My internship with the National Park Service has given me a unique perspective on park operations. In my view, each park unit (there are 417 in the U.S.!) runs like a mini-business, with a twist. [...]

Olivia Staffon, MBA 2019, shares a day in the life during her summer internship at the National Park Service, Dinosaur Park. Her project is focused on evaluating opportunities for sharing operational resources such as equipment, labor, or expertise, between multiple parks. [...]

I began my MBA with the goal of utilizing business practices for land management issues. Scouring for applicable insights, I attempted filtering my coursework through the lens of a natural resource specialist. However, even with that perspective, the connection between business and conservation was not yet becoming clear. This guided my decision to intern with the National Park Service (NPS). My objective was to test the portability of MBA principles to practical and timely resources challenges. [...]

Entering HBS I knew what my fundamental professional ambition was: leading profoundly positive change in society by working at the cross section of engineering and technology, business, and government. I was able to experience such a role during my summer at the City of Detroit Office of the Mayor. Specifically, I served as a policy associate for Detroit’s Chief of Mobility Innovation, Mark De La Vergne. One of my section-mates was also on the same team this summer; it was fantastic working with her daily and debating the merits of various ideas out loud. [...]

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. [...]