24 May 2018

Meet the 2018-2019 Leadership Fellows

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The 2018-19 Leadership Fellows
Photo: Justin Saglio

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 208 Fellows at organizations such as the City of Boston Mayor’s Office, Harlem Children’s Zone, Mercy Corps, Whitney Museum of Art, World Wildlife Fund, and the U.S. Department of Education.

“The HBS Leadership Fellows Program provides a one-of-a-kind opportunity for our MBAs to work directly with the CEOs, senior executives, and elected officials leading the world’s pre-eminent organizations in the public and social sectors,” notes Matt Segneri (MBA 2010), Director of the HBS Social Enterprise Initiative. “They take on top-priority projects and tackle some of society’s toughest challenges within weeks of graduation.” 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 exactly what I came to HBS to discover," said Alexander Glasner (MBA 2018), who will be working with New York Public Radio. “The perfect role at the intersection of public and private sectors, balancing finance, strategy, and social good. This will be a chance to get close to the heart of an organization that I not only care about, but which will equip me with the practical training for future roles that HBS has been fundamental to forming. I really hope that this is the start of a career where I can have a real impact on people’s lives.”

"Over the course of my time at HBS, I have been focused on answering this question: how do we create economic opportunity that is truly broadly shared?" said Rachel Lipson (MBA 2018), who will be working with Year Up. “I am grateful for this chance to translate the needs of business into more inclusive and vigorous talent supply chains that can provide the foundation for shared prosperity in our country.”

The 2018-2019 HBS Leadership Fellows will work at a wide range of organizations across fields like healthcare, media, and the public sector. They are as follows:

JOANNA BEASLEY, Boston Children’s Hospital

RONY BRODSKY, Harbor Bank of Maryland Community Development Corporation

MEGAN CHANN, MBTA

JASON FLOOD, Boston Medical Center

ALEXANDER GLASNER, New York Public Radio

MIZUHO KANAI, Sesame Workshop

HANNAH KLEINFELD, Boston Medical Center

JOY LI, MassHealth

RACHEL LIPSON, Year Up

ALEXANDRA MCGOODWIN, BRAC USA

SMITHA RAMAKRISHNA, Social Finance

KEN ROWE, City of Boston Mayor’s Office

BEN SAMUELS, City of Chicago Mayor’s Office

DENZIL SIKKA, City of San Jose Mayor’s Office

JODIE SWEITZER, Code for America

MICHAEL ALAN WILLIAMS, The Kresge Foundation

KENNETH ZAUDERER, MBTA

JESSICA ZHAO, Whitney Museum of Modern Art

Hear from the Fellows in their own words about why they are excited about their upcoming opportunities.

Harvard Business School is grateful for the generosity of donors who have been vital to the HBS Leadership Fellows Program: James A. Attwood, Jr. (MBA 1984) Fellowship, David J. Dunn (MBA 1961) Fellowship, Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation/Richard L. Menschel (MBA 1959) Endowment, Richard Lumpkin (MBA 1963) Dean’s Discretionary Fund, Margaret T. Morris Foundation Endowment, Carl and Lily Pforzheimer Foundation Fellowship, Michael E. Porter (MBA 1971) Service Leadership Fellowship, and John C. Whitehead Fellowship 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.

Contacts

Christian Camerota
ccamerota+hbs.edu
617-495-6931

About Harvard Business School

Founded in 1908 as part of Harvard University, Harvard Business School is located on a 40-acre campus in Boston. Its faculty of more than 250 offers full-time programs leading to the MBA and PhD degrees, as well as more than 175 Executive Education programs, and Harvard Business School Online, the School’s digital learning platform. For more than a century, faculty have drawn on their research, their experience in working with organizations worldwide, and their passion for teaching, to educate leaders who make a difference in the world. The School and its curriculum attract the boldest thinkers and the most collaborative learners who will go on to shape the practice of business and entrepreneurship around the globe.