operations in Executive Education—my goal is to make sure that our participants feel like they're walking into a well-run, clean, high-end residential hall the moment they arrive on campus.

That means that I work closely with our custodial contractor, C&W Services, managing the housekeeping services, our laundry and dry-cleaning services, other vendors, and indoor greenery, which includes the chapel. I'm usually coordinating with the Guest Services and program teams or C&W services, so that the rooms are clean and turned over on time, that public spaces are welcoming, and that any issues are resolved quickly and quietly behind the scenes.

What does an average day look like?
I start by checking my emails and reviewing our work order system, ServiceNow, to see if there are any recurring issues or any issues from the previous day. Throughout the day, I'll walk the buildings to do quality inspections and address any substandard conditions in housekeeping, furnishing, or facilities—any facilities items that need to be fixed or anything in public areas. One of the main things I do and enjoy is being the frontline troubleshooter for escalated guest or vendor issues. If a participant is having an issue in their room, I work to find a solution as quickly as possible and make sure that any corrective action is taken and followed through.

What was your path to HBS?
My path is very unconventional. I went to Suffolk University for business administration, but took a break because I wanted to study cars. I went to an automotive school and got a degree, hoping to work at a high-end manufacturer like Porsche or Mercedes-Benz. I did that for a year and a half and realized it wasn't what I really wanted.

I went back to Suffolk and took a temporary job at HBS in May of 2011, working with C&W, our housekeeping vendor. It was supposed to just be a summer job, but in September I had the opportunity to go full-time. It was an overnight position, which I did for about two years. It was a good experience both figuratively and literally. The buildings were naturally much quieter, but there was always a lot to do and it was often even busier behind the scenes.

I worked my way up from employee to assistant supervisor, and then I came on the day shift as a supervisor in 2014 and assumed this role in 2021. My career has been a natural progression; I’ve been very lucky to have this opportunity. HBS felt like a place I belonged.

Is there a connection between working for a high-end car manufacturer and what you do now?
I see the connection of liking high-end attention to detail, cutting-edge types of things and providing that level of service to Exec Ed participants. I see my role as similar to working for a high-performance brand like Porsche or Mercedes—I care a lot about the image of the School and representing it well. I take pride in what I manage. That first experience participants have when they arrive is always magical—it’s a real wow moment, arriving at HBS Executive Education.

What are other favorite aspects of your job?
Every day, every program is different. I get to meet so many participants from different countries, and get to talk to them and hear stories about their companies or where they live. It’s interesting to meet so many people from around the world.

I also manage the pest control vendor, and that means that I'm able to go all over campus and into all kinds of different nooks and crannies of campus and meet new and interesting staff. I recently went to Baker Library’s historical collections and archives and I had never been down there—that was a great experience. I like that I get to go all over campus.

Where do you live?
I live on the South Shore, in Braintree, with my wife and my nine-year old son. We love it there. I've lived here in Boston most of my life. I came with my parents from Colombia when I was five years old. I got to go back for three years when I was in middle school, which was a great experience. I've always been international—I like to learn about other cultures and myself.

What do you like to do in your spare time?
We like to travel—we have been to Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Venice, Paris, London, and Puerto Rico. Most recently, we took a trip to Mexico.

I love cars and mechanical watches, so when we went to Switzerland, I got to rent a performance vehicle, a Mercedes AMG. I always wanted to drive into Stuttgart, Germany, which is the headquarters of Mercedes Benz and Porsche. I was able to get onto the Autobahn and drive at unlimited speed; that was a great check-off item on my bucket list and an experience that I'll always remember. Next, we’d like to fly to Italy and drive into Maranello to see Ferrari Museum.

My wife, son, and I like going to the Lars Andresen Museum in Brookline—in the spring and summertime they have a lot of car shows. Their biggest one is Tutto Italiano, and it has old Italian cars from the sixties era as well as modern ones. The older ones are just timeless, beautiful pieces.

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