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Commanding Officers
In an electoral season marked by voter invective toward “government” and practically anyone associated with it, Ray Jefferson (MBA 2000) reminds us that there are public servants out there who are better people than we the people lately seem to deserve.
Jefferson, who recently visited HBS to speak to students about public service, is the assistant secretary for the Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS) at the U.S. Department of Labor. His agency, which he is notably reinventing and recharging, helps former military personnel get back into the civilian economy.
A glance at Jefferson’s résumé confirms that if he’d opted to remain in the private sector, he would be making some serious money based on his leadership skills alone. Case in point: A West Point graduate and Green Beret, Jefferson was on a classified Special Forces training exercise in Okinawa in 1995 during which live ammunition was in use. He suddenly realized a hand grenade he was holding was defective and that it was two seconds away from exploding. His team was gathered around him and there was nowhere to safely throw the grenade, so Jefferson squeezed it tightly and held it against his leg. He lost all five fingers on his left hand and was hospitalized for months. After recuperating, Jefferson earned degrees from the Kennedy School and HBS. He was both a White House and a Fulbright Fellow. He worked in state government in Hawaii and later for McKinsey in Asia as a consultant specializing in leadership training. Colin Powell is a big fan.
Jefferson is part of a distinguished group of HBS alumni, faculty, and students — including some 80 current MBA students — with military backgrounds. With the School announcing its first-ever “Military Prospective Student Day” in March, MBA admissions director Dee Leopold observes that such students have “navigated uncertainty, managed a diverse ‘workforce,’ shouldered real responsibility, and been held accountable.” Clearly, military experience is useful and desirable in business (as a series of current Harvard Business Review articles underscore). Current and former students, such as Donovan Campbell (MBA 2007) have served with distinction in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the Armed Forces Alumni Association is one of the most active student clubs on campus. (One current HBS student, who prefers to remain anonymous, writes an insightful blog titled “Military to Business.”) Among alumni, Maurice Pinto (MBA 1960) and other HBS graduates have provided fellowships to assist MBA students who have military backgrounds.
With Veterans Day on November 11, let’s remember that over the years, the Ray Jeffersons of the world have contributed mightily to the HBS learning environment and society beyond. It’s no wonder that when the incoming gets heavy in business, folks are grateful to have an HBS graduate and veteran alongside them in their foxhole.
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