Meet the 2017-2018 HBS Leadership Fellows
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The Leadership Fellows Program at Harvard Business School is based on University Professor Michael Porter’s vision of developing a network of HBS graduates with cross-sector experience who are committed to addressing societal issues throughout their careers. The Fellowship is a two-way commitment in which graduating students are offered once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to experience high-impact management positions in nonprofit and public sector organizations for one year at a competitive salary. At the same time, the hiring organizations leverage the experience, energy, and strategic and analytical skills of MBAs in roles that produce immediate results and build long-term capacity. Since its inception in 2001, the Leadership Fellows Program has placed 190 Fellows at organizations such as the City of Boston Mayor’s Office, Harlem Children’s Zone, Mercy Corps, World Wildlife Fund, and the U.S. Department of Education. “The HBS Leadership Fellows Program provides our newly-minted MBAs with an unparalleled opportunity to partner with senior leaders in the public and social sectors to tackle some of society’s toughest challenges,” notes Matt Segneri (MBA 2010), Director of the HBS Social Enterprise Initiative. Segneri spent his own Leadership Fellows year in the City of Boston Mayor’s Office and continued his career in social enterprise at Bloomberg Philanthropies before returning to HBS. Whether Fellows stay on with their sponsoring organizations, move to another social enterprise, or enter the private sector, past participants agree that the Leadership Fellows Program is critical to their ongoing development as leaders who make a difference in the world. "This is the opportunity I came to HBS to find," said Andrew Cone (MBA 2017), who will be working with the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City. "It's a rare gift to be able to have such an impact this early in my career, and I'm looking forward to the challenge," said Verdell Walker, who will be working with Sesame Workshop. The 2017-2018 HBS Leadership Fellows will be taking on issues in Boston and the broader US. They will be working in a wide array of fields, including arts and culture, education, government, health care, and international development. They are as follows: Hrithik Bansal, BRAC USA Smitha Boyd, Massachusetts Office of Information Technology Ophelia Chua, American Ballet Theatre Andrew Cone, Whitney Museum of American Art Margo Cramer, City of Boston, Department of Neighborhood Development Tian Feng, United Nations World Food Programme Sherri Geng, Harlem Children's Zone Steven Greene, City of Boston Mayor's Office Pia Gugnani, Boston Children's Hospital Ben Luxenberg, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Mark Margiotta, MassHealth Katie Rae Mulvey, Detroit Economic Growth Corporation Ishan Shrestha, MassHealth Justin Smith, United Nations World Food Programme Henry Tsai, City of San Jose, Office of Mayor Verdell Walker, Sesame Workshop Aaron Whittemore, MBTA Harvard Business School is grateful for the generosity of donors who have been vital to the HBS Leadership Fellows Program: James A. Atwood, Jr. (MBA 1984) Fellowship Fund, David J. Dunn Fund, Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation/Richard L. Menschel Endowment, Richard Lumpkin Dean’s Discretionary Fund, Margaret T. Morris Foundation Endowment, Michael E. Porter Leadership Fellowship, and John C. Whitehead Fund for Not-for-Profit Management. About the Social Enterprise Initiative: The HBS Social Enterprise Initiative applies innovative business practices and managerial disciplines to drive sustained, high-impact social change. It is grounded in the mission of Harvard Business School and aims to educate, support, and inspire leaders across all sectors to tackle society’s toughest challenges and make a difference in the world. |
About Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School, located on a 40-acre campus in Boston, was founded in 1908 as part of Harvard University. It is among the world's most trusted sources of management education and thought leadership. For more than a century, the School's faculty has combined a passion for teaching with rigorous research conducted alongside practitioners at world-leading organizations to educate leaders who make a difference in the world. Through a dynamic ecosystem of research, learning, and entrepreneurship that includes MBA, Doctoral, Executive Education, and Online programs, as well as numerous initiatives, centers, institutes, and labs, Harvard Business School fosters bold new ideas and collaborative learning networks that shape the future of business.