Kent Thiry and Denise O’Leary (both MBA 1983)

Noting the accelerated pace of change in society today, venture capital private investor Denise O’Leary (MBA 1983) calls innovation in the MBA curriculum “the flywheel that drives continued excellence and keeps HBS teaching and research relevant across multiple dimensions.”

O’Leary and her husband, DaVita Kidney Care chairman and CEO Kent Thiry (MBA 1983), are alumni leaders whose longtime support of the School includes a recent gift to establish an MBA Program innovation fund. They particularly value the experiential learning initiatives introduced as part of the field method, which complements the School’s case method pedagogy. “As future leaders in a global business environment,” Thiry says, “MBAs need skills and insights informed by real-world, hands-on problem solving in a variety of industries, cultures, and global economies. The organizations they will work for and the communities they will live in stand to benefit enormously from that kind of background.”

“When I talk to current HBS students and recent graduates, they often cite their global immersion trip as one of the most valuable experiences in the MBA Program,” adds O’Leary, who serves on multiple corporate and nonprofit boards. “That speaks to the long-term value of taking risks and trying new ideas in crafting the MBA curriculum.”

O’Leary and Thiry also appreciate the growing emphasis on interdisciplinary learning at Harvard. “Boundaries between disciplines get in the way of solving problems across today’s interconnected organizations,” observes Thiry. “The knowledge sharing happening more and more between HBS and other Harvard schools is extremely important.”

O’Leary calls the new joint MS/MBA degree program at HBS and the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) “one of the most interesting examples of innovations that encourage students to take advantage of the breadth of Harvard’s offerings. Whether it’s in collaboration with SEAS, the Kennedy School, or any other graduate program at Harvard,” she says, “innovation in the pedagogy of how HBS teaches leadership is near and dear to both of us.”

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