Devotes much of her time to the Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign for The Estee Lauder Companies.

Founded International College Counselors (ICC), one of the largest college-admissions-counseling companies in the world. ICC has counseled students from 32 countries, and has representatives in five.

Resigned from her job in finance to launch 24 Ours, which offers a free and edgy daily email for the busy woman featuring ideas for making her life easier.

President and founder of Boston Common Asset Management, an investment company that integrates financial, environmental, social, and governance considerations into the stock selection process. She has built the firm on the conviction that looking beyond traditional financial indicators improves portfolio quality and financial return potential.

Pioneer in the booming emerging-markets private-equity industry, enhancing private capital flows to developing countries. She is the founding president and CEO of the Emerging Markets Private Equity Association, representing over 300 private equity firms and institutional investors managing over a trillion dollars.

Successful businesswomen who has broken many glass ceilings on her way up; contributes to a large number of nonprofit and Harvard-affiliated associations; role model to young working women in Brazil.

Brings her marketing talents and business discipline to A Woman's Place, the only gender-specific emergency shelter and transitional housing setup of its kind in San Francisco, serving single women without children, the LGBT and HIV/AIDS communities, ladies from other states seeking new horizons, those who experience mental illness, domestic violence, and substance abuse, and ethnicities who feel they have nowhere else to go.

As vice chairman of alternative investments at Credit Suisse, oversees nearly $100 billion in alternative-investment assets, one of the largest such portfolios in the world.

Co-organizer of the WSA Fellowship, making sure a steady stream of high-potential women continue to choose HBS for their MBAs. HBS has written two cases on her firm.

Has been on the HBS faculty since the 1980s and was the third tenured woman faculty member, remaining the only woman tenured in Finance; has also served as senior associate dean.

Lead director of both the Quaker Chemical Corporation and the Teleflex Corporation; also serves as a director of the Ultralife Corporation and is past chair. Director and past chair of the Research Corporation for Scientific Advancement and a past trustee of the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, the National Committee for Education and the Economy, St. Joseph's College, and Women's World Banking.

Dedicated to the advancement of low-income communities, her company, WorkSquare, is a thriving enterprise that continues to provide workers in South Florida with the tools needed for enhanced social mobility.

As one of the founders of the Parthenon Consulting education practice and first female partner at the company, she is driving change within education and her company.

Was a student in the first year of female MBAs with full two years in on-campus classes at HBS. Created first-ever segmented marketing program at Eastern Airlines (youth fare). Headed Pan Am marketing to women, attracting a following of more than 10 million women via her newsletter and television appearances. First female VP of Chemical Bank, heading advertising and bringing fresh thinking and resources to bear. Career as entrepreneur within Corcoran Real Estate Group.

As leader of Deloitte's Women in the Workplace group, has defined new ways of keeping women engaged and working through all life phases.

Currently works as a CEO for hire, leading high-tech concerns; founder of nonprofit Death-Wise, a clearinghouse for information surrounding death.

Managing partner at Berkshire Partners; serves as director of several of the firm's companies and has made a lasting impact on culture and staff. Also serves on the Harvard Management Corporation's Board of Directors, Purdue University's Dean's Advisory Committee, Dana-Farber Women's Cancers Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Committees, and the Winsor School.

As a partner at PE firm Norwest Venture Partners, she has been a trailblazer for women in the field and is someone from whom many young women seek counsel.

Serial entrepreneur who has been on the founding team of two successful companies (including Provide Commerce, which was sold for $477 million); founder of Athena San Diego, the premier organization for women in the San Diego technology and life-sciences community; founder of Run Women Run, a nonpartisan group that recruits, trains, and supports women to run for elected and appointed office in San Diego; teaches entrepreneurship at UC San Diego.

Cofounder and CEO of PAAMCO; active in furthering the competitiveness of both the investment industry and the local market by creating jobs and publishing on the field of market neutral and alternative investments strategies; chairwoman of the Board of the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst Association; serves on the Advisory Board of the Master of Financial Engineering Program at UCLA Anderson.

Advocates on behalf of Americans overseas, working on numerous issues, including taxation, FBAR, and FATCA.

Coauthored book In Transition, in its 21st year of publication. Serves in leadership roles at Smith College, Helen Keller Worldwide, and Riverside Church.

Shaping the way one of the largest money managers in the industry thinks about issues at the intersection of government and finance, she essentially designed a role for herself at the investment firm Pimco to address the need to stay ahead of key political, regulatory, and policy issues.

Co-head of global capital markets at Bank of America Merrill Lynch; mentors numerous women with what little free time she has, encouraging them to make their way to the top without losing sight of their passions.

Executive vice president of Wildlife Conservation Society. Regarded as one of New York's top fundraisers, she has increased funds to WCS by 40% in her first three years-a time of economic downturn. Serves on the Board of Women in Development NYC; coaches young women considering careers in the nonprofit sector.

Very active and impactful mom to three high-school students; brilliant and accomplished in all that she does.

Was handpicked by Rod Canion (founder of Compaq Computers) to lead marketing at a startup company. Recently named CMO of the Houston Astros.

CEO of Africa.com; raised significant money for high-potential students in Africa before such work was fashionable.

Founder of iRelaunch, which provides coaching to help individuals successfully reenter the workforce, to help companies shape the way they value and employ these individuals in a changing economy, and to help these two groups connect. Her book, Back on the Career Track, further strengthens her impact on all fields in which women are reentering the workforce.

One of very few women in venture capital in Seattle, Washington.

Began her career at IBM, where she held positions of increasing responsibility over a 22-year period; subsequently became CFO of a number of leading technology companies including Reciprocal, IMS Health, and CA Technologies, where she was a member of the management team who led the company's turnaround and restored its credibility with regulators, customers, and investors. Currently on the Boards of Teradata, Mosaic, Guardian Life, and the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology.

Cofounder and chief sustainability officer of GoLite, the premier global manufacturer of lightweight, innovative, and environmentally responsible apparel and equipment designed specifically for outdoor athletes. She founded the company with her husband in 1998, and served as CEO until 2008. Current work at GoLite includes leading a multi-year metrics-based path to sustainability. A passionate advocate for the environment and a firm believer in the power of the corporation to do good in the world and to work for the benefit of its stakeholders, she is an accomplished public speaker on sustainability, leadership, and entrepreneurship and a frequent guest lecturer at universities and organizations nationwide.

As associate dean for administration and senior executive officer at HBS, has been responsible for enormous projects and changes at the School.

Has worked tirelessly to turn around KIPP Truth Academy and expand KIPP charter schools in the Dallas area.

Left the workforce in the late 1980s to raise three children; since returning, has become a community leader and entrepreneur. Coaches about ten young women each year in their college and career pursuits. In 2005, she acquired Multipak, a pharmaceutical packaging company; Multipak doubled its sales in two years under her leadership.

Financial advisor to governments in emerging markets; vice president of the HBS Alumni Board, president of the HBS Club of France, and member of the HBS European Leadership Council. Former director of Fondation Demeter, which specializes in microlending to women in India and Argentina.

Began a distinguished career in 1984 at Hewlett Packard's Medical Products Group, where she eventually became vice president and general manager of a $1.3-billion operation with 5,500 employees; since leaving Hewlett Packard, has been a senior-manager coach and consultant.

Has worked extremely hard to promote the HBS community in New York, and as a result of her efforts, was named president of the HBS Club of New York.

Has worked in industry, marketing, new-product development, and advertising and has taught at Case Western Reserve University, Old Dominion University, University of Massachusetts Boston, and Barry University. Was also a cabinet secretary to the Governor of Virginia, where she was responsible for economic development and environmental protection.

Former global-operations manager for Unisys Corporation, working with Cisco Systems to manage their global partnership; has been VP of the Alumni Club of Washington, DC, on the Board of Directors of the Boys and Girls Club, and mentor to Harvard College students.

Has risen up the Bridgespan ranks, emerging as a thought leader in the philanthropy world; authors Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, op-eds, etc., on effective philanthropy, education, leadership, and capacity-building; is running for reelection to the Brookline, Massachusetts School Committee, where she is curriculum committee chair; serves on the HBS Alumni Board of Directors; was president of the 1,000-member Social Enterprise Alumni Association.

Cofounded MTV Europe and was CEO of AOL's content brands. Recently, she founded the Women's VC Fund, focused on gender-diverse start-up teams. She is also an active board member of the Los Angeles River Project.

Founded Palm Pilot; very philanthropic individual who gives to a variety of good causes.

Founding member of Military.com and former CEO of Zinch; currently chief revenue officer at Chegg.

One of the first Japanese females to graduate from HBS; after a successful career as an investment banker, became a founding director of the HBS research center in Japan.

Has succeeded in the private-equity industry, rising to the level of most-senior woman at Blackstone and completing the largest deal a woman ever has. She currently serves on the boards of several companies and is highly regarded in the industry.

Founder of HBS Health, the School's largest industry-centric alumni club; under her aegis, the organization has grown to over 600 members worldwide, bringing together alumni that touch every aspect of healthcare and the life sciences. She continues to be a thought leader in social media and the interaction between physicians and patients, and is a leader in the New York City health community through the organization she cofounded, NYC Health Business Leaders.

Established an educational foundation as a Teach for America teacher; was executive director of Teach for America Atlanta; continues to lead in education, and in business at McKinsey.

Recently retired as CEO of Sunoco; before that, was president of Shell US and head of worldwide manufacturing for Shell. For many years, she was the highest-ranking woman in the US energy business. She completed a difficult turnaround of Sunoco in a four-year span that resulted in an outstanding outcome for shareholders and for employees.

One of the most influential female consultants at Arthur D. Little, rising to a senior-management position by virtue of her leadership, intelligence, and ability to positively influence others.

Started StarVest Partners, the largest woman-owned VC firm in the US; has been the top woman on Forbes's Top 100 VCs list twice. One of the few female lead directors of NYSE-listed company NetSuite. Her philanthropic activities focus on advancing women.

Created The INET Foundation in 1990. In 1994, she was named American director of the USAID Business Support Center of St. Petersburg, Russia. In 2006, she created Living With Peace, which has already transformed the lives of more than a thousand African immigrants in Portland, Maine.

Former artistic coordinator and executive committee member at the Monaco-Ireland Arts Society in Monaco and adjunct marketing professor at the International University of Monaco. In the US, she has driven teen involvement in the arts and theater.

One of the first two female PMD students; wrote seven healthy cookbooks and hosted 230 healthy-cooking shows with The Discovery Channel and Public Broadcasting.

Created the umbilical cord blood banking and research company Viacord, utilizing a novel technology that has saved hundreds of lives.

Serves as both a faculty member at and director of the Green Mountain College Sustainable MBA program.

Currently chair and CEO of AcademixDirect, as fast-growing, VC-backed educational marketing company; was previously chair and CEO of Publicis & Hal Riney, and has held senior-executive positions with Procter & Gamble, General Motors, Ford Motor Company, Internet Capital, and Bain & Company management consulting. Has made valuable contributions to HBS alumni activities focused on helping charitable organizations in Northern California.

Served as the 29th US Secretary of Commerce; her 1992 mission to China normalized commercial relations and started a surge in trade and investment. In 1971, she launched the first White House effort to recruit women for policymaking jobs in the Federal Government, an effort that tripled the number of women in those jobs in its first year. She was an original commissioner of the Consumer Product Safety Commission and has served on 14 public-company boards.

Entrepreneur in residence and adjunct professor at the George Washington University School of Business; founder of The Hot Mommas Project, for which she assembled the world's largest library of case studies with women protagonists.

Founder of the Alternative School for Math and Science in Corning, NY, where she has been fulltime head for more than a decade.

Has made important contributions to her business and has advanced the role of women within Brown Brothers Harriman, becoming the first woman partner. She leads numerous charities and is governor of the HBS Alumni Board.

Founder and CEO of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) and a multiple-myeloma patient; she left her job as a pharmaceutical executive to start the MMRF in 1998, and has since raised more than $200 million, achieving remarkable results for patients. She has received numerous awards, such as TIME 100 and the HBS Alumni Achievement Award, for building groundbreaking collaborative models that have accelerated drug development and reshaped the nonprofit sector.

Started a successful market-research business and is involved in a myriad of nonprofits in everything from her undergraduate school to M&T Bank to many local causes in Rochester. She also coaches young people and women.

Led Endeavor's expansion into Latin America, starting Endeavor Colombia; now advises Endeavor and Endeavor entrepreneurs.

Has been the CEO of some of the most important healthcare companies of the last two decades; gives back through coaching young CEOs, being involved with HBS, and efforts to improve healthcare technology and delivery.

Was Pearson Inc.'s CFO before beginning her current role as president of the Financial Times Group. In addition, she heads Pearson's professional and careers business, which includes Pearson VUE (electronic testing and certification business) and various skills- and professional-training businesses. She previously held senior management roles at specialty-chemicals company ICI PLC, and in aerospace with Bombardier. She was made a Commander of the British Empire in 2012.

CFO and SVP at RLJ Development, a Robert Johnson Company, having taken REIT public last year. She is responsible for the company's financial matters and manages the acquisition and disposition of real-estate assets. She previously served as VP of real estate and finance for the company, securing financing for each hotel asset, managing the execution process for all transactions, and overseeing treasury functions. She also designed, built, and directed the company's portfolio-management arm.

Took over as board chair of Compass, a volunteer consulting program for Harvard MBAs, in 2009. Compass now recruits graduates of the top 12 business schools, trains them, and places them in strategic-consulting projects for DC-area nonprofits.

At HBS, has taught MBA and executive programs, cochaired the entrepreneurship unit, and led several initiatives. As a founding member of the Diana Group, she and a team of four other professors developed an international research consortium focused on female entrepreneurship. She and her colleagues have co-authored and edited several books, as well as numerous journal articles, and reports.

A pioneer as a woman in Wall Street finance; a very successful businessperson who started her own company, Havens Advisors LLC, a merger arbitrage fund manager.

Executive at major multinationals; entrepreneur restaurateur; global consultant.

Created Communispace, forging the way for technological innovation with staying power and broad-based impact; has trained and mentored employees along the way.

Cofounded an exciting new business concept, Bauble Bar, which has revolutionized the way that women shop for jewelry and accessories.

Founding board member of Compass, a volunteer consulting program for Harvard MBAs; became board chair in 2007. 

Has built Extend Fertility around egg freezing, a science that gives women a chance to beat the biological clock and navigate around personal, professional, or health circumstances by banking eggs for potential use in the future. Due to her pioneering efforts, thousands of families have been created from frozen eggs, and egg freezing has moved from a cautionary, early-stage technology to the standard for preserving women's fertility.

Committed to ensuring that demographics do not drive destiny in her work with the KIPP charter-school network, for which she serves as the Director of Program Evaluation and Operations.

Rose through the ranks of Colgate-Palmolive, eventually retiring as vice chairman in 2005.

Left a very stable job in the private sector to throw everything she had at her business idea: creating a new kind of water bottle. Her company, S'well, aims to increase access to clean drinking water, while encouraging those who do have clean water to appreciate it. Every purchase of a Swell bottle funds a ten-percent donation to WaterAid in support of their work to help build safe water sources in the world's poorest communities.

Committed to financial education for women; with Manisha Thankor, has written two books on this topic while remaining engaged in a demanding career in the investment-management space.

Served as president of the HBS Alumni Board; is currently Chief of Staff to Howard G. Buffet. Was previously, cofounder of Global Philanthropy Group LLC.

Held top management positions in major arts organizations (The Boston Shakespeare Company and the Boston Symphony Orchestra); now has her own law practice and law / consumer information cable-television show. Is a frequent lecturer on networking, how to start and develop a successful practice. She is also a mediator and arbitrator for AAA and FINRA and serves on the boards of various cultural organization.

Internationally recognized pioneer in technology, healthcare, and robotics education; perennial innovator; pioneer in new technologies / digital media across a wide range of industries; and a top woman in Silicon Valley. Created and ran the annual White House Conference on Health Savings Accounts. Her founding of the National Robotics Education Foundation channeled significant funding into STEM education in anticipation of a growing deficit in professionals and service personnel trained in robotics skills.

A former analyst at CS First Boston, she now works as general manager and CFO of EducationFirst's China program.

The first African-American woman to graduate from HBS, she began her own janitorial services company in 1976. She sold the company in 2001, and now works serves as a coach, consultant and public speaker and president of LilCo Enterprises.

Was a leader in high technology and is now CEO of Catalyst, which conducts research and advocates for getting women into top management and board positions; led the strategy group that redefined the business model of the HBS Association of Boston.

Hired In 2007 by the board of Compass, a volunteer consulting program for Harvard MBAs, as its first fulltime executive director; she has increased the organization's reach from 15 projects and 125 volunteers in 2007 to 39 projects and 264 volunteers in 2011. 

First woman appointed to the HBS faculty; co-authored the influential History of Standard Oil Company and, in 1961, became the first woman awarded a full professorship at HBS.

CFO of General Foods Europe; for many years, she was the only woman in GF senior-line management. At Smith Kline in the early 1980s, she introduced Apple Macintosh computers to give department managers control over budgeting. As CFO of NutriSystem in the 1980s, helped turn around the company. Was active in numerous nonprofits and philanthropic causes and mentored many women.

Youngest EVP at NYSE Euronext, a Baker Scholar, and a community leader. Most importantly, though, she is a mentor and coach.

Financial officer for the arts at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Smithsonian, and The National Gallery in Washington, bringing financial-management discipline to these prestigious institutions. For President Reagan, she and staff drafted the material for him to continue the Endowments for the Arts.

A successful marketing executive, she faced the terrible diagnosis of soft-tissue sarcoma head-on, founding Cycle for Survival in 2007 to raise funds for rare-cancer research. The first year, the organization raised $250,000.00. This past year it raised over $8 million.

Cofounded the Council of Women World Leaders and is its secretary general. In 2001, she was named managing director of global leadership and diversity at Goldman Sachs; she is now a senior advisor to the firm. In 1997, she cofounded The White House Project to change the cultural message in the United States about women as leaders. From 1992 to 1996, as director of the Women's Leadership Project, she identified global-leadership contributions by women heads of state. Her professional experience includes being CEO and president of the American Society for Training and Development and an executive-level consultant to Fortune 500 and international companies. She received the Westinghouse Award of Excellence for her contributions benefitting women and minorities in the workplace.

First woman partner at Goldman Sachs; started and led a successful and innovative web retailer selling prescription drugs to pet owners; active board member at City Center, one of New York's major forums for dance and theater.

Founded Isis Associates, which is now a leader in the industry; cofounded a scholarship and was selected as a Social Enterprise Fellow at HBS in addition to leading an extensive pro bono initiative at her company.

Runs Morgan Stanley's global Commercial Paper business as a managing director. Also leads MS's diversity-network initiative, and has been recognized as a trailblazer for women of color on Wall Street. She has maintained her passion for supporting the pursuit of the educational dreams of children in need in her homeland of Jamaica.

Attended HBS when few women did; later taught there and consulted with businesses of all kinds. She has served as a model corporate-board member over the years, often as head of the audit committee, in a variety of industries and for companies of all sizes.

Created Care.com, a Waltham company that helps families find caregivers. Founded in 2006, Care.com is now the largest online care destination in the world, with 7 million members spanning more than 15 countries.

As a director at DaVita, she manages eight dialysis clinics and cares for nurses, doctors, facility administrators, and more. She is a longtime advocate of health and worked at the Earth Institute in New York City and in Rwanda, focusing on collaborative, community-driven care.

Founded TestRocker, which provides best-in-class test prep to students worldwide, with the central thesis that access to the best teachers should not be limited by price or by distance.

Has led more than five projects for Compass, a volunteer consulting program for Harvard MBAs, and has served as a board member for eight years. 

Was VP of purchasing and distribution at PPG Industries, a Fortune 500 corporation. Previously, she served as president of PPG Canada and VP of coatings and resins at PPG Industries. She has since been elected Pennsylvania state president of the American Association of University Women.

Began career at Morgan Stanley working in mergers and acquisitions and capital markets, in the London, Tokyo, and New York offices. After Morgan Stanley, where she was in the first group of women named as Managing Directors, Deborah was President and Managing Director for Meadowcroft Associates, an investment boutique. Deborah is Vice Chair and Treasurer of Richmond, The American International University in London. She teaches Corporate Finance at Columbia University. Deborah earned her B.A. in International Affairs at Radcliff College before graduating from HBS in 1979.

As the first woman in the Ford Motor Company finance department, she worked as a statistician in car sales forecasting, writing computer programs that automated the manual panels of forecasting in all carlines in the 38 district offices.

The first physically challenged student to attend HBS. As a polio survivor, she has been an enthusiastic cheerleader, advocate, brand builder, humanitarian, and scholar.

The first female consultant hired by McKinsey & Company; tackled the problem of unclear writing, particularly in consulting reports. She defined the structure of a clear document as always forming a pyramid of ideas that obey a limited number of logical rules. The technique is now the de facto standard in consulting firms everywhere, and has been adopted by many other kinds of organizations.

Applied to HBS but was turned down because she was a woman; did a PhD with in economics at Harvard's GSAS instead. Thereafter she had a 35-year career at the Boston Consulting Group, which included running the BCG New York office for 11 years. Currently, she is a BCG Senior Advisor, presiding director of Verizon, chairman of the Natixis Financial Group, chairman of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and president of the Museum of Fine Arts.

Has tackled just about every corner of the quick-serve bakery and cafe business. At Au Bon Pain she has served as vice president for marketing, for institutional sales, and for mergers and acquisitions, and is now CEO.

Company Automatic Apparel owns and operates vending machines that sell comfortable, fashionable, and affordable items for those on the go at airports and other transportation hubs. She is CEO, CFO, and COO all in one.

Helped build Bain Capital's credit arm, Sankaty Advisors, from inception to over $19 billion in assets under management. As a managing director and member of Sankaty's credit committee, she has been a wonderful mentor to other women in the organization. Also contributes generously to women's empowerment as an advisor to Rosie's Place and helps simplify philanthropic giving as a trustee of the Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund.

Has diverse experience in marketing, sales, alliances, and consulting. Her leadership style is very direct, and she is prompt in making decisions.

Has focused her impact on the growth of companies in the North Carolina market through the Wakefield Group and has made incomparable contributions to the nonprofit sector in Charlotte.

Cofounder and general partner of LMN VC, LLC, a California-based venture-capital firm founded with HBS classmates Linda Greub and Margot Shapiro. LMN VC helps fund startups-particularly those created by and/or led by women-in the "LifeQ" space, which refers to anything that improves quality of life, including companies that are green or clean; involved in health, wellness, and fitness; or committed to education. LMN VC partners with management to help create profitable businesses that make the world a better place while also providing stakeholders with a sense of purpose.

Has not only had a successful business career, but has also been a liaison in many nonprofit projects by CAP and has served as cochairman of its Board. She has also served on the Board of the HBS Alumni Association of Boston.

Founding partner, president, and CEO of Strategic Investment Group, which manages over $35 billion for more than 400 investors in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia; the company used to manage the World Bank's pension fund but has now moved on to bigger clients.

US Congressional Award winner for her commitment to improving quality of life for the elderly. She has worked for leading operators and owners in the senior-housing industry and has consulted on senior-housing investments with hedge funds, private equity firms, and foreign governments. At Ventas, the largest healthcare REIT, she oversees the Northeast operating business of more than 50 communities representing nearly $500 million in annual revenues.

First woman managing director at Morgan Stanley. Longtime HBS class leader and volunteer and trustee of Carleton College, where she is currently board chair. Holds multiple nonprofit leadership responsibilities.

Spent 32 years at Kaiser Permanente serving in increasing leadership roles; after leaving Kaiser over ten years ago, she moved on to Delta Dental of Colorado. Has sat on a number of for-profit and nonprofit boards, from financial direction for the Federal Reserve Board in Denver to community leadership. A strong advocate for continued learning, she is known as a model leader, mentor, and community member.

Has not only achieved great success in the field of real estate, but has also contributed greatly to the future of women in business through her dedicated volunteer activities at HBS and the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business. Recently, she has been working with HBS and the Harvard School of Public Health to initiate and support an important and innovative joint program, Project Antares, which is making strides to address poverty in the world by using commercial enterprise to deliver sustainable, scalable, efficacious, and efficient health services. 

Overcame significant bias against women in the workplace in the late 1970s and early '80s to eventually become a partner and practice leader at Heidrick & Struggles. Her leadership values led to her winning her firm's Outstanding Partner Award in 2003. Recently retired, she continues to mentor younger women.

Working on her third startup, Daily Grommet. She is leveraging her deep knowledge of social media to humanize business via storytelling, product development, and brand development. She is always ahead of the curve and deeply creative and tenacious: a true entrepreneur and the first industrial designer to attend HBS.

Has worked in the public sector as director of development at the University of Hartford, the University of Massachusetts Medical School, and now the Springfield Symphony Orchestra. She has also written and published several novels based on her experiences as an Italian American.

Does wonderful work as the director of business planning at Sesame Street, creating tremendous positive impact in the lives of children and adults around the world.

Cofounded Minds Matter of New York City (winner of the Dream Award), which has spread to ten cities and has assisted over 2,000 low-income students obtain college educations. She is a founding board member of Minds Matter's Los Angeles chapter (winner of LA Business Journal's Nonprofit of the Year award) and serves as an executive board member of the Manhattan Beach Education Foundation, which raises $5 million annually to support the town's public schools.

Leads the Bridgespan Group's consulting work in global development, where she works with clients including Goldman Sachs Gives (10,000 Women Initiative) and Camfed (education of women and girls in Africa). A mother of four, she is deeply committed to community, developing people and solving challenges that face the disadvantaged.

Business leader in consumer marketing in as president of Norm Thompson and in executive positions at Talbots, Swiss Colony, and TJX. She and her husband are raising their adopted daughters in Vermont and Shanghai, taking trips to the girls' places of origin: a Southern China orphanage and Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

Teaches entrepreneurship at Babson College in Wellesley, as well as for The US Department of Commerce and HBS in China. (Elizabeth speaks fluent Mandarin.) Prior to her work in education, Elizabeth was co-founder of Mazza and Riley Inc., an international executive search firm, where she recruited top management for media, broadcasting, and satellite companies. She sold her firm to Korn/Ferry International in 1996. Elizabeth advises New Profit Inc a national venture philanthropy fund, and is an adviser for several for-profit and not-for-profit companies and organzitions.

Highly creative and hardworking, she always positions herself where she can make the most impact, whether in teaching, nonprofit work, or in the employment (and now venture) field.

Pursues a lifelong interest in women's development by dedicating herself to woman-led innovation through Golden Seeds, an angel-capital network and hosting the blog Novofemina.com, a celebration of women's transition issues. Previously, she founded and led a venture-capital-backed technology company, EMaven, which was later acquired by Perot Systems; she also served as EVP of human resources and administration at Iron Mountain, a publicly traded S&P500 company with over 21,000 employees worldwide.

Google executive; one of the few women billionaires after Facebook's IPO. Unparalleled in her work ethic, leadership skills, success with growing companies, and love of giving back to her community and to the world.

Had an illustrious career in the automotive industry, but her greatest accomplishment has been the launch of her Girls Group program, which creates moments of hope and encouragement for disadvantaged minority girls. One hundred percent of her girls are headed to college.

Founder and president of TeenLife Media, an award-winning go-to source for families with teenagers and for educators working with students in grades seven to 12. What started as a printed summer-program guide in Boston four years ago has become the largest multimedia resource, nationwide, for thousands of local, national, and international programs, services, and other opportunities for college-bound students.

Founded and runs a successful business representing leading Hollywood talent; she herself is a talented singer and artist who has launched her own line of artwork and has sung at the Oscars. She's achieved unparalleled success while maintaining a compassionate ethos to her life.

Ran for lieutenant governor and started the Center for Women & Enterprise. She is a nationally recognized advocate in the area of economic empowerment and now runs Eos to fight poverty. She was selected along with Gloria Steinem by Working Woman magazine as one of only 25 leaders in the past 25 years who have given women in the workplace a better shot.

Was chairman and CEO of Publisher's Clearinghouse and also served on the boards of a number of corporations, including Texaco and Bell South. She has served on the Dean's Visiting Committee as well.

One of the first female African-American HBS grads; has accomplished amazing things both as a leader at Kraft Foods for over 30 years, serving on various for-profit and nonprofit boards, and most recently as an adviser to high-impact nonprofits. Committed to mentoring young women as they strive to reach their personal and professional goals.

CEO of Impetus Trust, a London-based charity that applies innovative private-equity techniques to leverage charitable donations and attract venture philanthropy. Under her inspirational and entrepreneurial leadership, Impetus has helped transform the nonprofit sector in the UK. In 2008, she was chosen as one of the top 100 people who make Britain a better place to live (Independent on Sunday's Happy List); the same year, Impetus was the winner in the grant-maker category of the UK Charity Awards for being an example of excellence in the sector.

Has achieved great impact by bringing high-level strategic thinking, master facilitation skills, and connecting power to the nonprofit and education fields while always looking to add value on a national and local level. She served on the Clinton White House team that created AmeriCorps, as vice president of civic engagement for the Omidyar Foundation, as executive director of the San Francisco Education Fund, and currently as president of her local neighborhood association. She brings to bear skills developed in the private sector to significantly benefit the nonprofit sector.

Motivated her team to reach their highest potential, always led by example, and gave team members both the tools and the confidence to chart the optimal course for the company while at the helm of corporate strategy at Level 3 Communications.

Served as CFO, vice chairman, and treasurer of BankBoston, then made a lifestyle change and moved to Maine, where she has devoted herself to several nonprofits. She is a director of the Small Enterprise Growth Fund, the Dead River Company, Maine Medical Center, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maine, and Common Good Ventures.

Lead the regeneration of the Medway Towns, including the successful development of a new secondary school and establishment of a cultural strategy for this former naval-shipyard community.

Joined a class of about 700 men. They all deserve recognition for their courageous and groundbreaking contribution to the experiences of all the women that followed in their footsteps.

Created a financial-advisory practice and career focused on informing women about money, from the basics of personal finance to complex wealth management. She also founded Invest in Girls, a nonprofit dedicated to providing young women with a strong financial knowledge base, successful female mentors, and exposure to financial services.

Has worked in and with organizations tackling change and improving effectiveness in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors, as an executive, management consultant, and board leader over the past 25 years. Currently serves on the boards of several nonprofits, including New York Public Radio, Montefiore Medical Center, SCO Family of Services, ICD, and Citizen's Budget Commission. She was a management consultant with McKinsey & Company and investment-banking analyst at Kidder Peabody. She cofounded NeXXt Phase, a network focused on informing and supporting women as they redefine and re-launch themselves over the course of their careers.

Took over her family's fashion business, expanding product lines and increasing existing business in the face of decreased consumer spending.

Is disrupting the online-retail industry by providing consumers with access to new inventory via an integrated online platform for small boutiques that aggregates boutique inventory in a consistent manner.

President and COO of Kiva Systems; is responsible for Kiva's end-to-end customer-engagement process, from sales and solution design through manufacturing, deployment, and ongoing customer support. She brings 24 years of experience in corporate strategy, business development, operations, and client management to her role at Kiva, and has seamlessly partnered this seasoned operations leadership with the visionary technology leadership of founder and CEO Mick Mountz (MBA 1996). In her role, she pushed the company to scale effectively, growing it from low double-digit millions in revenue to its ultimate purchase by Amazon for $775 million in May 2012.

Cofounder of Asia Alternative Investments, a solutions provider for private-equity investors across Asia. The firm manages two funds worth over $1 billion. Not only is she a principled leader and former general partner of this fund, but she also survived a major stroke in 2010, which has left her in a rare locked-in condition (she can only communicate by blinking her eyes). But she is still involved in the company she founded.

First female active-duty Army officer to attend HBS. Upon graduating, she embarked on a career focused on developing future leaders in the Army, serving as the first female officer to teach the Basic Leadership Course to cadets at the United States Military Academy at West Point and later as academy professor and assistant dean there. She retired as a colonel after 22 years of service, during which she inspired many of today's Army leaders. She and her husband now live in New York, where she has launched the New Directions Dog Training & Supplies company.

Cofounder of the Atlanta Girls School, a successful private school launched from nothing in a niche market that continues to produce graduates attending fine colleges and universities across the country.

CEO of eBay and HP; contributor to education: Whitman College at Princeton resulted in class-size increase of 10 percent.

Heavy hitter in Boston's minority community; changed town's cultural norms through partnership. Former President & CEO of The Partnership, Inc., which focuses on increasing the representation of people of color in positions of leadership and influence in Boston.

Former senior vice president, corporate communications at Wiley, she has made a difference in corporate boardrooms, nonprofits, and the community.

Started a volunteer consulting program for Harvard MBAs called Compass in 2001. 

Successful global businesswoman; partner at a major institutional-investment-management firm, Wellington Management Company. Named one of the Women Changing the World in business in 2012 by Forbes magazine. Role model to many; active in her community, serving on the Williams College Board of Trustees and passionate about opportunities for women and girls in sports.

CFO and COO of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and president of The Robin Hood Foundation, a private foundation fighting poverty in New York City.

Cofounder of Packtoozi, a company committed to making a positive impact in our world; all products are made in the United States using organic cotton and eco-friendly materials. Packtoozi helps the environment by reducing the number of disposables used to tote supplies and proudly supports a number of environmental and family-related charitable causes.

First African American woman to become chairman and CEO of Carver Bank, the largest African- and Caribbean-American-operated bank in the US. Under her leadership, the bank has channeled its capital resources into underserved neighborhoods in Harlem and Brooklyn by reinvesting over 80 percent of its deposits into the communities it serves. Previously, she ran the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Development Corporation, where she oversaw a $300 million fund designed to invest in the economic revitalization of Upper Manhattan and the South Bronx through job creation, corporate alliances, strategic investments, and small-business assistance.

Developed her career as a general manager, then assumed leadership of a struggling venture-backed technology company; she turned that company around and set it on a strong growth trajectory. She has led SugarSync to product leadership, winning many awards. She is a strong advocate for women in technology as well as balancing work and family and contributes actively to the community.

Exemplary for both her founding of Lighthouse Capital Partners, a firm that finances technology in health care, as well as for the small and consistent ways she creates pockets of social justice where she finds inequities.

Continues to push the boundaries of value creation in the technology, consumer entertainment, and integration spaces. She has enjoyed a successful career at Sony Corporation, and is a trailblazer in their executive track, serving as their senior-most woman. She currently wears many hats, including initiating and leading Sony's 3-D business. Most importantly, she cares for people and is continually looking for opportunities to mentor and support the careers of others.