HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL
AFRICAN-AMERICAN ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
50th Anniversary Leadership Summit
A Network of Leaders Who Make A Difference In The World
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10 - SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2025
The Harvard Business School Campus, Boston, Massachusetts
September 17, 2025
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Welcome to our Harvard Business School African-American Alumni Association’s 50th Anniversary Leadership Summit. Our theme, “A Network of Leaders Who Make A Difference In The World,” reflects the way so many of us have become friends - across the generations - no matter when we attended HBS. We have formed a valuable network:
• Mentoring 7th graders in the South Bronx,
• Organizing past HBSAAA Leadership Summits,
• Fundraising to finance the creation of the Naylor Fitzhugh Chair,
• Funding the George P Baker Minority Fellowship,
• Attending a White House plenary session,
• Becoming involved in the HBS Upswell Forum,
• Mentoring young people on campus or with our very own Summer Venture in Management Program (SVMP),
• Serving on the HBSAAA board, or
• Even just attending HBSAAA webinars.
Now, after a half century of progress by and for our association, Harvard University itself as well as HBSAAA and our nation stand at a crossroads. How will we shape our collective future? Will the next 50 years see even more progress and prosperity – or not?
We have designed a series of keynote addresses and concurrent panels to tackle these questions. And we have tasked every speaker to leave us with concrete “calls to actions” that we can take back individually into our local community. This conference will not be a success if we all go home having just had a good time, having escaped, even briefly, our fatigue and anxieties.
This conference will be a success only if each one of us becomes an activist and commits to lead with character, to lead with our shared values, to lead together and marshal the best from each other.
Thinking about this welcome letter, we returned to a 2019 HBSAAA Newsletter.
Now deceased HBSAAA Co-founder and former President, Walter Ross (MBA 1973), reflected on the advocacy of Dean John H. McArthur for the creation of our alumni association.
Walter recalled:
“....in the mid-1970s, Dean McArthur was a beloved—albeit unlikely—advocate for the establishment of our organization within the broader HBS community….It’s not lost on me that Dean McArthur came to HBS in the 1950s from Canada’s westernmost province where he had earned a bachelor’s degree in forestry and where according to Dean McArthur, his boss at the lumber company he worked for suggested that he pursue an MBA at Harvard. He came to Harvard Business School, then, as most of us black students did a generation later, as an outsider. By the 1970s, as dean of the MBA program, he was responsible for a newlydiverse cohort of business students that included mostly urban African-Americans who wanted to ensure their standing in Harvard’s alumni infrastructure...After about five minutes of conversation, Dean McArthur said: “Let’s try it. We will work out the details later.” With those words, Dean McArthur became a co-founder of the HBSAAA.”
As we gather on the HBS campus from October 10-12, let’s remember Dean MacArthur’s and Walter Ross’ can-do spirit, their uniting as “outsiders” to found our alumni association. In their memory, let’s redouble our engagement with HBSAAA to ensure that 50 years from now, our future selves gather to praise what we do together in 2025.
Our voice is a celebrated, historic, and welcomed one within the larger HBS community. Let’s continue to learn, grow, partner together, and make a difference in the world, one voice at a time. Our future will be built on the sturdy foundation of our existing 50 year legacy.
In peace and gratitude,
Raymond Eason, Jr. CO-PRESIDENT OF HBSAAA
Jacqueline Adams HBSAAA 50 LEADERSHIP SUMMIT CHAIR
2025 HBSAAA Leadership
HBSAAA50 HONORARY CO-CHAIRS
Reggie Van Lee, MBA 1984
Dr. Tamara Nall, MBA 2005
Herman Bulls, MBA 1985
Errin Green, MBA 2006
Tarrus Richardson, MBA 1996
Nigel Parkinson, OPM 34
HBSAAA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Gail Morales, MBA 1985, Chair
Beverly Anderson, MBA 1997
Michele Chambliss, MBA 1989
Khary Cuffe, MBA 2006 / MPA 2007
Walter Delph, MBA 2003
Ray Eason, MBA 2004
Walter Frye, MBA 2000
Lillian Lincoln Lambert, MBA 1969
Lewis Long, MBA 1991
Nina Henderson Moore, MBA 1991
Tamara Nall, MBA 2005
Mark Persaud, MBA 1992/JD 1993
Michael A. Persaud, MBA 1994
Derek Powell, AMP 2012
Kenneth A. Powell, MBA 1974
Christopher O.H. Williams, MBA 2002
Jacquelyn M. Woodard, MBA 1996
HBSAAA OFFICERS
Ray Eason MBA 2004 CO-PRESIDENT
Mark Persaud, MBA 1992/JD 1993 CO-PRESIDENT
Norquata Allen, MBA 2023 SECRETARY
Maurice Kuykendoll, MBA 2012 CO-TREASURER
Everott Miles, MBA 2009 CO-TREASURER
George Ellis, MBA 1964 VP, SPONSORSHIP & GRANTS
Jerome Fulton, MBA 2023 CO-VP, ADMISSIONS
Kristov George, MBA 2023 CO-VP, ADMISSIONS
Danielle Regis, MBA 2022 VP, STUDENT RELATIONS
Tres Watson, MBA 2020 VP, PROGRAMS
Aaron Mitchell, MBA 2011 VP, CAREERS
Clement Utuk, GMP 29, 2020 VP, MEMBERSHIP
Jacqueline Adams, MBA 1978 CHAIR, HBSAAA50 LEADERSHIP SUMMIT
Matthew Davis, MBA 2023 CO-LIAISON, UPSWELL
Deborah Owolabi MBA 2024 CO-LIAISON, UPSWELL
HBSAAA50 LEADERSHIP SUMMIT PLANNING TEAM
Jacqueline Adams, HBS MBA 1978 CHAIR
Beverly Anderson, MBA 1997
Lisa Bourne, MBA 2002 Interim Executive Director
Keta Burke-Williams, MBA 2021
Mary Broussard-Harmon, HBSAAA Administrator
James Cash, James E. Robison Professor of Business Administration, Emeritus
Jamal Eason, MBA 2011
Ray Eason, Jr., MBA 2004
Evette Ellis, PLDA 38
George Ellis, MBA 1984
Janelle Faulk, PLDA 27
Walter Frye, MBA 2000
Michelle Graham, MBA 2003
Marlo Hines, MBA 2014
Alana Hinkston, MBA 2024
Carl Horton, MBA 1995
Wendy John, AMP 2024
Allison Johnson, MBA 1997
Andre Kearns, MBA 1999
Maurice Kuykendoll, MBA 2012
Aaron Mitchell, MBA 2011
Nina Henderson Moore, MBA 1991
Gail Morales, MBA 1985
Dr. Tamara Nall, MBA 2005
Mark Persaud, MBA 1992/JD 1993
Michael Persaud, MBA 1994
Derek Powell, AMP 183
Kenneth Powell, MBA 1974
Michele Rogers, MBA 1986
Karen Stanley, MBA 1991
Alicia Stoddard, MBA 2017
Belinda Stubblefield, MBA 1989
M. Très Watson, MBA 2007/MPA 2008
Brittany T. Williams, MBA 2018
Christopher O.H. Williams, MBA 2002
Jackie Woodard, MBA 2006
Clement Utuk, GMP 29
HBSAAA50 HISTORY COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Belinda Stubblefield, HBS MBA 1989 CHAIR
Mark Aradyfio, MBA 2005
Kimberly Spears, MBA 2005
Chauncey Whitaker, MBA 1996
Gwill York, MBA 1984
Rayshauna Gray
MINING YOUR NETWORK TABLE CHAMPIONS
Aaron Mitchell (Moderator)
Brickson Diamond, MBA 1999
Danielle Regis, MBA 2022
Derek Powell, AMP 183
Ike Umunnah, Harvard School of Education
Tracy Lawrence, MBA 1987
Kimberly Pirtle, MBA 2021
Lauren Moses, MBA 2007
Walt Frye. MBA 2000
Pauline Fischer, MBA 1998
WIll Drewery, MBA 2012
Anna Johnson, MBA 2010
About HBSAAA
The Harvard Business School African American Alumni Association (HBSAAA) represents over 3,100 alumni of African American heritage and identity. Guided by a commitment to excellence, equity, and legacy, we strengthen the bonds among alumni across generations and equip our members—past, present, and future—to realize their fullest potential and impact in personal, professional, and civic life.
HBSAAA traces its roots to 1968, when five pioneering students founded the Afro-American Student Union (AASU), the predecessor organization. Their immediate goal was practical and urgent: to increase Black enrollment at HBS and create a supportive environment within a school that, at the time, had only a handful of Black students.
By the 1970s, their efforts had yielded a dramatic rise in enrollment. As the alumni body grew, the need for a sustained alumni
LEGACY OF CONTRIBUTION
1968 AASU founded
1975 HBS Black Alumni founded
1978 George P. Baker Minority Fellowship ($6M)
1979 HBSAAA incorporated
1983 Summer Venture in Management
1996 HBSAAA National Conference (12 Annual; 3 Equity, 2 Media & Entertainment; 2 in Boston); Spring & Fall Reunion Weekend African American receptions
2000–2006 HBSAAA/ASU Alumni Buddy Program for New Admits
network became clear, leading to the formal establishment of HBSAAA. The vision of HBSAAA is to ensure that Black alumni of HBS remain a visible, vibrant, and influential force in business, society, and within the School itself. It imagines a world where Black leaders are not only present but centered in decision-making, shaping industries and communities, while also opening doors for those who follow.
The HBSAAA is at once a guardian of history, a convener of community, and a catalyst for future leadership. Its story is one of resilience, advocacy, and enduring influence—proof that when alumni organize with vision and purpose, they can reshape institutions and amplify impact well beyond campus walls.
2001 H. Naylor Fitzhugh Professorship funded ($5.1M)
2004 South Bronx KIPP Academy business/ tech mentorship (200 7th–8th graders over 10 years)
2006–2024 Admissions partnership focused on yield
2009 44th Presidential Inaugural event & White House plenary
2015 Global Ambassador Program (with alumni clubs in 15 locations)
2018 AASU50 conference (600 attendees; 50 volunteers; 100 waitlisted); alumnae celebration (50+ women)
2018 Baker Library exhibit on AfricanAmerican business leadership; AASU presidents showcased
2020 New board and executives; incorporated as DE 501(c)(3); succession plan & bylaws updated
2021 CETF Strategy Performance Network; Start-up Capital Access Hub
2022 Networking Circles; Capital Campaign; Power Tools; Above Board Readiness; Opportunity Performance Network; HighImpact Giving; Opportunity Hub
2023 Upswell (3 cities), first class
2024 Upswell (4 cities), second class; partnership with HBS on Martha’s Vineyard; Alumni Breakfast; Changemakers Conference
2025 Marketing Dept partnership focused on yield & outreach
Schedule and Program Session Summaries
Program Agenda
WE’LL SHARE EVENT UPDATES AND REMINDERS
VIA WHATSAPP. SCAN THE QR CODE TO JOIN THE CHAT.
WhatsApp is available in the App Store or Google Play.
Friday, October 10, 2025
10:30 AM – 2:00 PM | KLARMAN LOBBY
HBSAAA 50 History Project Display Organized By Baker Library
11:00 AM | KLARMAN LOBBY Registration
Be sure to display your HBSAAA50 badge prominently to ensure admittance to all programs.
NOON – 1:30 PM | BATTEN HALL
Mining Your Network: Building Better Connections
HBSAAA’s 50th Anniversary Leadership Summit kicks off with a 90-minute session for current MBA and Executive Education students, as well as recent alumni and anyone considering a career transition. Led by Aaron Mitchell, the inaugural recipient of the HBSAAA Trailblazer Award, HBS career coach and entrepreneur, this presummit meeting will reframe what it means to network and create an environment to broaden and deepen relationships across programs and generations.
Boxed lunches will be provided for Mining Your Networking attendees only.
12:30 – 1:30 PM | KLARMAN LOBBY
Authors’ Pavilion: Where Leadership Meets Literature, and Every Page Turns
Toward Progress
The HBSAAA50 Leadership Summit is proud to spotlight the powerful voices shaping our world through the Authors’ Pavilion, a dynamic showcase of published works by our alumni, faculty, and community thought leaders. From memoirs to market insights, leadership playbooks to cultural commentary, these authors are redefining how we think, build, and lead.
During the Summit, step into the Books & Bites Lounge, located near registration in Klarman Lobby, for informal author meet-and-greets and scheduled signings.
Visit the Authors’ Pavilion Pop-Up, where QR-coded posters and book displays offer instant purchase access and author highlights.
NOON – 1:00 PM | HARVARD SQUARE COOP
Authors’ Meet and Greet
1400 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138
Tel: (617) 499-2000
2:00 – 3:00 PM | KLARMAN AUDITORIUM
HBSAAA50 Leadership
Summit Official Welcome
HBSAAA Honorary Co-chair Reggie Van Lee, MBA 1984
HBSAAA Co-Presidents Ray Eason, MBA 2004 and Mark Persaud, MBA 1992/JD 1993
Tsedal Neeley, Naylor Fitzhugh Professor of Business Administration; Senior Associate Dean and Chair of the MBA Program Harvard Business School
Opening Remarks
Srikant Datar, George F. Baker Professor of Administration, Dean of the Faculty, Harvard Business School Harvard Business School
3:00 – 3:45 PM | KLARMAN AUDITORIUM
Keynote Speaker Introduction
HBSAAA Chair Gail Morales, MBA 1985
Keynote Address
Senator Raphael Warnock “A Way Out of No Way: Leadership for This Moment”
3:45 – 4:15 PM
BREAK – Authors’ Pavilion Opportunity
4:15 – 6:00 PM | KLARMAN AUDITORIUM
Town Hall Discussion: Building on Our Legacy of Success – Part II
Almost 25 years ago, HBSAAA convened a Town Hall discussion with a similar theme. We asked civil rights “icons” to tell us what we, as HBS African American business leaders, should do to extend the progress that they had achieved. Vernon Jordan flipped the question and advised: “JUST DO SOMETHING!” Today, people of color and Harvard itself are facing unprecedented political, economic, and academic challenges. Our Town Hall will again probe concrete steps - “a call to action”to ensure success in the next half-century.
Moderator
Jacqueline Adams, MBA 1978, Author and Journalist
Panelists
Ann Fudge, MBA 1977, Former CEO and Multiple Board Member
Greg Shell, MBA 2001, Partner, Head of Inclusive Growth Strategy, Sustainable Investing Group, Goldman Sachs
Rodney E. Hood, Board of Directors for the Federal Home Loan Bank Atlanta, ZEST AI, and Vestwell; former Acting Comptroller of the Currency
Modupe Akinola, MBA 2001 and Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior from Harvard University, Barbara and David Zalaznick Professor of Business Management Division, Faculty Director of the Bernstein Center for Leadership and Ethics, Columbia Business School
6:00 – 6:30 PM | KLARMAN AUDITORIUM HBSAAA Distinguished Alumni Awards Recipients
TRAILBLAZER AWARD FOR EARLY DISTINCTION
T. Aaron Hancock, MBA 2021
Introduced by Nina Henderson Moore, MBA 1991
KENNETH A. POWELL AWARD FOR PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT
Arunma Oteh, MBA 1990
Introduced by Lois Bennet, MBA 1990
BERT KING AWARD FOR SERVICE
Sara Clark, MBA 1997
Introduced by Beverly Anderson, MBA 1997
DR. JAMES I. CASH ADVANCING PATHWAYS AWARD
Dr. Linda Hill
Introduced by Kenneth Powell, MBA 1974
Closing Remarks
Nina Henderson Moore, Former Co-president HBSAAA, MBA 1991
7:00 – 10:00 PM | VARIOUS Small Group Dinners and Networking
SCHEDULE AND PROGRAM SESSION SUMMARIES
Saturday Roadmap
8:30 - 9:30 AM
LEGACY LEADERSHIP
WEATH CREATION AND CAPITAL ACCESS
“AI” in Action Aldrich 112 Crisis Leadership Aldrich 111
8:30 - 9:30 AM
VC, PE & Angel Investing The Capital Code Aldrich 111 Beyond VC & PE Aldrich 110
8:30 - 9:30 AM
Winning Before The Market Moves Aldrich 110
INNOVATION TECHNOLOGY ENTREPRENEURSHIP
10:00 - 11:00 AM 10:00 - 11:00 AM 10:00 - 11:00 AM
“AI “ Unleashed Dr. Cash Aldrich 112
50th Anniversary Video
FIRESIDE CHAT
Nitin Nohria, Jan Rivkin, and Gail Morales
FIRESIDE CHAT
Thasunda Duckett and David Thomas
FIRESIDE CHAT Will Packer and Dr. Tamara Nall Klarman Hall
FIRESIDE CHAT
Carla Harris and Valerie Grant
Final Call to Action Klarman Hall
LEADERSHIP FOR TODAY
8:30 - 9:30 AM
Scaling Entrepreneurship Aldrich 109 Non-Profit Leadership Aldrich 109
8:30 - 9:30 AM
SOCIAL IMPACT CULTURAL INFLUENCE
GLOBAL AND STRATEGIC PERSPECTIVES
SELF CARE AND HAPPINESS
8:30 - 9:30 AM
Leadership in C-Suite Aldrich 107 Corporate Board Readiness Aldrich 107
8:30 - 9:30 AM
10:00 - 11:00 AM 10:00 - 11:00 AM 10:00 - 11:00 AM 10:00 - 11:00 AM
Launch AAA Campaign Klarman Hall
Events in Klarman Hall
Business Attire / Cocktail The Charles Hotel Roots Of Leadership Aldrich 108 Our Cultural Narrative Aldrich 108 Movement in Mindfulness Aldrich 11 Leadership Without Burnout Aldrich 11
Afro Synergy Aldrich 12
10:00 - 11:00 AM 7:00 PM - MIDNIGHT
Dining and Dancing
Saturday, October 11, 2025
All-Day Events
8:00 AM – 6:00 PM | KLARMAN LOBBY
Registration
8:00 AM – 6:00 PM | HBS CHAPEL
Honor our HBSAAA friends and colleagues who have passed on
8:00 AM – 6:00 PM | HBS CAMPUS
HBS Campus Tours
Find details about HBS’ self-guided tours here: hbs.edu/about/campus-and-culture/campus-tours
10:00 AM – 6:00 PM | HARVARD SQUARE COOP
The Bookshelf Experience
Step Into a Living Library of Leadership and Legacy where you will find many of the books for sale that are featured in our Author’s Pavilion.
Saturday, October 11, 2025
Concurrent Sessions
I
8:30 – 9:30 AM | ALDRICH HALL
track 1 – legacy and leadership
AI in Action: The BECU Case
AI is the next big wave! How do you take the plunge while the technology, risks and opportunities evolve every day? BECU believes companies that don’t embrace change will be left behind.
This session highlights BECU’s bold vision for AI. Working closely with Professor Tsedal Neeley of HBS and via the acquisition of EarnUp, BECU is rapidly building internal and external AI capabilities to reduce “no joy” work and elevate member experiences.
Join BECU CEO Beverly Anderson, MBA 1997, and HBS
Prof Tsedal Neeley to hear about BECU’s journey and see AI in action.
Other Panelists
Rick Eiel, BECU EVP Chief Data & Analytics Officer
Nadim Homsany, BECU SVP Head of AI Strategy and Innovation
Manish Garg, BECU VP AI Innovation
The Capital Code: Building Wealth Through Venture Capital & Private Equity
Step inside the high-stakes world of capital. This session will offer actionable strategies to build, manage, and sustain wealth at every stage of the financial journey that fuels innovation, powers growth, and builds legacies. Top minds in venture capital and private equity will reveal how their powerful investment vehicles not only support founders, but also create transformative wealthbuilding opportunities for investors.
Moderator
Alice Vilma, MBA 2007, Morgan Stanley Managing Director Panelists
Karega Butler, MBA/JD 2000, Senior Investor, Blackrock
Daphne Dufresne, MBA 1999, Founder and Managing Partner, Awani Capital Management
Nina Grooms Lee, MBA 1999, Board Member, Alamo Group (NYSE: ALG) | CxO | Angel Investor
Jason Howard, Founder & Managing Partner, New Catalyst Strategic Partners
SCHEDULE AND PROGRAM SESSION SUMMARIES
track 3 – innovation, technology and entrepreneurship
Future proof: How Innovators Think, Build and Win BEFORE the Market Moves
Innovation isn’t just for founders in garages or labs. It’s a mindset anyone can master. Whether you’re a corporate leader, an “intrapreneur” within a corporation, or an early-stage entrepreneur, this session will reveal how the sharpest minds in innovation consistently stay ahead of the curve. Panelists will break down real-world frameworks for identifying untapped opportunities, reviving stagnating industries, and thinking years ahead of the market.
Moderator
Dr. Natalie Nixon, Creativity Strategist & CEO, Figure 8 Thinking
Panelists
Howie Xu, Chief AI & Innovation Officer at GenDigital
Heather Boesch, Partner at IDEO
Geoff Tuff, MBA 2000, Principal at Deloitte Consulting LLP
track 4 – leadership for today
Beyond the Breakthrough: Scaling with Vision and Velocity
Scaling a business and shaping the future require strategic planning, access to capital, and an ecosystem of support. This session showcases insights from HBS faculty and successful entrepreneurs who have navigated the challenges of scaling minority-led businesses. Topics include securing funding, operational efficiency, and overcoming systemic barriers.
Moderator
Archie L. Jones, Jr., MBA 1998, Senior Lecturer, Harvard Business School
Panelists
Rich Balot, Founder & CEO of Victra
Piersten Gaines, MBA 2018, Founder & CEO of Pressed Roots
Jonathan Lee Kelly, MBA 2007, CEO, Asymmetric Holdings
Sumorwuo Zaza, CEO and Co-founder of NicklPass
track 5 – social impact and cultural influence
Where Roots Anchor, Leadership Grows
This session begins with a bold premise: that our roots – personal, cultural, and collective – hold the keys to how we show up as leaders. Inspired in part by Harvard’s own efforts to courageously examine its early history, panelists will explore how grounding ourselves and our organizations in truth gives rise to the strength we need to lead.
Speakers
Sara Bleich, Harvard Vice Provost for Special Projects
Andre Kearns, MBA 1999, Founder of Black Ancestries
track 6 – global and strategic perspectives
Lessons in Leadership from the C-Suite
In this panel, we bring together accomplished alumni and thought leaders to reflect on the defining moments, challenges, and breakthroughs that have shaped their leadership journeys. Through the lens of cutting-edge research and lived experience, panelists will share how adversity has tested, refined, and elevated their impact. This conversation will explore how leaders navigate complexity – in corner offices as well as in boardrooms — and how they transform those experiences into enduring excellence, vision, and execution.
Moderator
Derek Powel, AMP 183, Chief Growth Officer, Orb Panelists
Sheila Talton, AMP 165, President & CEO of Gray Matter Analytics
Barry Lawson Williams, MBA 1971, Retired investor and Creator of “100 Black Voices,” interviews with 100 leading Black directors
James White, former CEO of Jamba Juice, Chair of the Board, Honest Company, and author
track 7 – self-care, belonging, and happiness
Legacy in Motion: Movement, Mindfulness, and Leadership Longevity
Increasing healthspans give leaders greater capacity to create meaningful impact across multiple career chapters. Leveraging this additional time for sustained influence requires routines that promote and protect energy, clarity, resilience, and joy. This interactive session presents evidence-backed strategies that weave purposeful movement, mindfulness, and targeted recovery into demanding schedules. Participants gain practical techniques to support peak performance today and strengthen their legacy tomorrow.
Speaker
Dilan Gomih, MBA 2019, Founder of Dilagence, Workplace Well-Being Expert, Forbes Contributor
Saturday, October 11, 2025
Concurrent Sessions II
10:00 – 11:00 AM | ALDRCH HALL
track 1 – legacy and leadership
Leading Through Adversity: Building Bridges in Times of Crisis
Today’s business leaders face a complex and rapidly evolving landscape, dealing with challenges that demand adaptability, emotional intelligence, resilience, vision and forward-thinking strategies. This panel will address some of the most prominent leadership challenges in today’s workplaces, relying on the most recent research conducted by our HBS faculty. Topics will include:
• Strategies for fostering trust, understanding differences and promoting inclusive cultures;
• Adapting to rapidly changing technologies and how the digital transformation impacts the workforce; and
• Effectively leveraging differences (gender, generational, ethnic, etc) as sources of innovation and profitability.
Moderator
Brickson Diamond, MBA 1999, Executive Search Consultant, Spencer Stuart
Panelists
Hise Gibson, DBA 2015, Senior Lecturer, Harvard Business School
Summer Jackson, Assistant Professor of Management, Harvard Business School
Aaron Mitchell, MBA 2011, Founder & CEO, Aaron Craig Mitchell Enterprises
track 2 – wealth creation and capital access
Beyond VC and PE: Diverse Wealth-Building Strategies
From real estate and public markets to alternative assets, private credit, and passive income streams, this session offers a comprehensive look at the wealth-building tools available to today’s professionals and entrepreneurs. You’ll hear real-world examples, smart portfolio tactics, and approaches to aligning your financial plan with your personal values and goals.
Leave with a deeper understanding of how to grow and protect your wealth—on your own terms—and how to partner with the right advisors to get there.
Moderator
Wendy John, AMP 2024, Head of Marketing and Distribution, Insurance Group at Fidelity Investments Panelists
Gail Covington, MBA 1993, Executive Director, Family Wealth Director, Financial Advisor at Morgan Stanley
Avery Fontaine, Head of The Purpose Team, SVP, PNC Private Bank
Antony Ghee, Managing Director, Head of CIO Equity Investments & Portfolio Management, Bank of America
J. Dennis Jean-Jacques, MBA 1997, Founder and CIO, Ocean Park Investments LP
track 3 – innovation, technology and entrepreneurship
AI Unleashed: Building the Future at the Speed of Thought
Artificial intelligence and emerging technologies are reshaping industries at an unprecedented pace. This session features leading experts discussing the latest advancements in AI, how businesses are leveraging automation, and what the future holds for tech-driven innovation. Panelists will also showcase an intriguing AI tool from each company. Attendees will gain an understanding of AI’s impact on entrepreneurship, workforce transformation, and investment opportunities.
Moderator
James Cash, James E. Robison Professor of Business Administration, Emeritus, Harvard Business School Panelists
Jamal Eason, MBA 2011, Director of Product Management, Google New Apps
Andrew Lindsay, MBA 2005, Corporate VP, AI, Data & Azure Business Development, Microsoft
Alex Sambvani, MBA 2017, Co-Founder and CEO, Slang.ai | AI for restaurants
Hartley Thompson, Founding Board Member, ReliAI
track 4 – leadership for today
Redefining Leadership: Purpose And Prestige
In today’s business landscape, purpose is no longer a luxury. It’s a leadership imperative. Organizations that anchor their work “in purpose” outperform, inspire, and endure. In this conversation, panelists will explore how and why the next era of leadership demands more than influence. It demands alignment with values, accountability to communities, and a willingness to lead with clarity in uncertain times.
Moderator
Tynesia Boyea-Robinson, President and CEO, CapEQ Panelists
Depelsha McGruder, MBA 1998, Chief Operating Officer & Treasurer, Ford Foundation
Jay Lundy Jr., Managing Director, NAACP Capital
track 5 – social impact and cultural influence
Maintaining our Cultural Narratives
Given the current undermining of the African American experience in the public sphere, this panel will examine where and how Black leaders are nonetheless driving change and influencing our cultural narratives. The discussion will range from Dr. Denise Murrell’s transformative contributions to the art history canon, to an embrace of African American themes in operas and museum exhibits, to the powerful local impact of Black artists. This conversation will highlight the enduring influence of and need to retain our control of African American cultural narratives.
Moderator
Henry McGee, MBA 1979, Senior Lecturer of Business Administration, Harvard Business Schoo
Panelists
Denise Murrell, Ph.D., MBA 1980, Tisch Curator at Large, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Jason Price, MBA 2003, Founder and Chairman of the Board, NXTHV
George Van Amson, MBA 1982, Senior Advisor, Morgan Stanley and Managing Director of The Metropolitan Opera
Pamela Joyner, MBA 1984, Founder- Black Trustee Alliance for Art Museums
track 6 – global and strategic perspectives
AfroSynergy – Diaspora Capital, Reverse Innovation, and Bilateral Scale
How African American, African, Caribbean, and Afro-European Businesses Can Scale Globally
With a combined GDP exceeding $2 trillion and fastgrowing entrepreneurial ecosystems, the African diaspora is uniquely positioned to lead a new wave of inclusive globalization. Yet, fragmented networks, structural barriers, and legacy perceptions of Africa often hamper collaboration and capital flow. This action-oriented conversation aims to flip the narrative by spotlighting models of reverse innovation, diaspora capital, and bilateral scaling — where African-born innovations and diasporic capital scale in both directions.
Moderator
Christopher O. Williams, MBA 2002, Strategic Advisor, Custament Partners
Panelists
Victor Williams, MBA 1998, Managing Partner, Lions Range Group
Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli, MBA 1999, President & CEO, ONE Campaign
Patricia Branch, MBA 2016, Vice President & Head of Strategy, NBA Africa, National Basketball Association
Corporate Board Readiness
The boardroom is one of the most powerful spaces where leadership, influence, and legacy intersect. Yet, for many, the path to a seat at the table is not always clear or accessible. This panel brings together seasoned directors from public, private, and international boards to share their journeys, insights, and practical advice. Participants will walk away with tactical guidance on how to position themselves for board service, from building the right experiences and networks to preparing boardready materials such as a professional board bios and resumes. Alongside these tools, they will gain inspiration from leaders who have paved the way.
Moderator
Kenna Baudin, MBA 2004, Partner, Global Head of Private Capital, Board and CFO Specialist, Egon Zehnder
Panelists
Gerald Adolph, MBA 1981, Corporate Director and Management Consultant
Herman Bulls, MBA 1985, Vice Chairman, Americas, JLL
Susan Chapman-Hughes, Founder/Managing Partner, Independent Director, Acumentus/JM Smucker Company, Toast
Mariame Mcintosh Robinson, MBA 2004, Managing Director, Global Triangle Advisors
Leadership Without Burnout: Energy & Stress Tools that Work
Whether you’re leading a team, growing a business, or juggling work and family responsibilities, the pressure to perform can come at the expense of your well-being. In this session, you’ll learn practical, science-backed tools to reduce stress, prevent burnout, and protect your energy—without needing to overhaul your entire schedule. From quick breathing techniques to simple daily habits, discover how to show up as your best self, even on your busiest days.
Join Zee Clarke, MBA 2008, author of “Black People Breathe” and a nationally recognized expert in stress management and resilience, for strategies to help you lead with clarity, focus, and energy.
Speaker
Zee Clarke, MBA 2008, Chief Resilience Officer, Reclaiming Flow LLC
SCHEDULE AND PROGRAM SESSION SUMMARIES
11:00 AM – NOON | SPANGLER CENTER
Box lunches will be available in the Williams Room in Spangler Center.
12:30 – 2:30 PM | KLARMAN AUDITORIUM Plenary Session
“A Call To Action: Building on the HBSAAA Legacy”
This short film highlights the role that HBSAAA and its leaders play in building a strong, engaged, connected community. Over the past 50 years, HBSAAA’s impact has been deep and wide. Our organization is now poised to support and inspire future generations of our alumni.
Credit: Pixela Films
Director Tim O’Donnell and Producer Susan Young
Introduced by Kenneth Powell, MBA 1974, former HBSAAA President
“Pathways
to Power: Understanding the HBS Black Alumni Experience”
Presentation by Anthony (Tony) Mayo, MBA 1988
– Thomas S. Murphy Senior Lecturer of Business Administration, C. Roland Christensen Distinguished Management Educator, Harvard Business School
“Leadership
in an Increasingly Complex World: Insights from Research”
A Fireside Chat led by HBSAAA Chair Gail Morales, MBA 1985, with Nitin Nohria, George Fisher Baker Jr, Professor of Business Administration. Harvard University Distinguished Service Professor. Former Dean, Harvard Business School (2010–2020) and Jan W. Rivkin, C. Roland Christensen Professor of Business Administration Professor Harvard Business School
Former HBS Dean Nitin Nohria’s and Professor Jan Rivkin’s scholarship and connections are legendary. Nohria is a “go-to” expert for hundreds of CEOs. Rivkin co-chairs the Young American Leaders Program, filled with folks from 14 cities who “look like America in 2040.”
Led by HBSAAA Chair Gail Morales, the scholars will share the hopeful “early green shoots” that they have observed. They will also discuss leaders’ needs for “competence and character” to thrive in the currently volatile business, geopolitical, academic and social justice environments.
“Leadership in an Increasingly Complex World: Insights from Practice”
A Conversation about Leadership & Legacy with: TIAA President and CEO Thasunda Brown Duckett and David Thomas, President Emeritus Morehouse College and Naylor Fitzhugh, Professor Emeritus, Harvard Business School
Thasunda Brown Duckett is one of two Black women currently leading Fortune 500 companies and the only one at the helm of a financial services firm focused on retirement and lifelong financial well-being. As President and CEO of TIAA, she leads efforts to ensure dignified retirement for those who serve others, including educators and nonprofit leaders. A barrier-breaking executive whose leadership is deeply shaped by her lived experience, Duckett brings authenticity, courage, and clarity to every table at which she sits.
This timely conversation will explore:
• Drawing on formative experiences to shape a leadership style rooted in purpose, equity, and resilience
• Tackling the retirement crisis and closing the wealth gap in underserved communities
• Investing in representation: from boardrooms to sports ownership
• Staying grounded, strategic, and whole while navigating today’s social and economic headwinds
Launch of the Public Phase of the HBSAAA Campaign
Speakers include HBSAAA Development Committee
Co-chairs Kenneth Powell, MBA 1974 and Jacquelyn Woodard, MBA 1996
Saturday, October 11, 2025
Concurrent Sessions III
3:00 – 4:00 PM | VARIOUS LOCATIONS track 5 – social impact and cultural influence
KLARMAN AUDITORIUM
A Candid Conversation with Entertainment and Sports Executive Will Packer and HBSAAA50 Honorary Co-Chair Dr. Tamara Nall, MBA 2005
Few people can claim a decades-long friendship with Hollywood powerhouse Will Packer – but only one person in the world gets to call Dr. Tamara Nall “Tam Tam.”
In this compelling fireside chat, two longtime friends reunite to reflect on purpose, storytelling, and legacy. From filming a healthy eating documentary with Marla Gibbs at Tamara’s childhood home in Georgia to shaping pop culture through billion-dollar box office hits, Will Packer’s journey is one of bold vision, relentless grit, and game-changing influence.
Will Packer is the producer of Girls Trip, Think Like a Man, Ride Along, and the historic 2022 Academy Awards. He has launched hit television specials, produced a New York Times bestselling book, and continues to break boundaries as a trailblazer in film, media, and live events. Now, as a professional sports team owner, he’s bringing his storytelling brilliance to the world of sports and business.
Fueled by history, this conversation will explore:
• The art of reinvention and resilience in business and media,
• Championing underrepresented voices in entertainment,
• The evolution of storytelling—from grassroots documentaries to box office hits, and
• Navigating entrepreneurship, legacy-building, and staying grounded in values.
4:00 – 5:00 PM
BREAK
5:00 – 6:30 PM | KLARMAN AUDITORIUM
summit finale
Finance, Faith, Family and The Future –A Fireside Chat with Carla Harris, MBA 1987, and Valerie Grant, MBA 1994
For the finale to our HBSAAA 50th Anniversary Leadership Summit, Senior Client Advisor at Morgan Stanley, Carla Harris, will discuss finance, faith, family, and the future with her friend and colleague, Valerie Grant CFA, MBA 1994, a managing director and portfolio manager at Nuveen, a TIAA company.
Carla has a well-earned reputation for candor and inspirational insights. This intimate conversation in Klarman Auditorium will challenge and empower all who attend and cap the Summit’s efforts to leave attendees with a specific “call to action.”
6:00 – 6:30 PM | KLARMAN AUDITORIUM Final Call to Action
HBAAAA Co-presidents Ray Eason, MBA 2004 and Mark Persaud, MBA 1992/JD 1993 will summarize the “calls to action” that our speakers and panelists outlined over our two days together. Armed with this wisdom, Ray and Mark will issue a challenge to HBSAAA members and Leadership Summit guests to add to and answer those calls.
Finally, Ray and Mark will toast our assembled HBSAAA and AASU Leaders from the past half century, direct the audience to our Gala at the Charles Hotel, and outline Sunday morning’s programming.
7:00 PM – MIDNIGHT | CHARLES HOTEL
Dinner and Dancing
Music By
DJ Nix and DJ K.Kess (aka Kwame Owusu-Kesse AB ‘06, MBA ‘12, MPP ‘12)
1 Bennet Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
Business attire/cocktail dress
Sunday, October 12, 2025
10:00 AM – 6:00 PM | HARVARD SQUARE COOP
The Bookshelf Experience
Step Into a Living Library of Leadership and Legacy where you will find many of the books for sale that are featured in our Author’s Pavilion
10:00 AM – NOON | HARVARD CLUB OF BOSTON
A la carte Brunch
374 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02115
10:00 AM – NOON | RADCLIFFE YARD Sunday with the Ancestors
– A Walking Tour
The Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery Tour Experience is research-informed and explores Harvard University’s entanglements with the institution of slavery through a 10-stop, one hour, SELF-GUIDED tour Cambridge, MA. Wear comfortable shoes!
Meet at Radcliffe Yard – 52 Linnaean St, Cambridge, MA 02138.
Maps will be provided on site.
klarman auditorium
harvard square coop
sprangler center
50TH ANNIVERSARY LEADERSHIP SUMMIT
Keynote Speakers
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BIOGRAPHIES FOR HBSAAA50
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Srikant Datar
George F. Baker Professor of Administration, Dean of the Faculty, Harvard Business School
Srikant M. Datar became the eleventh dean of Harvard Business School on 1 January 2021. During his tenure as a faculty member, he served as Senior Associate Dean for University Affairs (including Faculty Chair of the Harvard Innovation Lab), for Research, for Executive Education, for Faculty Development, and for Faculty Recruiting.
A graduate with distinction from the University of Bombay, Datar received gold medals upon graduation from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, and the Institute of Cost and Works Accountants of India. A Chartered Accountant, he holds two masters degrees and a Ph.D. from Stanford University.
Datar’s research and course development have been in the areas of cost management and management control, strategy implementation, governance, and, more recently, management education, design thinking and innovative problem solving, and machine learning and artificial intelligence. He has published his work on activity-based management, quality, productivity, time-based competition, new product development, bottleneck management, incentives, and performance evaluation in journals such as The Accounting Review, Journal of Accounting and Economics, Journal of Accounting Research, Contemporary Accounting Research, and Management Science. He is a co-author of the leading cost accounting textbook, Cost Accounting: A Managerial Emphasis (Prentice-Hall) and of Rethinking the MBA: Business Education at a Crossroads (Harvard Business Press). He has authored more than 30 cases on topics ranging from Data Science at Target to Nippon Steel.
Datar has taught MBA and executive education classes in design thinking, innovation, big data, and strategy implementation. Before joining the HBS faculty he held appointments at both Carnegie Mellon University and Stanford University, where he received the George Leland Bach Award for Excellence in the Classroom and the Distinguished Teaching Award, respectively.
Datar serves on the Board of Directors of ICF International and T-Mobile US, and has worked with many corporations on consulting and field-based projects. He was honored by the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) as the Public Company Director for 2020. He is a member of the American Accounting Association and the Institute of Management Accountants. He has served on the editorial board of several journals and presented his research to academic and executives audiences in North America, South America, Asia, Africa, and Europe.
Thasunda Brown Duckett
President and CEO, TIAA
Thasunda Brown Duckett is President and Chief Executive Officer of TIAA, a leading provider of secure retirements and outcome-focused investment solutions for millions of people and thousands of institutions. She leads a company whose mission is defined by financial inclusion and opportunity – goals and values she has upheld throughout her career. Under her leadership, TIAA is expanding its mission beyond higher education to all Americans saving for retirement.
Before joining TIAA in 2021, she held several key executive roles during a 17-year career at JP Morgan Chase, including CEO of the Consumer Bank and Auto Finance. Earlier in her career, she was a Director of Emerging Markets at Fannie Mae.
Duckett serves on the boards of NIKE, Inc., Brex Inc., Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, Sesame Workshop, National Medal of Honor Museum, Economic Club of New York, NewYork-Presbyterian, the University of Houston Board of Visitors, and the Dean’s Advisory Board for Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business. She is also a member of the Executive Leadership Council CEO Advisory Board, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and Jack and Jill of America, Inc.
SRIKANT DATAR
In addition, Duckett is an appointee to the President’s Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), The Business Council Executive Committee and the Committee for Economic Development. She also serves on the board of the Business Roundtable.
Duckett has received a wide array of accolades from financial media, including Fortune, Forbes, Barron’s and American Banker. She has also been listed as one of the TIME100 Most Influential People in the World, named a CNBC ChangeMaker and inducted into the American Academy of Arts & Sciences.
Duckett has been awarded honorary degrees from several institutions including: a Doctor of Humane Laws from Howard University, and Doctor of Laws degrees from both American University and Morgan State University.
She founded the Otis and Rosie Brown Foundation in honor of her parents to recognize and reward people who use ordinary means to empower and uplift their community in extraordinary ways.
Duckett grew up in Texas and lives in Connecticut with her family. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance and Marketing from the University of Houston and an MBA from Baylor University.
Carla Harris, MBA 1987
Vice Chair Wealth Mgmt/Managing Director/Sr Client Advisor, Morgan Stanley
Carla Harris is a renowned international public speaker and is also a Senior Client Advisor at Morgan Stanley. She was most recently the Vice Chairman responsible for increasing client connectivity and penetration to enhance revenue generation across the firm. In her 30+
year career as an investment banker, Ms. Harris has had extensive industry experiences in the technology, media, retail, telecommunications, transportation, industrial, and healthcare sectors. She is highly regarded as a motivator, executor, and leader. In August 2013, Carla Harris was appointed by President Barack Obama to chair the National Women’s Business Council.
In early 2024, Carla won the Anthem Award (Diversity Equity, Inclusion Business Leader of the Year Team and Leadership category) for her book Lead to Win and an inaugural Anthem Community Voice Award (Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Business Leader of the Year, Team and Leader category). Carla was also recognized as a 2024 Webby Honoree. These outstanding honors further underscores Carla’s position as a leading voice for leadership and championing diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace.
Carla has been named to Fortune Magazine’s list of “The 50 Most Powerful Black Executives in Corporate America”, Fortune’s Most Influential List, U. S. Bankers Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Finance, Black Enterprise’s Top 75 Most Powerful Women in Business, and Top 75 African Americans on Wall Street, and to Essence Magazine’s list of “ 50 Women Who are Shaping the World” and Ebony’s list of the Power 100. She has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Forbes, Fast Money, Barrons and many other publications.
In her other life, Carla is a singer who has sold out concert at Carnegie Hall and the Apollo Theatre, and released 4 Gospel CDs: “O This is Christmas”(2021) “Unceasing Praise” (2011), “Joy Is Waiting”(2005),and her first CD entitled, “Carla’s First Christmas”(2000), was a bestseller on Amazon. com in New York and was featured on the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather in his “American Dream” segment.
THASUNDA BROWN DUCKETT
CARLA HARRIS
Nitin Nohria
George Fisher Baker Jr, Professor of Business Administration. Harvard University Distinguished Service Professor. Former Dean, Harvard Business School (2010–2020)
Nitin Nohria served as the tenth dean of Harvard Business School from 2010-2020. He previously served as co-chair of the Leadership Initiative, Senior Associate Dean of Faculty Development, and Head of the Organizational Behavior unit.
As Dean, building on input from faculty, students, staff, and alumni, he identified five priorities for Harvard Business School: innovation in the School’s educational programs; intellectual ambition to advance ideas with impact in practice; continued internationalization, through building a global intellectual footprint; creating a culture of inclusion, where every member of the community could do their best work in support of the School’s mission; and fostering a culture of integration within HBS and across Harvard University. Activities undertaken in support of these priorities included:
• A year-long course in the Required Curriculum of the MBA Program, Field Immersion Experiences for Leadership Development (FIELD), that provides students with intensive, immersive, small-group opportunities to develop the knowing, doing, and being of leadership.
• The U.S. Competitiveness Project, a multi-faculty research-led effort to understand and improve the competitiveness of the United States—that is, the ability of firms operating in the U.S. to compete successfully in the global economy while supporting high and rising living standards for Americans.
• The launch of the Harvard Innovation Lab, an initiative to foster team-based and entrepreneurial activities and deepen interactions among Harvard students, faculty, entrepreneurs, and members of the Allston and Greater Boston community; the i-lab ecosystem now includes the alumni Launch Lab X and the Pagliuca Harvard Life Lab.
• Harvard Business School Online, the School’s digital platform—encompassing CORe, courses, and the Live Online Classroom—that brings the dynamism of the HBS classroom to online learning.
Nohria’s intellectual interests center on human motivation, leadership, corporate transformation and accountability, and sustainable economic and human performance. He is co-author or co-editor of 16 books. The most recent, Handbook of Leadership Theory and Practice, is a compendium dedicated to advancing research on leadership based on a colloquium he organized during HBS’s centennial celebrations. Nohria is also the author of over 50 journal articles, book chapters, cases, working papers, and notes. He sits on the board of directors of Bridgespan and on the board of trustees of Massachusetts General Hospital. In addition, he serves as an advisor to BDT Capital Partners, Piramal Enterprises, and Tata Sons, on the advisory board of Akshaya Patra and ShopX, and as a strategic advisor to Focusing Capital on the Long Term Global (FCLTGlobal).
Prior to joining the Harvard Business School faculty in July 1988, Nohria received his Ph.D. in Management from the Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a B. Tech. in Chemical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (which honored him as a Distinguished Alumnus in 2007). He was a visiting faculty member at the London Business School in 1996.
NITIN NOHRIA
Jan W. Rivkin
C. Roland Christensen Professor of Business Administration Professor Harvard Business School
Jan W. Rivkin is a Professor in the Strategy Unit at Harvard Business School. In the past, he has served as Faculty Chair of the MBA Program, Senior Associate Dean for Research, and head of the Strategy Unit. His research, course development, and teaching focus on two topics: business strategy and U.S. competitiveness.
Business strategy. Rivkin’s business strategy work examines the interactions across functional and product boundaries within a firm – that is, the connections that link marketing, production, logistics, finance, human resource management, and other parts of a firm. His work analyzes, first, how such interactions constrain managerial behavior and, second, how managers use cognitive devices and organizational design to cope with decisions whose ramifications span boundaries.
Rivkin’s scholarly work has appeared in journals such as Management Science, Organization Science, the Strategic Management Journal, the Academy of Management Journal, Administrative Science Quarterly, and Research Policy. Much of this work uses simulations of complex adaptive systems to examine the theoretical implications of cross-cutting interactions. His empirical work on the topic employs a mix of large-scale statistical studies, field research, and case studies.
U.S. competitiveness. Rivkin also co-chairs HBS’s project on the competitiveness of the United States. In that role, he has worked with a faculty team to explore steps that leaders--especially business leaders--can take to improve the ability of firms in the U.S. to win in the global marketplace and support American living standards. His work in this domain focuses on (a) how managers
choose to locate business activities in the United States or elsewhere and (b) how business leaders can best work with policymakers, nonprofit leaders, educators, and others to bring shared prosperity to America’s cities. In support of his U.S. competitiveness work, Rivkin has developed case studies on Barry-Wehmiller, the Columbus Partnership, the city of Detroit, and Southwire Corporation. Rivkin received his Ph.D. in Business Economics from Harvard. Earlier, he studied chemical engineering and public policy at Princeton and obtained a M.Sc. in economics from the London School of Economics on a Marshall Scholarship. Prior to pursuing his doctorate, Rivkin led case teams and managed client relationships at Monitor Company, a strategy consulting firm based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
David Thomas
President Emeritus Morehouse College, Naylor Fitzhugh Professor Emeritus, Harvard Business School
David A. Thomas, Ph.D., was the 12th president of Morehouse College, until his retirement in the spring of 2025. Since his installment in January 2018, he led dynamic, purpose-driven advancement in Morehouse’s strategic and operational effectiveness, programmatic reach, and pedagogical innovation. Among other transformational successes, Dr. Thomas oversaw a fundraising acceleration which generated nearly $330 million since his arrival—a giving total during his tenure that is higher than during any other presidential tenure in the history of the college. Under his leadership, Morehouse has extended its reach by launching its first online degree programs and has amplified its positioning as a center of intellectual discourse and social engagement in areas such as global leadership, professional equity, social justice, and innovation.
JAN W. RIVKIN
DAVID THOMAS
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Dr. Thomas is internationally recognized for his expertise in organizational management and higher education leadership.
Before becoming president of Morehouse, he served as the H. Naylor Fitzhugh Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, as dean and William R. Berkley Chair at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, and as an assistant professor at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. He has consulted on issues relating to organizational change, diversity, and inclusion for corporations, nonprofits and governments around the world.
An award-winning author and contemporary thought leader in organizational management and executive development, Thomas co-wrote three books: Race, Work, and Leadership: New Perspectives on the Black Experience; Breaking Through: The Making of Minority Executives in Corporate America; and Leading for Equity: The Pursuit of Excellence in Montgomery County. He has written or co-written almost eighty book chapters, cases, and teaching notes, along with more than two dozen scholarly articles, including Getting Serious About Diversity: Enough Already with the Business Case, which won the 2020 HBR McKinsey Award as the best Harvard Business Review article of the year. He serves on the boards of DTE Energy, Commonfund, Vanguard, and Yale Corporation, where he is the alumni fellow.
Dr. Thomas earned a Ph.D. in organizational behavior studies and a Master of Philosophy in organizational behavior, both from Yale University. He also earned a Master of Organizational Psychology from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Administrative Sciences from Yale College.
Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock
U.S. Senator (D-GA) and Ebenezer Baptist Church Senior Pastor U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael G. Warnock was raised in public housing in Savannah, Georgia and is the eleventh of twelve children born to pastors Jonathan and Verlene Warnock, who instilled a sense of service in Warnock at a very young age.
The first in his family to graduate from college, Senator Reverend Warnock was inspired by Dr. King’s teachings to attend Atlanta’s historic Morehouse College, and he went on to receive his doctorate at the renowned Union Theological Seminary.
Since 2005, Warnock has served as Senior Pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, the former pulpit of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He is the youngest pastor selected to serve in that leadership role at the historic church. Additionally, Warnock has long believed his ministry of service doesn’t stop at the church doors, and as a pastor and longtime social justice advocate, he has worked to expand health care access, safeguard nutrition benefits, protect voting rights and end mass incarceration.
Elected Georgia’s first Black Senator in 2021, Senator Reverend Warnock has carried his service and advocacy into the Senate, where he has helped pass legislation to create jobs, address the maternal mortality crisis and successfully championed efforts to cap insulin costs for seniors at $35 a month. Warnock successfully defended his seat and was elected to a full six-year term in December 2022.
Currently, Senator Warnock serves on the Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee; Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee; Finance Committee, as well as the Special Committee on Aging.
SENATOR REVEREND RAPHAEL WARNOCK
50TH ANNIVERSARY LEADERSHIP SUMMIT
Speakers
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BIOGRAPHIES FOR HBSAAA50
SPEAKERS
Jacqueline Adams
MBA 1978
J. Adams Strategic Communications
Gerald Adolph
MBA 1981
Corporate Director and Management Consultant
Modupe Akinola
MBA 2001
Barbara and David Zalaznick Professor of Business Management Division, Faculty Director of the Bernstein Center for Leadership and Ethics, Columbia Business School
Beverly Anderson
MBA 1997
President and CEO of BECU
Rich Balot Founder & CEO Victra
Luis Barros
MIT Professor of Entrepreneurship and Alternative Assets
Kenna Baudin
MBA 2004
Partner, Global Head of Private Capital, Board and CFO Specialist, Egon Zehnder
Sara Naomi Bleich
Harvard University Vice Provost for Special Projects and Professor of Public Health Policy at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Heather Boesch Partner, IDEO
Patricia Branch
MBA 2016
Vice President & Head of Strategy, NBA Africa, National Basketball Association
Herman Bulls
MBA 1985
Vice Chairman, Americas, JLL
Karega Butler
MBA 1998
Senior Investor at Blackrock
James Cash
James E. Robison Professor of Business Administration, Emeritus, Harvard Business School
Susan ChapmanHughes
Founder/Managing Partner, Independent Director
Acumentus/JM Smucker Company, Toast
Zee Clarke
MBA 2008
Chief Resilience Officer, Reclaiming Flow LLC
Gail Covington
MBA 1993
Executive Director, Family Wealth Director, Financial Advisor at Morgan Stanley
Brickson Diamond
MBA 1999
Executive Search Consultant, Spencer Stuart
Daphne Dufresne
MBA 1999
Amina Holdings Managing Partner Awani Capital Management
Jamal Eason
MBA 2011 Director of Product Management, Google
Ray Eason
MBA 2004
Executive Director, J.P. Morgan
Rick Eiel EVP Chief Data and Analytics Officer, BECU
Avery T. Fontaine Head of The Purpose Team, SVP, PNC Private Bank
Ann Fudge
MBA 1977
Former CEO and Multiple Board Member
Manish Garg VP AI Innovation, BECU
Antony E. Ghee
Managing Director Head of CIO Equity Investments & Portfolio Management, Bank of America
Hise Gibson
DBA 2015
Senior Lecturer, Harvard Business School
SPEAKERS
Kimberly Pirtle
Gabriel
MBA 2021
AVP, Sotheby’s Collectors Group
Piersten Gaines
MBA 2018
Founder & CEO at Pressed Roots
Dilan Gomih
MBA 2019
Founder of Dilagence, Forbes Contributor, Wellbeing Expert
Nadim Homsany
SVP Head of AI Strategy and Innovation, BECU
Rodney E. Hood
Former Acting Comptroller, Office of Comptroller of the Currency
Jason Howard Founder & Managing Partner, New Catalyst Strategic Partners
Summer Jackson Assistant Professor of Management, Harvard Business School
J.Dennis Jean-Jacques
MBA 1997
Founder and CEO, Ocean Park Investments LP
Wendy John
AMP 2024 Fidelity Investments
Archie L. Jones, Jr.
MBA 1998
Senior Lecturer, Harvard Business School
Pamela J. Joyner
MBA 1984
Founder- Black Trustee Alliance for Art Museums
André Kearns
MBA 1999
Founder and CEO Black Ancestries
Jonathan Lee Kelly
MBA 2007
CEO, Asymmetric Holdings (AHW)
Nina Grooms Lee
MBA 1999
CxO | Public Company Board DirectorExecutive
Search Consultant, Spencer Stuart
Andrew Lindsay
MBA 2005
Corporate VP, AI, Data & Azure Business Development, Microsoft
Jay Lundy
Managing Director, NAACP Capital
Anthony (Tony) Mayo
MBA 1988
Thomas S. Murphy Senior Lecturer of Business Administration, C. Roland Christensen Distinguished Management Educator, Harvard Business School
Henry McGee III
MBA 1979
Senior Lecturer of Business Administration, Harvard Business School
Depelsha McGruder
MBA 1998
Chief Operating Officer & Treasurer, Ford Foundation
Aaron Mitchell
MBA 2011
Founder & CEO, Aaron Craig Mitchell Enterprises
Nina Henderson Moore
MBA 1991
President, Griot Productions
Gail Morales
MBA 1985
Transformation Executive, Board Member
Denise Murrell
MBA 1980
Tisch Curator at Large, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Dr. Tamara Nall
MBA 2005
CEO, The Leading Niche
Tsedal Neeley
Naylor Fitzhugh Professor of Business Administration; Senior Associate Dean and Chair of the MBA Program
SPEAKERS
Natalie Nixon
Creativity Strategist & CEO, Figure 8 Thinking
Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli
MBA 1999
President & CEO, ONE Campaign
Derek Powell
AMP 183
Chief Growth Officer, Orb
Will Packer
Emmy-Nominated Producer; CEO, Will Packer Productions & Will Packer Media; BillionDollar Filmmaker; NYT Best-Selling Author; Cultural Changemaker
Mark Persaud
MBA 1992/JD 1993
CAIA, Investor, Advisor, Morgan Stanley
Jason Price
MBA 2003
Founder and Chairman of the Board, NXTHV
Tynesia BoyeaRobinson
MBA 2005
President and CEO, CapEQ
Mariame McIntosh Robinson
MBA 2004
Managing Director, Global Triangle Advisors
Alex Sambvani
MBA 2017
Co-Founder and CEO, Slang. ai | AI for restaurants
Greg Shell
MBA 2001
Partner, Head of Inclusive Growth Strategy, Sustainable Investing Group, Goldman Sachs
Sheila Talton AMP 165
President & CEO of Gray Matter Analytics
Thompson Founding Board Member
Hartley
Chris Thorne
JD 1993/MBA 1994 Founder and Executive Chairman, Broadline Capital
Geoff Tuff
MBA 2000
Strategy Consultant, Bestselling Author, Speaker
George L . Van Amson
MBA 1982
Senior Advisor, Morgan Stanley
Reggie Van Lee
MBA 1984
Executive Partner & Managing Director AlixPartners Inc
Alice Vilma
MBA 2007
James D. White Chair of the Board, Honest Company
Barry Lawson Williams
MBA 1971 Retired Investor
Managing Director at Morgan Stanley M. Très Watson
MBA 2007/MPA 2008
Christopher O.H. Williams
MBA 2002
Strategic Advisor, Custament Partners and Author of C.O.U.R.A.G.E. 7 Choices for Living a Life Without Regret
Victor Williams
MBA 1998
Managing Partner, Lions Range Group
Howie Xu Chief AI & Innovation Officer at GenDigital
Sumorwuo Zaza CEO & Co-Founder, Nicklpass
HBSAAA Alumni Award Recipients and Presenters
TRAILBLAZER AWARD FOR EARLY DISTINCTION
T. Aaron Hancock, MBA 2021
Introduced by Nina Henderson Moore, MBA 1991
KENNETH A. POWELL AWARD FOR PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT
Arunma Oteh, MBA 1990
Introduced by Lois Bennet, MBA 1990
BERT KING AWARD FOR SERVICE
Sara Clark, MBA 1997
Introduced by Beverly Anderson, MBA 1997
DR. JAMES I. CASH ADVANCING PATHWAYS AWARD
Dr. Linda Hill
Introduced by Kenneth Powell, MBA 1974
The Alumni Trailblazer Award for Early Distinction
Each year, the Harvard Business School AfricanAmerican Alumni Association recognizes our community’s pioneers and leaders for their professional excellence and exemplary contributions. Celebrating their achievements not only honors their legacies but also keeps our history alive and illuminates the path for succeeding generations.
This year holds particular significance: At the 50th Anniversary HBS African-American Alumni Leadership Summit, we will present the 2025 Distinguished Alumni Awards. This milestone gathering brings together alumni across generations to reflect on five decades of impact, leadership, and progress. It is a moment to celebrate how far we have come, and to honor those whose excellence, service, and vision have shaped our community and paved the way for the future.
At the 50th Anniversary HBS African-American Alumni Association Leadership Summit, we are proud to present the Alumni Trailblazer Award for Early Distinction to
Aaron Hancock
mba 2021
The Alumni Trailblazer Award for Early Distinction acknowledges the contributions of more recent HBS alumni who are forging a new path and making bold moves early in their careers. Presented for the first time in 2021 to Aaron Craig Mitchell (MBA 2011), in 2022 to Kwame Owusu-Kesse (MPP 2011/ MBA 2012), in 2023 to KJ Miller (MBA 2014) and Amanda E/J Morrsion (MBA 2014), and last year to Akinseye Akinola (MBA 2013), the award is jointly conferred by the HBS African-American Alumni Association and the HBS African American Student Union. By embodying the highest standards in everything they do, these individuals exemplify the best our alumni offer to their institutions and society, inspiring all who hope to make an impact on business and contribute to the greater good. Through their leadership and excellence, they have truly made a difference in the world.
This Trailblazer Award is an original work designed and produced by GlassRoots, a nonprofit arts organization focused on underserved youth and young adults with the mission to “ignite and build the creative and economic vitality of greater Newark…through the transformative power of the glass experience.”
The son of an Air Force pilot, Aaron Hancock (MBA 2021) grew up a self-described “military brat,” living in Kansas, Georgia, South Korea, and Oklahoma before the family settled in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was good timing: Hancock was about to start high school, and his parents gave him the option of two. The first was strong academically, but the student body wasn’t diverse, and the school didn’t have a particularly strong sports program. The second was its mirror opposite: diverse, strong in sports, but weaker in academics. It was an easy choice for Hancock, a sports lover. “The decision to go to that school and play football set me on my trajectory,” says Hancock. When a coach from Cornell called Hancock to ask if he’d be interested in attending a scouting camp up in Ithaca, he initially declined. “I didn’t know what Cornell was,” he recalls. After talking to his parents, and some research, he called to let the coach know he was available if he made any trips down south. “For me, it was another one of those pivotal moments that I attribute fully to the sport of football,” he says of his recruitment to Cornell.
Aaron Hancock
mba 2021
The transition wasn’t easy. “Complete fish out of water,” is how Hancock describes it. “I’d never been that far away from family, the academics were very rigorous, and the demands of playing football were high. I considered transferring my first year.”
The community and brotherhood of other Black students kept Hancock at Cornell, where he graduated with a degree in applied economics and management. “I had a mentor on the football team, a senior named Rashad,” he recalls, also citing the support of a self-organized student mentorship organization, Scholars Working Ambitiously to Graduate (SWAG). “Rashad and other people in SWAG took it personally when it came to helping me figure things out.”
When Hancock chose to leave the team in his second year after a series of concussions, older students stepped in again, one encouraging him to pursue Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., the oldest black Greek letter organization, and another convincing him to join a business fraternity, Delta Sigma Pi. “I dumped myself into the various communities on campus and found a lot of purpose and belonging there,” he says.
One of the older students—and eventual HBS classmate—Stephen Breedon (MBA 2021) also introduced Hancock to Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO), which led to a junior year internship at Citigroup. “It was no noble
pursuit,” Hancock says. Investment banking seemed competitive and lucrative—he figured it would provide professional flexibility if he made it through. And he did; Hancock was given an offer to return upon graduation, but a case study in his senior year on the repositioning of a hotel intrigued him: “It was the first time I’d really married the concepts of business, finance, and real estate and realized that could be a career path,” says Hancock. He’d always been interested in the physical, concrete nature of buildings and had even contemplated studying architecture at one point. “Real estate clicked in my mind much more easily. It was really as simple as that.” When his friend, Stephen Breedon, told him of an open spot working at Morgan Stanley in real estate investment banking, he applied.
That role led to a position at Artemis Real Estate Partners, where he was hired as one of the private equity firm’s first 30 employees. He thrived there and developed a strong working relationship with Deborah Harmon, the firm’s cofounder and co-CEO. Harmon asked Hancock if he’d ever considered applying to business school several times; Alex Gilbert (MBA 1994) was also a proponent of the idea. But it took Hancock a while to come around. “I didn’t see the point of taking off two years and spending the money for a degree when I already had the job I wanted and was at the height of my ability to work hard,” he explains.
THE ALUMNI TRAILBLAZER AWARD FOR EARLY
But HBS ended up being the right place. “As someone who went in with a very anti-business school attitude, I’m now one of its biggest proponents,” he says. In his second year, Hancock focused on leadership development courses. “I bought into the concept that in order to be a good leader, you have to understand yourself,” he says. “I wanted to challenge myself to be more vocal; in undergrad, I was very involved, but I always preferred to be in the background.” At HBS, he pushed himself out of his comfort zone, running successfully for senator of his section and co-president of AASU. “One of the things I came to appreciate during my time at HBS was my immense level of privilege and the responsibility that comes with it,” he says. In the summer of 2020, when George Floyd was murdered, Hancock was living north of Boise, Idaho, working on a local real estate project. “Sometimes when things happen in the world, it can feel like you’re on the outside, watching it happen. One of the things I came to appreciate at HBS is we can speak out, get involved, and move things forward.”
Back on campus, that’s what he did, joining a newly formed taskforce of students, staff, alumni, and faculty members to examine the current institutional culture and make a difference. “We were realistic about the fact that oftentimes these are just flash-in-the-pan moments,” he says. “That kept us hyper-focused on doing something that would
stand the test of time.” Working quickly, over weeks of late-night Zoom calls, the group forged the Action Plan for Advancing Racial Equity, a seven-pillar blueprint for change encompassing every aspect of the School’s operations, from research, curriculum, and faculty development to student recruitment and engagement with the broader business community. That work continues with the guidance of Chief Community and Culture Officer Terrill Drake, a role created because of the taskforce’s efforts. “We wanted to ingrain the work in HBS so it could continue in perpetuity,” says Hancock; fittingly, he had written his HBS admissions essay about “helping as many people as possible who look like me to make a difference and find their way in the world of business.”
Hancock also fulfills that goal through his involvement with Wall Street Prep, where he was recruited to help develop the training organization’s commercial real estate curriculum. “My ideas for the content were born out of wanting to democratize access to learning some of the technical skills you need to have to be successful in this industry,” he comments. “When I started out, the hardest part was just figuring out what I needed to learn.”
After HBS, Hancock returned to Artemis, where his cross-functional role includes capital raising as well as sourcing, executing, and managing transactions. Recently promoted to senior vice president,
he helps recruit, train, and manage the most junior ranks of the firm, which now numbers more than 100 people with $10 billion in assets under management. “As much as I enjoy real estate investing, it’s really the people and the impact we can have on their lives that I obsess over,” says Hancock. “I feel incredibly fortunate there’s this organic way for me to give back aligned with my ‘why’ that’s baked into what I do every day.”
Hancock doesn’t have a clear view of what lies ahead; what he does know is that he feels aligned, mentoring others and being mentored while continuing to work hard and feel gratitude for the people and organizations, like SEO, that changed his life. “My path might seem very linear, but none of it was in the cards, and some of it, like HBS, I was actually resisting,” he reflects. For that reason, he feels enormous gratitude—and responsibility. “I want to challenge folks who enjoy privilege and power to go use it for good,” he says. “It’s more important now than ever.”
Hancock credits a number of classmates who made meaningful contributions to the Action Plan for Advancing Racial Equity, including Mae Abdelrahman, Bukie Adebo, Chichi Anyoku, Stephen Breedon, Mike Cox, Jamal Davis, Zach Hermes, Alexis Jackson, Erica Payne, and Ade Popoola.
Kenneth A. Powell Professional Achievement Award
Each year, the Harvard Business School AfricanAmerican Alumni Association recognizes our community’s pioneers and leaders for their professional excellence and exemplary contributions. Celebrating their achievements not only honors their legacies but also keeps our history alive and illuminates the path for succeeding generations.
This year holds particular significance: At the 50th Anniversary HBS African-American Alumni Leadership Summit, we will present the 2025 Distinguished Alumni Awards. This milestone gathering brings together alumni across generations to reflect on five decades of impact, leadership, and progress. It is a moment to celebrate how far we have come, and to honor those whose excellence, service, and vision have shaped our community and paved the way for the future.
At the 50th Anniversary HBS African-American Alumni Association Leadership Summit, we are proud to present the Kenneth A. Powell Professional Achievement Award to Arunma Oteh
mba 1990
The Alumni Award for Professional Achievement renamed in 2019 to honor Kenneth A. Powell (MBA 1974), president of the HBS African-American Alumni Association for 25 years— recognizes alumni of the School who have made significant contributions to their companies and communities over the course of their careers. Presented annually, it is jointly conferred by the HBS African-American Alumni Association and the HBS African American Student Union.
By embodying the highest standards in everything they do, these individuals exemplify the best our alumni offer to their institutions and society, inspiring all who hope to make an impact on business and contribute to the greater good. Through their leadership and excellence, they have truly made a difference in the world.
Born in Scotland to Nigerian parents, Arunma Oteh (MBA 1990) was destined for a global-facing life and career from the very start. At the time, Oteh’s two older sisters were living with family in Nigeria while her father completed his engineering degree at Dundee Polytechnic; with the outbreak of the Biafran War in 1967, Oteh, age two, and her parents returned to their home country by ship. Her father fought in the Nigerian civil conflict while her mother, a nurse, tended to the wounded. When the war ended in 1970, the family relocated from the majority Christian south to Kano, a predominantly Muslim city in the north.
“My parents’ openness and sense of service were a deep influence,” Oteh says. So was education: After spending her formative years in Kano, Oteh headed south after her acceptance at Federal Government Girls’ College, Owerri, one of Nigeria’s “unity schools” created to bring together high schoolers from the country’s disparate regions and 250 ethnic groups. “That experience reinforced the importance of enjoying the opportunity to learn from and be with people from different backgrounds,” says Oteh, who later received first class
Arunma Oteh
mba 1990
honors in computer science at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
Oteh would go on to leverage that innate curiosity, as well as her considerable talent and drive, in a series of high-impact jobs. She joined the African Development Bank in 1992 as a senior financial analyst and served over 17 years in a variety of leadership roles at the bank’s locations in Côte d’Ivoire and Tunisia. Then, in 2009, Oteh was nominated by President Umaru Yar’Adua to become director general of Nigeria’s Securities and Exchange Commission, where her courageous anti-fraud stance would earn her the nickname “The Iron Lady.”
“I was exposed to finance very early in life because my mother and father supplemented their income by investing in the stock market,” Oteh recalls. “We used to grumble as children because my father would ask us to read and report back on the annual reports of companies he had invested in.” At the SEC, which Oteh has described as one of her most challenging roles, Oteh made it her mission to restore investor confidence in the wake of the 2008 Financial Crisis. This included ensuring perpetrators of market abuses were prosecuted, introducing new products, and appointing new leadership. “I knew that Nigerian capital markets could be transformative—that this was a role where I could really contribute to the development of my country,” says Oteh, who in 2011 was awarded the Officer of the Order of Niger National Honour in recognition of her work managing change in a highly politicized environment.
During her tenure from 2010 to 2015, the country’s stock market nearly tripled in size; general market awareness grew as well, through initiatives involving popular public figures such as Nollywood actors. “Finance is life,” she comments. “How people manage money is how they manage life. Budgeting, saving, and investing are life management skills.”
Oteh’s next role as World Bank Treasurer and Vice President brought her to Washington, DC, from 2015 to 2018, where she oversaw a team of 600 and juggled a dizzying array of responsibilities with global impact, including oversight of a $200 billion debt portfolio in 60 currencies and management of a $200 billion investment portfolio for the World Bank Group, 65 central banks, and other public sector institutions. She was also responsible for an extensive public sector financial advisory business and administered global payments of over $7 trillion annually, in addition to leading innovations including the first-ever sustainable development, pandemic, and blockchain bonds. “The financial model of the World Bank and other development banks is fascinating, because they’re collaborative institutions that leverage the support of all countries and particularly the capital of highly rated countries to solve some of the world’s most difficult problems as well as provide affordable long-term finance to the poorest countries,” Oteh observes. “There’s not enough appreciation of the role of medium-to-long-term patient money in building society.”
Now an academic at the University of
Oxford, Oteh hopes to address that lack of awareness with her recently published book, All Hands on Deck: Unleash Prosperity Through World Class Capital Markets. “Beyond finance, there’s an entire ecosystem of innovation, meritocracy, and social justice that comes out of strong capital markets,” she says. Weaving decades of firsthand experience with her personal journey, Oteh hopes her writing will bring some texture and understanding to an area of finance that is often overlooked: “The point of the title is that everyone has a role to play when it comes to moving society forward through the capital markets—as an individual, a regulator, a business, and a government.” The book won the prestigious 2025 Business Council on Africa Book of the Year Award in July 2025.
Now 60, a milestone marked in January with a conference and celebration at Oxford, Oteh is reflecting on the learning and leadership experiences that will drive the next phase of her life. At the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School, Oteh is a member of the school’s Global Leadership Council and conducts research
Past recipients include:
Beverly Anderson (MBA 1997)
Frank Baker (MBA 2001)
Paula Banks (AMP 154, 1998)
Candace A. Bond (MBA 1992)
Tarik A. Brooks (MBA 2004)
Peter C.B. Bynoe (MBA 1975)
Keith Clinkscales (MBA 1990)
W. Don Cornwell (MBA 1971)
Vivian Hunt (MBA 1995)
in fintech, capital markets, and economic development, in addition to teaching and mentoring the next generation of leaders. Through her board and advisory service to numerous organizations in the private and nonprofit sectors, Oteh also continues her outward-facing work. As chair of the Royal African Society, she oversees efforts to promote the continent’s rich and diverse culture while facilitating a deeper understanding between people in the UK, Africa, and the world. She’s also engaged in a two-year commitment as cochair of the global Taskforce on Inequality and Social-related Financial Disclosures, a group that is creating a framework to measure and address inequality and social risks in financial reporting, much as has been done for climate risk. And in January 2025, Oteh and a panel convened by the Centre for Disaster Protection delivered new recommendations for closing the crisis protection gap—the shortfall between the losses countries suffer in the wake of disasters and aid provided. In March 2025, Forbes Woman Africa named her Changemaker of the Decade.
Lawrence V. Jackson (MBA 1979)
Kim Y. Lew (MBA 1992)
Terry L. Jones (MBA 1974)
Pamela J. Joyner (MBA 1984)
Edward Lewis (OPM 7, 1982)
William M. Lewis (MBA 1982)
Jonathan D. Mariner (MBA 1978)
Henry McGee (MBA 1979)
Raymond J. McGuire (JD/MBA 1984)
Adebayo Ogunlesi (MBA 1978/JD 1979)
It’s a portfolio career approach that lets Oteh deploy her energies across an array of causes and missions as she considers the legacy she hopes to leave behind. Leadership is at the foundation of her efforts, and Oteh credits HBS with helping to establish that foundation. “With the case method, you get to be a leader with no risk; the process of preparing all of those cases and discussing them in class teaches what you need to think about before making a key decision,” she says, citing the “four Cs”— character, compassion, competence, and courage—as a driving force underlying all of her actions. “My parents would wake up in their graves if I did something counter to the values they imbued in me,” she says.
As much as she’s contributed over the course of her ongoing career, it’s in Oteh’s nature to wonder if she couldn’t somehow do a bit more. It’s a high bar she holds up for others as well. “In today’s world, private sector leaders need to step up in ways they haven’t before; they have the ability and flexibility to make a difference. In my mind, each of us is a leader.”
E. Stanley O’Neal (MBA 1978)
Robert L. Ryan (MBA 1970)
Bonita C. Stewart (MBA 1983)
Stuart Alden Taylor II (MBA 1987)
Pamela Thomas-Graham (MBA 1988)
George Van Amson (MBA 1982)
Reginald Van Lee (MBA 1984)
Paris Wallace (MBA 2007/MPA 2008)
Herbert Wilkins (MBA 1970)
Jessie Woolley-Wilson (MBA 1990)
Bert King Award for Service
Each year, the Harvard Business School AfricanAmerican Alumni Association recognizes our community’s pioneers and leaders for their professional excellence and exemplary contributions.
Celebrating their achievements not only honors their legacies but also keeps our history alive and illuminates the path for succeeding generations. This year holds particular significance: At the 50th Anniversary HBS African-American Alumni Leadership Summit, we will present the 2025 Distinguished Alumni Awards. This milestone gathering brings together alumni across generations to reflect on five decades of impact, leadership, and progress. It is a moment to celebrate how far we have come, and to honor those whose excellence, service, and vision have shaped our community and paved the way for the future.
At the 50th Anniversary HBS African-American Alumni Association Leadership Summit, we are proud to present the Bert King Award for Service to
Sara Crutchfield Clarke
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The Bert King Award for Service is presented annually to recognize exemplary contributions to the community, recalling the life and legacy of Bert King (MBA 1970)
The Bert King Foundation was established in 1996 to carry on the lifework of its namesake, who devoted his career to helping others fulfill their promise. A passionate advocate and groundbreaking mentor, Bert King was in the business of opening doors. He is remembered by countless business and community leaders for the pivotal difference he made in their lives and the universally powerful message he taught: When we are fortunate enough to attain success, serving as a resource—lifting as you climb—comes with the territory, and we must be prepared to fulfill that obligation.
How will you exercise your values in your career and throughout your life?
Sara Crutchfield Clarke (MBA 1997) can still remember a moment from her 2021 interview for the role of Chief Operating Officer (COO) at the Student Leadership Network, a nonprofit dedicated to improving girls’ public education opportunities and preparing students for college success. Clarke had more than 20 years under her belt at Showtime Networks, where she’d started as an account manager and worked her way up to senior vice president of strategy, analysis, and collaboration. She’d been an active volunteer at Student Leadership for 15 years, but holding such a key role inside the organization would be different. Jon Roure, the organization’s Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer, thanked Clarke for her many years of volunteer work, but asked a direct question: Yes, she had an MBA, but working at a nonprofit would be different from the corporate world. Could she navigate the transition successfully?
“I said, truthfully, that I would need to do a lot of listening and learning,” Clarke recalls. “There was a huge amount I still didn’t know about the organization. When you’re trying to maximize resources, you can’t spend your way to solutions in a more financially constrained
Sara Crutchfield Clarke
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environment—and frankly, that’s not a good idea anyway.”
Serendipity played a part in bringing Clarke to this moment—but so did her overall inclination toward service and engagement, values instilled by her parents when she was growing up in Brookline, Massachusetts. In 2006, as one of the organizers of an HBS African-American Alumni Association Leadership summit, Clarke connected with panelist Andrew Tisch (MBA 1977) and learned about the work his wife Ann Rubenstein Tisch had begun 10 years earlier when she founded The Young Women’s Leadership School (TYWLS) of East Harlem—the first public, all-girls school to open in the United States in 30 years. “The work they were doing really resonated with me,” Clarke says, “and Andrew Tisch is such a warm, generous person that later in New York he treated me to breakfast to chat about it some more.” Tisch encouraged Clarke to visit the organization’s founding school in East Harlem to learn more; she fell in love with the students and the organization’s mission to increase access to high-quality education and improve college access for underrepresented populations.
Fifteen years later, in November 2021, thanks to a referral by her friend, Zandra Perry Ogbomo (MBA 1997), Clarke started a new journey as Student Leadership’s COO. Today, the organization encompasses 24 all-girls schools nationwide and supports 34 partner schools through its CollegeBound Initiative program. It’s not a role Clarke envisioned,
but as is so often true in life, it has a feeling of inevitability, too. At Showtime, she’d found deep meaning in designing and hosting a college-age summer internship program that brought a young person’s perspective to the company’s strategy for new media.
“Roughly 400 interns later, I think that program did have an impact; it helped Showtime get good ideas about how to bundle with Hulu and Spotify, for example. But it also brought the students into contact with career coaching and mentorship. I just loved that work, and so did many of my colleagues.” In addition, Clarke hosted a program that introduced 10thgrade TYWLS students to the world of work. Over the course of a day, through games, panels, and hands-on activities, participants got a sense of the skills involved in working across Showtime’s various departments— and an understanding that multiple paths, not just one, could get them there. Clarke’s own trajectory is an example of that truth.
After graduating from Middlesex School, which she attended with scholarship support from A Better Chance, she enrolled at Brown University, receiving a degree in modern culture and media. Brown’s diversity was a welcome change after Middlesex, where the student population was predominantly wealthy and white. The academics were a perfect fit, too. “My major was more abstract and intellectually stimulating than career-oriented,” she says. But the pull to media was there. Clarke grew up in a house full of books and music, her mother
BERT KING AWARD FOR SERVICE
loved film, and her family was an early subscriber to cable television. She’d also co-hosted two Bostonarea television series for a teen audience. Aside from being great fun, the experience exposed her to the multiple career paths available in television.
“The seed was planted, but I think part of me lacked the confidence or creativity to figure out what felt like the right fit,” she recalls. A Wall Street internship through Sponsors for Educational Opportunity went well, but her supervisor, Don Cornwell (MBA 1971), was honest: Clarke had done a fine job, but he had a feeling she wanted to do something more creative. He referred her to an internship program for advertising. Again, she did well—but it was clear her heart wasn’t in the work, either. She was again referred to a program, this one at ABC in New York. It was Clarke’s entrée to television, but she soon noticed that cable was where the action was; in addition,
Past recipients include:
Heidi Brooks (MBA 2003)
Rena Clark (MBA 1990)
Clifford (Jamari) Darden (MBA 1969)
Ann M. Fudge (MBA 1977)
Carla Harris (MBA 1987)
Dennis F. Hightower (MBA 1974)
Shari Hubert (MBA 2000)
Nancy Lane (PMD 29, 1975)
Lillian Lincoln Lambert (MBA 1969)
Depelsha McGruder (MBA 1998)
Demond Martin (MBA 2001)
Simi Sanni Nwogugu (MBA 2004)
cable seemed to have a higher representation of women and people of color in leadership roles. “I could literally see myself there,” she says.
That personal understanding of the importance of representation, equity in education, and mentorship drives Clarke’s work today. The TYWLS network includes six public schools in New York City serving more than 2,400 students, with 25 affiliates serving more than 12,000 students in eight states.
TYWLS graduates have close to a 100 percent college acceptance rate and earn STEM degrees at twice the rate of women nationally, Clarke notes. In addition, Student Leadership serves 16,000 students annually through its CollegeBound Initiative, resulting in a 94 percent college acceptance rate. More recently, the organization has been working to scale its impact on a district-wide level, partnering with public schools in Buffalo, New York, to share best practices for
Ed Olebe (MBA 1999)
Linda Oubre (MBA 1984)
Nigel Parkinson (OPM 34, 2005)
Kenneth A. Powell (MBA 1974)
Quintin Primo (MBA 1979)
W. Dwight Raiford (MBA 1978)
John Rice (MBA 1992)
Argelia Rodriguez (MBA 1984)
Michele Rogers (MBA 1986)
Steven Rogers (MBA 1985)
Ian Rowe (MBA 1993)
David A. Thomas, Naylor Fitzhugh Professor of Business Administration, Emeritus
establishing and sustaining a collegegoing culture.
Helping to lead an organization with the impact and complexity of Student Leadership keeps Clarke busy but fulfilled. She didn’t expect to find herself here, but it fits in so many ways. “There’s a logic and a throughline to my landing here,” she reflects, “even if it took me a while to get to this magical Venn diagram where what the world needs, what I can offer, and what matters to me intersects. One of the books my mom shared with me early in life that’s always stayed with me is The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran. He writes, ‘You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.’ We all think we’re too busy to volunteer, but if you make time and space to do something of service and stay true to your values it will reward you in so many ways—some of which you may not see right away.”
Gregory A. White (MBA 1990)
Les Williams Jr. (MBA 2005)
Leroy (Roy) Willis (MBA 1969)
Civic Commitment Award, conferred 1997 to 2002
James L. Heskett, UPS Foundation Professor of Business Logistics, Emeritus
Catherine W. LeBlanc (MBA 1980)
Edwin C. Reed (MBA 1979)
Jonathan Weaver (MBA 1975)
Benaree Pratt Wiley (MBA 1972)
Deborah C. Wright (MBA 1984)
The Dr. James I. Cash Advancing Pathways Award
Each year, the Harvard Business School AfricanAmerican Alumni Association recognizes our community’s pioneers and leaders for their professional excellence and exemplary contributions. Celebrating their achievements not only honors their legacies but also keeps our history alive and illuminates the path for succeeding generations.
This year holds particular significance: At the 50th Anniversary HBS African-American Alumni Leadership Summit, we will present the 2025 Distinguished Alumni Awards. This milestone gathering brings together alumni across generations to reflect on five decades of impact, leadership, and progress. It is a moment to celebrate how far we have come, and to honor those whose excellence, service, and vision have shaped our community and paved the way for the future.
At the 50th Anniversary HBS African-American Alumni Association Leadership Summit, we are proud to present the Dr. James I. Cash Advancing Pathways Award to
Linda A. Hill
The Dr. James I. Cash Advancing Pathways Award honors an HBS alumnus or HBS faculty member who has demonstrated a commitment to educating and mentoring the next generation of leaders who will contribute to business and society. Presented for the first time in 2023 to Tarrus Richardson (MBA 1996) and in 2024 to Archie L. Jones, Jr. (MBA 1998), the award is jointly conferred by the HBS African American Student Union and the HBS African-American Alumni Association.
The daughter of an Army officer, Linda A. Hill was born in Wheeling, West Virginia, and grew up all over the world, attending high school in Bangkok, Thailand. “The first place I went whenever we moved was to the library,” she recalls. “Librarians were my best friends.” Hill’s curiosity and love of books never went away. Years later at HBS, when then-Dean Kim Clark asked her if the School was preparing students to lead innovation, Hill’s exploration started at Baker Library. She didn’t find much published on the connection between leadership and innovation— so she dug in, launching a 20-plus year inquiry that has moved well beyond that question, producing dozens of articles, cases, books, and executive programs. That effort is ongoing: Next spring, Hill and coauthors Emily Tedards and Jason Wild will publish Genius at Scale: How Great Leaders Drive Innovation.
“A combination of the intellectual and the practical has always fueled me,” Hill remarks. She majored in psychology at Bryn Mawr; she especially loved comparative psychology, building on Darwin’s evolutionary theories to explore how different species (including
Linda A. Hill
people) learn; her senior thesis was a comparison of how individuals at different ages learn to decode and display emotions. “My parents were very practical-minded and concerned that I be able to find employment after college,” she recalls. Education seemed like a good vocation. In her senior year, Hill completed an internship teaching African civilization at an alternative school and became a certified secondary education teacher.
But her curiosity drew her back to academia. From Bryn Mawr, Hill enrolled at the University of Chicago and received an MA in educational psychology in 1979; she worked part-time, conducting evaluations of federal programs for low socioeconomic communities, while also serving as a research assistant on a “teaching creativity” project at the Art Institute of Chicago. Hill realized she wanted to be a professor—but was not sure of the field. She found herself reading more books on sociology and anthropology; in that regard, the University of Chicago’s PhD in behavioral sciences seemed like a good place to begin, with cross-disciplinary requirements that allowed Hill full rein to explore. She even took some courses at the university’s business school.
“When I went to graduate school right out of college, I didn’t know anything about the business or nonprofit sectors,” she recalls.
“After I arrived, I realized I was more interested in organizations than education.” That interest extended
to the impact of organizations in emerging markets. “I became a business professor because I’m interested in economic development; I want to make sure the most marginalized people have access to power and influence,” Hill says. “That’s what drives me every day.”
Hill started that journey in 1983, when she arrived at HBS as a postdoctoral fellow. Her early curiosity in learning in the natural world evolved into conducting ethnographies of managers in organizations. How did leaders learn to become leaders? What did that look like, and how did managers navigate their new role? Being the Boss: The 3 Imperatives for Becoming a Great Leader (2019), coauthored with Kent Lineback, is just one publication to come from those fundamental questions. Collective Genius: The Art and Practice of Leading Innovation (2014) is another. Named to the inaugural Thinkers50 Booklist as a top 10 Management Classic, Collective Genius outlined a key difference between more traditional leadership models and what it looks like to lead innovation. “Leadership often means coming up with a vision and inspiring others to fulfill that vision,” says Hill. “With leading innovation, there isn’t a set vision; instead, you need to figure out how to create an environment in which others will be willing and able to co-create the future with you.”
Digital transformation is another thread of Hill’s career; many of the
THE DR. JAMES I. CASH ADVANCING PATHWAYS
organizations where she conducted research for Collective Genius, including Google, Pixar, and eBay, are digital-first companies. “I’ve been developing relationships with people in technology and design since 1999, because in my mind, that was the future of business,” says Hill, a digital-first entrepreneur in her own right as cofounder with Kim Getgen (GMP 27, 2019) of InnovationForce, a SaaS company leveraging AI and machine learning to accelerate innovation. In 2023 and 2024, that startup was named an “Innovative Company to Watch” by Fast Company.
The strategic power of diversity and inclusion is another throughline; in the forthcoming Genius at Scale, she and her coauthors find that today’s great leaders who successfully foster innovation understand how to bridge boundaries and build partnerships beyond their organizations. “They also serve as catalysts, seeding and activating sometimes global ecosystems to get big and important things done,” she says. “That requires a level of comfort working with diverse parties and exercising influence where you usually have no formal authority.”
The variety and scale of Hill’s involvement beyond HBS demonstrates her own ability as a bridge. She serves and has served on numerous boards in the private and nonprofit sectors, including Relay Therapeutics, State Street Corporation, Eaton Corporation, Brigham and Women’s
Hospital, The Kresge Foundation, the ArtCenter College of Design, the Aspen Institute Business and Society Program, and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research, to name a few. In 2015, she cofounded Paradox Strategies with Greg Brandeau, former Disney CTO and SVP of technology at Pixar. The firm, which includes Brandeau and Managing Partners Taran Swan (MBA 1991) and Cheryl Whaley (MBA 1991), specializes in leadership, innovation, culture, and inclusion. “At Pixar, they used to say, ‘Everybody has a slice of genius.’ If you’re a leader and cannot unleash and amplify the diverse slices of genius in your organization, I believe you won’t be able to build a sustainable company,” she contends.
Closer to home, Hill’s impact at HBS is impossible to sum up. Part of the senior faculty team that developed and introduced the RC course LEAD, she also serves as faculty chair of the HBS Leadership Initiative, which celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2025. In addition, she oversees a portfolio of Executive Education courses, including Leading in the Digital Era and Advancing Women of Color in Leadership. The latter evolved from a three-hour Zoom workshop in October 2020, moderated by Hill, that brought together 160 alumni, staff, and faculty members from the HBS community to address how the School can accelerate the development of women of color and examine the challenges and opportunities they face in the
workplace. Creating high-level networks and finding mentors and sponsors was a frequentlymentioned topic and one that is close to Hill, showing up in the many cases and articles she’s published as well as her personal commitments. “One thing that people may not know about Linda is that she takes a great interest in junior faculty,” says Leadership Initiative Director Letty Garcia. “She watches out for their careers and really cares.”
Hill uses the word “humbled” to describe how it feels to receive an award associated with Professor Emeritus James Cash. “Jim has been my mentor since Day One—he and his wife, Clemmie, have been incredible supporters and friends,” she says.
“Leadership is hard, and it’s only going to get harder,” says Hill, reflecting on the increasingly complex socio-political climate organizations face today. With that perspective, Hill continues to move forward with a focus on what has driven her from the start: improving equal access for all and developing the next generation of leaders.
Authors’ Pavilion
Stories That Inspire. Strategies That Empower.
The HBSAAA 50th Leadership Summit proudly presents the Authors’ Pavilion—a dynamic celebration of the voices shaping business, culture, and community through the power of the written word. This space highlights published works by our distinguished alumni, faculty, and thought leaders, whose stories challenge perspectives and spark progress.
From memoirs to market insights, leadership guides to cultural commentary, these books offer invaluable tools and inspiration for every stage of your journey. Whether you’re expanding your thinking, deepening your leadership, or seeking new ideas—you’ll find something here that speaks to you.
Explore the Author Gallery in the following pages, support these brilliant minds, and purchase books that move conversations—and communities—forward.
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Who Better Than You?
subtitle
The Art of Healthy Arrogance & Dreaming Big
author Will Packer
brief description
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER — The billion-dollar Hollywood producer shares mentorship and hardearned lessons for success, with insight from working with some of the world’s biggest stars.
author bio
Will Packer is a trailblazing Hollywood producer and entrepreneur, known for creating culturally resonant, box-office hits like Girls Trip, Ride Along, and Think Like a Man. As Founder and CEO of Will Packer Productions and Will Packer Media, he has generated over $1 billion in worldwide box office revenue and created awardwinning content across film, television, and digital platforms. In 2022, he made history as the first Black producer to helm the Academy Awards, earning an Emmy nomination. His hit series Fight Night became Peacock’s most-watched premiere, winning four NAACP Image Awards. A New York Times best-selling author, Packer’s latest book Who Better Than You? inspires dreamers to aim big with “healthy arrogance.” A magna cum laude graduate of Florida A&M University, he’s also a limited partner of the Atlanta Falcons and founder of Collective Edge Management.
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A Blessing
subtitle
Women of Color Teaming Up to Lead, Empower and Thrive
author
Jaqueline Adams & Bonita Stewart
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A Blessing is a playbook and cultural analysis for Black women leaders. Based on data and experience, it empowers “unicorns”—women of color in leadership— with strategies to team up, climb higher, and lead boldly.
author bio
Jacqueline Adams is an Emmy Award-winning former CBS News correspondent turned communications strategist. She co-founded The Future Foundation and co-authored
A Blessing to uplift women of color in business. A Harvard Business School graduate, she advises nonprofits and serves on the Council on Foreign Relations and National Committee on American Foreign Policy.
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Intelligence Isn’t Enough
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A Black Professional’s Guide to Thriving in the Workplace
author Carice Anderson
brief description
This guide helps high-achieving Black professionals navigate unwritten workplace rules. Through stories, research, and practical strategies, Anderson offers tools to succeed, grow, and lead with impact.
author bio
Carice Anderson is a leadership coach, former McKinsey professional development manager, and author of Intelligence Isn’t Enough. She has spoken at Google, Bain, Accenture, and others, equipping Black professionals with tools to thrive. A Harvard MBA and former Deloitte and Korn Ferry consultant, she brings global insight from her 10 years living in South Africa.
Autographed Book: Venmo to @Carice-Anderson and email Carice@cariceanderson.com
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PURCHASE
The Social Impact Advantage
subtitle
Win Customers and Talent By Harnessing Your Business For Good
author
Tynesia Boyea-Robinson
brief description
“This book is a go-to resource for any business executive who wants to become a complete leader. The lessons in The Social Impact Advantage will boost your bottom line and deepen the good you can do in the world.” —Daniel Pink
author bio
Tynesia is a seasoned cross-sector executive with decades of experience leading and advising organizations through transformational change. As an entrepreneur, Six Sigma Black Belt, and technologist, she leads CapEQ™, aligning business and community goals to create inclusive growth. Her work has supported Fortune 500 firms and impacted trillions in assets.
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Lead to Win
subtitle
How to Be a Powerful, Impactful, Influential Leader in Any Environment
author Carla Harris
brief description
This book is a guide to navigating today’s evolving workplace and becoming a transformational leader. It highlights essential skills and eight daily practices— like authenticity, trust, inclusivity, and vision—to help leaders inspire change and create impact.
author bio
Carla A. Harris is a renowned business leader, author, and speaker celebrated for her dynamic career on Wall Street and her powerful insights on leadership. A Senior Client Advisor at Morgan Stanley and former Vice Chairman of Wealth Management, she has been recognized among the most influential women in business. Known as a trailblazer, Harris is also an accomplished gospel singer, philanthropist, and bestselling author, whose work—including Lead to Win—equips leaders with the tools to succeed, inspire, and transform organizations.
title of book Collective Genius
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The Art and Practice of Leading Innovation
author Linda HIll
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brief description
This book explores how leaders can unleash collective genius across diverse teams and organizations..
author bio
Dr. Linda A. Hill is one of the world’s leading thinkers on leadership and innovation. A professor at Harvard Business School, she is co-founder of Paradox Strategies and InnovationForce, a firm using AI to accelerate innovation. Her work has earned her Thinkers50’s Innovation Award and “Top 10 Management Thinker” honors.
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The 5 Keys to Value Investing
author
J. Dennis Jean-Jaques
brief description
A practical and widely used investment guide, this book teaches a structured approach to value analysis, risk management, and stock selection for superior longterm returns.
author bio
J. Dennis Jean-Jacques is the Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Ocean Park Investments LP, with over $3.2 billion in investment experience. He’s led activist campaigns, restructurings, and turnarounds at the board level and is widely regarded as an expert in value investing.
title of book Race, Work, & Leadership
subtitle
New Perspectives on the Black Experience
author
Anthony (Tony) Mayo
brief description
This collection explores how race shapes work and leadership experiences—and how organizations can build truly inclusive environments.
author bio
Tony Mayo is the Thomas S. Murphy Senior Lecturer at Harvard Business School and Distinguished Management Educator. He co-created several HBS Online leadership courses and co-authored Race, Work, and Leadership, which received Axiom’s Gold Medal for best book on Women and Minorities in Business.
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Business Success Secrets
subtitle
Entrepreneurial Thinking That Works
author
Tamara Nall
brief description
A straight-talking anthology for entrepreneurs, Business Success Secrets delivers raw, honest insight from business leaders on what it takes to succeed.
author bio
Dr. Tamara Nall is a serial entrepreneur, investor, and global AI strategist. She is Founder and CEO of The Leading Niche and creator of ReliAI, HUMANAI, and the Junia naming tradition. She hosts the #1 tech podcast LEAD WITH AI and helps others scale businesses with purpose.
Autographed Book: Email request to tamara.nall@theleadingniche.com
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title of book
The CodeBreaker Mindset™
author
Chitra Nawbatt
brief description
A framework for professional decision-making, built around unwritten rules, intuition, and strategy pivots— designed to drive growth in business and life.
author bio
Chitra Nawbatt is a multi-industry executive with deep expertise in growth, value creation, and investor relations. She is a recognized accelerator for business transformation and strategic leadership.
Autographed Book: Email request to chitra.nawbatt@gmail.com
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The Digital Mindset
subtitle
What It Really Takes to Thrive in the Age of Data, Algorithms, and AI
author
Tsedal Neeley
brief description
transformation and organizational leadership.
title of book
Move. Think. Rest.
subtitle
To thrive in a data-driven world, leaders must develop a digital mindset—this book shows how.
author bio
Dr. Tsedal Neeley is the Senior Associate Dean and Chair of the MBA Program at Harvard Business School. Named to Thinkers50 and Forbes Future of Work 50, she advises global organizations on digital
Redefining Productivity and Our Relationship with Time
author
Natalie Nixon
brief description
Move. Think. Rest. (Hachette, Sept. 2, 2025) presents a human-centric operating system for flourishing in an age of burnout, digital overload, and shifting workplace norms. Nixon equips readers with tools to prioritize strategic thinking, prevent burnout, build resilience, and redefine performance for the Imagination Era. The book has earned advance praise from Mel Robbins, Seth Godin, and Misty Copeland, and was named a September 2025 “must read” by the Next Big Idea Club as well as a “Best New Business Book for September 2025” by Porchlight Books.
author bio
Natalie Nixon, Ph.D., is a creativity strategist, global keynote speaker, and author recognized for her work on innovation and the future of work. She advises leaders and organizations worldwide on how to transform business challenges into growth opportunities through creativity and foresight.
title of book All
Hands On Deck
subtitle
Unleash Prosperity Through World-Class Capital Markets
author
Arunma Oteh
brief description
Oteh offers a practical guide to building inclusive, high-functioning capital markets that support national prosperity.
author bio
Arunma Oteh is a global financial leader, former World Bank Treasurer, and academic at Oxford. A Harvard MBA, she chairs the Royal African Society and serves on global economic boards.
title of book
Through
subtitle
The Making of Minority Executives
author
David A. Thomas
brief description
Breaking Through explores how minority leaders overcome systemic obstacles and rise to top executive roles.
author bio
David A. Thomas is the president of Morehouse College and a renowned scholar in organizational behavior. He formerly served as dean at Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business and held leadership roles at Harvard Business School.
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subtitle
How Purposeful Leaders Defy Drift
author
Geoff Tuff
brief description
This book encourages leaders to constantly adjust their systems and strategies to stay aligned with purpose and performance.
author bio
Geoff Tuff is a principal at Deloitte Consulting LLP and serves as Global and U.S. Leader for Energy, Resources, and Industrials clients. He has co-authored three books—Detonate, Provoke, and Hone—with fellow Deloitte principal Steven Goldbach.
Autographed Book: Email request to mbuskey@deloitte.com
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A Way Out of No Way
subtitle
A Memoir of Truth, Transformation, and the New American Story
author
Senator Reverend Raphael G. Warnock
brief description
This book shares Senator Reverend Raphael G. Warnock’s journey from humble beginnings to the U.S. Senate, offering a powerful testament to faith, resilience, and the pursuit of justice in America.
author bio
Senator Reverend Raphael G. Warnock is the senior pastor of Atlanta’s historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once preached, and the first Black U.S. senator elected from Georgia. A passionate advocate
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for justice, faith, and democracy, he is a leading national voice on voting rights and moral leadership.
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Culture Design
subtitle
How to Build a High Performing, Resilient Organization with Purpose
author
James D. White and Krista White
brief description
Strong cultures don't emerge by accident. They're built—with clarity, consistency, and design. This is your guide. Culture Design brings together James D. White's expert perspective, informed by more than thirty years of operating experience across sectors and in the boardroom, with his daughter Krista White's millennial perspective of modern workers' expectations from their company and its culture.
author bio
James D. White is a transformational leader with 30+ years as a CEO and operating executive across consumer products, retail, and restaurants, and 20 years serving on over 15 public and private boards. He chairs the Honest Company and several others, and is Co-Founder, Chair, and CEO of Culture Design Lab.
Krista White, Co-Founder of Culture Design Lab, is a multi-genre writer whose work centers on research, in-depth interviews, and storytelling to craft powerful narratives.
title of book
Break Through the Beliefs That Limit Your Potential
author
Muriel M. Wilkins
brief description
This practical book reveals hidden mindsets that hold leaders back—and offers tools to break through and lead with confidence.
author bio
Muriel Wilkins is an executive coach and founder of Paravis Partners. She hosts the award-winning Coaching Real Leaders podcast and helps senior executives achieve breakthrough growth.
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C.O.U.R.A.G.E.
subtitle
7 Choices for Living a Life Without Regret
author
Christopher O.H. Williams
brief description
Williams outlines how courageous decision-making can unlock a fulfilling, regret-free life of impact.
author bio
Christopher O.H. Williams is a former global executive at Nike, adidas, Goldman Sachs, and others. He’s president of Custament Partners and former president of African Leadership University.
Autographed Book: Email request to christopher@courage7choices.com
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authors’ pavilion schedule
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2025
10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
The Bookshelf Experience: Step Into a Living Library of Leadership and Legacy
Harvard Business School COOP, Spangler Center, 117 Western Ave, Boston, MA 02163
10:00 AM – 8:00 PM
The Bookshelf Experience: Step Into a Living Library of Leadership and Legacy
Harvard Square COOP, 1400 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02138
12:30 PM – 7:00 PM
Authors’ Pavilion: Stories That Inspire. Strategies That Empower Klarman Atrium
NOON – 1:15 PM
Books & Bonds: Meet the Authors Who Turn Vision Into Words
Harvard Square COOP, 1400 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02138
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2025
10:00 AM – 8:00 PM
The Bookshelf Experience: Step Into a Living Library of Leadership and Legacy
Harvard Square COOP, 1400 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02138
8:00AM – 6:00PM
Authors’Pavilion: Stories That Inspire. Strategies That Empower Klarman Atrium
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2025
10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
The Bookshelf Experience: Step Into a Living Library of Leadership and Legacy
Harvard Square COOP, 1400 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02138
THANK
THANK
Honorary Co-Chairs
Reggie Van Lee
Errin Green
Dr. Tamara Nall
Nigel Parkinson
Tarrus Richardson
Herman Bulls
Titanium Circle
Beverly Anderson
Gold Circle
(2) Anonymous
Dr. Tamara Nall
Silver Circle
Woolley-Wilson Impact Fund
Euran Daniels
Asymmetric Holdings Worldwide (AHW)
Spencer Stuart
M&T Bank | Wilmington Trust
Bronze Circle
Belinda Stubblefield
BAG Ventures
Ocean Park Investments
Patron Contributor
Anndrea M. Moore