The Ruth Mulan Chu Chao Center opened this month, providing a vibrant hub of activity for the more than 10,000 senior executives who attend the School’s Executive Education programs each year. Located at the eastern terminus of Harvard Way, the Chao Center completes the HBS Executive Education Quad—serving as a gateway between Executive Education and the HBS campus, and connecting to Harvard University’s north side, across the Weeks Bridge.

Made possible through a generous gift by the Dr. James Si-Cheng Chao and Family Foundation, the building is a tribute to the life and legacy of the late Ruth Mulan Chu Chao, beloved matriarch of a prominent and accomplished Chinese-American family with significant Harvard ties. This building is the first on campus named after a woman and an American of Chinese descent.

A scholar in Asian history and literature, Ruth Mulan Chu Chao devoted her life to promoting excellence in and access to education. All of Dr. and Mrs. Chao’s daughters—Elaine (MBA 1979), Jeanette, May (MBA 1985), Christine, Grace (MBA 1997), and Angela (MBA 2001)—received undergraduate and graduate degrees from leading American universities. “The Chao family is the embodiment of the American dream, and we are humbled by their generosity,” says Dean Nitin Nohria.

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