Stories
Stories
Helping HBS Make Big Bets
Kara Medoff Barnett (MBA 2007)Topics:

Kara Medoff Barnett (MBA 2007)
Kara Medoff Barnett (MBA 2007) loved being a Broadway producer and
came to HBS because she thought the live theater industry
could learn a lot from other industries. She also loved her
time on campus, especially the people. “I was constantly
dazzled by the level of talent and myriad accomplishments
that everyone brought to the table,” she says, noting that she
appreciated how much her classmates challenged and
supported her.
Barnett initially assumed that after HBS she would return
to her entrepreneurial life as an independent producer.
However, through the HBS Leadership Fellows program, she
discovered nonprofit arts organizations as “an ideal way to
scale the impact of the arts.” Established in 2001, the
program connects graduating MBA students with nonprofit
and public-sector organizations to work in leadership roles
for a year at a competitive salary. Barnett landed at the
iconic Lincoln Center in New York City. “I was impressed
that Lincoln Center’s leadership valued and sought out the
talents and skill sets of Harvard MBAs,” she says.
After her fellowship year, Barnett stayed on at Lincoln
Center for almost nine years, helping to transform the organization’s
business model and launching Lincoln Center
International, an offshoot that provides consulting services
and convening opportunities to worldwide clients seeking to
plan, build, and operate vibrant arts facilities and cultural
districts.
In 2016, Barnett was named executive director of
American Ballet Theatre (ABT). “After studying ballet from
toddler years through my late teens in North Carolina, it
was an honor to take the helm of America’s National Ballet
Company,” she says. In her new role Barnett is striving
to respect tradition while also fostering innovation through
programs like the ABT Leadership Lab, where company
dancers demonstrate their creative process to business executives
to help them improvise and problem-solve.
Barnett is deeply grateful to HBS and gives annually to the
HBS Fund for Leadership and Innovation. As a nonprofit
professional, she understands how her unrestricted contributions
allow the School to allocate resources where they are most needed. “I admire and trust the HBS leadership team, and I
support their efforts to experiment and make big bets,” she says.
It’s also important to Barnett to stay connected to the School:
She has hired MBA students as summer and leadership fellows at
Lincoln Center and now at ABT. And shortly before her 10th HBS
Reunion this year, she hosted a private rehearsal and reception at
ABT for leading donors in her class. “My time at HBS was eyeopening,
energizing, inspiring, and pivotal in my professional
career and life,” she says. “It’s a pleasure to give back.”