Know Your HBS Staff: Margaret Mitropoulos
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by Shona Simkin If you’ve ever submitted an expense report at Harvard Business School (HBS), it’s likely been processed by Margaret Mitropoulos, the assistant director of financial operations and reimbursements. We asked Margaret about what’s changed in the 22 years she’s been here, what she likes to do in her spare time, and for a few examples of memorable reimbursement requests.  Where are you from? What is your role, and what does it look like day to day?
I always go into work with a list of what I’m going to do that day. Does it ever get done? Very rarely. I never know what’s going to happen. There are certain times of the year when we know things happen—like now it’s year-end so we’re getting everything thrown at us. But I just never know what I’ll come across on any day. We have faculty, students, and staff traveling all over the world. I’m available when they need anything. It’s fascinating. Anytime there’s a disaster–like the tsunami in Indonesia in 2004–we’re working to get anyone traveling in that area home as quickly and safely as we can. The safety of our students, staff, and faculty is the most important thing for us. If we need to get someone home, we’ll work to make sure it gets done.
What was your career prior to HBS? How has your job changed in the past 22 plus years? The School has also grown significantly in 22 years, so there’s a lot more travel—more faculty, more staff, and more students going to different places. I’m fascinated by how much the School has grown. What are some of your favorite parts of your job? Most of us in our office have been here for quite a while, so I owe a lot to them. It’s a great group to work with; we all help each other. The community is very important at HBS and I notice that a lot. I’ve had some surgeries, and when my parents passed, my office and the School were super nice—they really care about their people. I also like that in my job I deal with every department, because everyone has expenses. Whether they’re traveling or need supplies. I am very fortunate that I get to know a lot of people. I like what I do, but it can be challenging at times because unfortunately people do things before asking if they can be reimbursed for it. Then we’re in the position of telling them that we can’t pay for it, and they’ve already spent the money, but luckily it doesn’t happen that often. What are some of the most outrageous requests for reimbursement that you’ve received? What do you like to do in your spare time? I most love going to Greece; being Greek myself it's my favorite place—Santorini is my favorite island. The first time I went to Greece I was five and I’ve been nine times, which isn’t a lot because a lot of Greek folks go every year. It was quite the culture shock for me. My mother was from a little town in southern Greece with no electricity or running water, so for a five-year-old that was pretty fascinating. I was also fortunate to go on the first FIELD Global Immersion trip to Poland, which was a lot of fun, and also to China and Peru. Peru was one of my favorite trips because I took a few extra days and went to Machu Picchu, and that was fascinating. Right before COVID I took a family cruise to Alaska, which was a lot of fun because there were probably 15-20 of us. What would you be doing if you weren’t at HBS? |
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