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Student Conferences Tackle Business Issues
Teresa Clarke: An Advocate for Education in South AfricaAnother in a series of occasional articles on HBS graduates who have taken a leave from their careers to explore nonbusiness endeavors. It’s no surprise that Teresa H. Clarke (MBA ’88/JD ’89) finds herself on a mission to make education more accessible to the world’s poorer children. It runs in the family. “My grandmother ran a few Head Start centers in Los Angeles in the 1960s and 1970s,” Clarke says. “And my mother was a teacher, then a principal, and eventually a superintendent in a poor area of the city. She’s still a major advocate for educating the poor.”
“We have a chance now to become a major player in the nonprofit sector in South Africa,” Clarke says. Having witnessed the tremendous success of SSP-SA in its first two years, she is keenly aware of the potential that the program has to influence the country’s future. Modeled after the Student/Sponsor Partnership in New York City, the SSP-SA recruits professionals to help underwrite the cost of a high-school education for talented, disadvantaged students in and around Johannesburg. Clarke’s own experience as a sponsor and board member for the New York program was the spark that led to the development of SSP-SA. Drawn by the many changes unfolding in South Africa under Nelson Mandela’s leadership, Clarke left her position as a vice president at Goldman Sachs to set up a regional office for Abt Associates in Johannesburg in 1995. Not long after settling in her new surroundings, she “bumped into” Ongeri, whose office was in the same building. “I was passionate about the S/SP approach and its potential amid South Africa’s climate of change,” she says. “We realized that South Africa needed S/SP, so we decided to do it.” After raising seed money from a few HBS classmates and professors, Clarke and Ongeri launched SSP-SA two years ago. In its first year, the organization placed 25 students in the top private and public schools around Johannesburg, with the financial assistance and mentoring efforts of 25 local sponsors. The second year of the program, begun in January, launched another 40 students. Clarke hopes to place 60 students in 2002 and 100 in 2003. “The schools are very receptive,” notes Clarke. “There’s such a need for these institutions to reflect the black majority population, but they lack the knowledge of the black South African community, the relationships, and the funding to do so. They know that what we are doing is important for the future of South Africa, and they are grateful for our help.” The next year is critical to SSP-SA’s sustainability. Having received support from companies such as J.P. Morgan, Anglo American Corporation, Deutsche Morgan Grenfell Merchant Bank, and Educational Development Trust of South Africa — a “Who’s Who of corporate South Africa,” as she puts it — Clarke sees her next step as getting support from U.S. foundations. “We are at an important juncture,” says Clarke, whose enthusiasm for SSP-SA and advocacy for education would make her mother and grandmother proud. “I am 100 percent focused on SSP-SA and on laying the groundwork so that the organization can really make a difference.” — Margie Kelley For more information, contact Teresa Clarke at teeclarke@aol.com or visit the SSP-SA Web site at www.sspsa.org.za. RETURN TO THE TOP OF THE PAGE 
Trek TalkThe tradition of the HBS “trek” continued this year with hundreds of future graduates pounding the pavement and working the HBS network to investigate career options near and far. In early January, while one group of Eurotrekkers crossed the Channel from London to Paris, another contingent headed due north and landed in Stockholm, where they made headlines in the local paper after spending their days learning about high-tech opportunities and visiting Ericsson. Meanwhile, several hundred of their classmates were in Silicon Valley participating in WesTrek, the original trek that debuted in 1996. Students also organized career and networking events this year in Seattle, Austin, Washington, D.C., Denver, New York, and Hollywood. The Harbus reported that there was talk of future treks to “Africa, Asia, and even exotic Maine.” RETURN TO THE TOP OF THE PAGE Hit Radio Show and HBS Alumni Help Young Classical Musicians
“From the Top is the most popular classical music program in the country,” says the show’s executive producer, Gerald Slavet, a nonprofit arts entrepreneur and partner in a real estate development and management firm. “But we want to be more than that. Through our radio show, Web site, education programs, and upcoming TV special, we’re establishing an interactive national forum for kids, parents, and teachers interested in classical music. And HBS graduates have played a key role in all of this.” Indeed, according to Slavet, field-study and class-project recommendations by HBS students “laid the groundwork for what we’ve become — an online social entrepreneurship venture [FromtheTop.org] aimed at promoting the development of young people through great music.” The students, Michiel Kotting, Hillary Hedges, and Sara Olsen (all MBA ’99), came to FtT at the suggestion of Slavet’s nephew, James Slavet (MBA ’99). Not long after that, Michael Cassidy (MBA ’91) of Direct Hit also became involved with FtT as a pro bono partner helping with Internet, strategy, and marketing issues. ZEFER cofounder and director Anthony Tjan (MBA ’98) (see page 24) has also favored FtT with his expertise, and his firm to date has contributed close to $2 million in services. “We love how FtT celebrates talent and diversity and empowers kids,” says Tjan, now an FtT board member. Last year, Slavet was able to convince his friend and colleague Francis Hunnewell (MBA ’65), an experienced banker, investment manager, and nonprofit executive and director, to sign on as CEO of FtT. Hunnewell is focusing on matters of finance, organizational structure, governance, and development. Asked why he took on his new position, Hunnewell says, “I really enjoy working with young people in the arts. It’s very rewarding to help create an environment in which these kids can blossom.” RETURN TO THE TOP OF THE PAGE Professor Thomas Kennedy Remembered
A member of the HBS faculty from 1956 to 1978 and for many years the Albert J. Weatherhead, Jr., Professor of Business Administration, Kennedy established a reputation as an exceptional teacher. Dean Kim B. Clark commented, “During his two decades on the faculty, Tom Kennedy played an influential role in an institution that prides itself on the high quality of its instruction. No one who took one of Tom’s classes could ever forget him.” Kennedy developed an expertise in international labor relations while teaching from 1976 to 1978 in an Executive Education program then offered by HBS in Switzerland. He also participated in management programs at major corporations and taught courses in labor relations in several Latin American countries. He wrote numerous case studies and was the author or coauthor of five books on labor relations and arbitration. In 1988, Kennedy was honored with the School’s highest accolade, the Distinguished Service Award. After retiring from the School, Kennedy became a full-time visiting professor at Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, where students established the Thomas Kennedy Outstanding Teacher Award in his honor. He also remained active as an arbitrator, working as recently as 1994 on cases involving the city of Philadelphia and its police officers. Born in Altoona, Pennsylvania, in 1912, Maynard Thomas Kennedy received a bachelor’s degree in economics from Swarthmore College in 1934. In 1947, he earned a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, which published his dissertation on labor-relations practices in the U.S. hosiery industry. In 1950, he became director of industrial and public relations at the Atlas Chemical Company in Wilmington, Delaware, before joining the HBS faculty six years later. A memorial service will be held in Pennsylvania this spring. Donations in Kennedy’s memory may be sent to the American Friends Service Committee, c/o Ms. Jeanie Moses, 1501 Cherry St., Philadelphia, PA 19102. RETURN TO THE TOP OF THE PAGE |
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Clarke, a graduate of Harvard College, is also committed to public service. Re-
cently she put her career on hold for six months to help make a difference in the
lives of hundreds of South African children. She left her job as managing director at
Abt Associates, South Africa, and spent a brief period as president of Africa.com
before deciding to devote more time and energy to raising money for the Student
Sponsorship ProgrammeSouth Africa (SSP-SA). With Nyagaka Ongeri (MBA ’97),
Clarke cofounded SSP-SA in 1999.
When you think of kids and music these days, it’s easier to imagine Chopin and
Elgar spinning in their graves than getting any airtime. But move over, J.Lo — a
classical music radio show, driven by youthful performers and listeners, is rapidly
climbing the charts. From the Top (FtT), launched last year and now heard on more
than two hundred public radio stations across the United States, is a weekly one-hour
program that showcases virtuoso performances by precollege musicians.
Professor Thomas Kennedy, an authority on labor relations at Harvard Business School
and a highly respected labor arbitrator, died last December in Kennett Square,
Pennsylvania. He was 88 years old.