Make the Most of HBS Alumni Resources
by Ann Kelly, Alumni Board President
Kelly
Photo by Neal Hamberg
Whether you graduated last June or just celebrated a reunion with a number you don’t enjoy saying aloud, you may be among those alumni who see HBS’s contribution to your development as having ended when you were on campus. The alumni experience for many is about the degree you leave with and the incredible network you acquire through your association with HBS. But it can be much more than that.
Your alumni status offers you a continuing relationship with the School and ongoing access to many valuable resources. At a time when so many educational and professional development programs are being cut from corporate budgets, I encourage you to renew your connections with HBS.
As I enter my fifth year on the Alumni Board, and now as board president, I can tell you that HBS genuinely cares about the long-term needs of its alumni and is investing wisely to meet those needs. The board, a diverse group of almost fifty MBA, Doctoral, and Executive Education graduates, works with the School’s leadership to develop programs and resources for alumni.
Over the past year, and under the capable guidance of outgoing board president Saquib Shirazi (MBA ’95), board committees focused on four areas of interest to both alumni and the School:
Brand Perception — offered the alumni perspective on the branding strategy being developed by Brian Kenny, the School’s chief marketing and communications officer.
Continuing Education — identified opportunities to raise alumni awareness of continuing education options and proposed recommendations to make those options more accessible and relevant.
Online Connections — served as a sounding board and test user group for the new, enhanced alumni directory.
Volunteers — developed a system for evaluating volunteer performance and submitted recommendations for instituting a formal volunteer recognition program.
In the coming year, the board will concentrate on offering real-time feedback on issues presented by the School for alumni input. To assist us, I hope you will consider doing two things:
- Contact me or any of the other board members if you have a particular area of interest or concern.
- Nominate someone you think would bring a particularly vital perspective to the board.
You can find links to a list of current board members and a board nomination form on the Alumni Web site: www.alumni.hbs.edu/volunteers/boards/.
In June, I had the pleasure of attending my 10th Reunion. I heard several faculty presentations on topics that are particularly relevant to these challenging economic times and my professional area of focus, reminding me yet again that HBS still has the capacity to transform my thinking. I hope we all take advantage of what this great school can still do for us.
— Ann Kelly (MBA ’99) is a partner at the Global Philanthropy Group in Seattle, Washington, where she lives with her one-year-old son. A member of the board since 2005, she will serve as president until May 2011. She can be reached at akelly@mba1999.hbs.edu.
