For some people, the words “new economy” describe the advent of a revolutionary economic order based on technology-related innovation, entrepreneurial management, and information-driven enterprise. Others question the phrase entirely, arguing that the economy is neither old nor new but simply evolving.

For many members of the Class of 1976, this debate is academic. For them, the term new economy is synonymous with particular classmates who, in the course of their careers, have helped shape the way today’s world works. In the pages that follow, we meet five distinguished representatives of this group who reflect on the challenges they have faced and — often with humor —- place their professional accomplishments in the context of other activities that give meaning to their lives.