Although Chuck Fienning’s father and uncle attended HBS, he didn’t consider it an option for himself until later in his college years at Harvard. Once accepted, he deferred in order to serve in the army and gain valuable leadership experience. 

Fienning says his two years in the MBA Program as well as the year he spent as a case writer after earning his MBA have been crucial to his success, both personally and professionally. “I developed communication skills at HBS, and I made lifelong friends,” says Fienning, who has attended each of his reunions and has served as a section correspondent since graduation.

Raised in the Midwest by parents who believed in giving back to society, Fienning now lives in South Carolina where he serves as a senior advisor to Sumter Packaging Corporation, a firm he ran for 25 years. He has taken a leadership role and committed time and resources to the causes he cares about, including HBS. He is so appreciative of everything his HBS education has done for him that he has given to the School every year since graduation. Now, wanting to show support in a larger way, he and his wife have established a charitable gift annuity that will ultimately benefit the HBS Fund for Leadership and Innovation. 

“I think HBS is like a violin. What comes out all depends on how you play it. You have to get involved and participate,” says Fienning. (November 2015)

Learn more about how a charitable gift annuity could work for you.

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