A part-time job at a Roy Rogers restaurant first introduced Rebecca Sumner Lien to business. “I was fascinated by how the restaurant ran and how all the moving parts came together,” she remembers. That interest led her to study finance and accounting at the University of Pennsylvania.

After college, she joined Morgan Stanley as an analyst. “I found investment banking to be exciting and fast-paced,” says Lien. She decided to get an MBA to help advance her banking career but also to give her the flexibility to change industries in the future. “I chose HBS for its world-class program and powerful alumni network.”

Lien likens the rigors of her first year to boot camp and was grateful for the support of the people in the trenches with her. “My professors and fellow students—their intelligence, passion, and diverse experiences—stand out most from my time at HBS,” she enthuses.

She particularly liked class discussions, as the diversity of backgrounds and perspectives made for interesting debates. “Nothing before or since the case method prepared me better for expressing my opinions and making presentations,” Lien explains.

After HBS, Lien returned to Morgan Stanley, rising to executive director of mergers and acquisitions. She then moved to San Francisco, eventually leaving investment banking to utilize her finance and leadership acumen on behalf of nonprofit organizations in her community. Currently director of strategic philanthropy for Congregation Rodef Sholom, she has also served on the boards of the Marin Horizon School and the Greater Bay Area Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

“After joining the board of my children’s school, I came to understand the economic model of schools, and how annual giving enables them to invest in financial aid and innovation,” explains Lien. She began giving annually to the HBS Fund and recently extended her support by including the School in her estate plan. “I want to help HBS remain a dynamic community.”

Learn how you, too, can create a lasting legacy by remembering HBS in your will or estate plan.

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