Patricia Miller Zollar (MBA 1989)

Attending HBS was a pivotal milestone in Patricia Miller Zollar’s life. “There is before HBS and there is after HBS,” says Zollar, a managing partner at Neuberger Berman, an asset management firm in New York. The North Carolina native says that earning an MBA from HBS opened many doors. “The imprimatur of HBS is powerful. People are willing to give you a shot if you have an HBS degree,” she observes. While the School might have helped launch her career, Zollar’s track record speaks to her ability to thrive once given the chance: She worked at Goldman Sachs after HBS and then joined Lehman Brothers, where she cofounded a group that focused on developing strategic opportunities for women and minority-owned financial services firms.

At work as well as through her philanthropic activities, Zollar is interested in helping others to thrive—women and minorities, in particular. Her contributions to HBS include establishing a fellowship that she will ultimately fund through her estate. “I believe it really doesn’t matter where you start,” she says, noting her own humble beginnings. “There are a lot of talented people who might not envision that they could be part of the HBS community. I want to do my part to help them.” She is also keen on supporting the School. “HBS is in a unique position to influence business leaders around the world. We can really be agents for change.”

Zollar notes that the diversity in her HBS class had a surprising effect on her. “You come in with preconceived notions about people who are from a certain place or look a certain way, and what you end up finding is the commonality,” she says. “I made many lifelong friends at HBS—and that, to me, made my time at the School that much more impactful.”

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