“Howard is the fiercest man I have ever known — fiercely interested in the world and its people, fiercely loyal to family and friends. Of course, he is also fiercely honest.”
— HBS professor Myra Hart

“Howard cares so much about HBS and everyone here. That’s why it was so great that we could come through for him at a scary moment.”
— Andy O’Brien, HBS Chief of Operations. (O’Brien, assisted by others, administered life-saving CPR to Howard Stevenson during a heart attack in front of Baker Library, January 2006.)

“I asked Howard to lead the School’s Capital Campaign because I knew how passionate he was about HBS. I knew he would bring his customary relish and gusto, but even I was surprised at the enormous energy he put into it. He had a wonderful impact on our alumni and made deep personal connections with them. ‘Passion’ is the word that comes to mind when I think of Howard.”
— Former HBS Dean Kim Clark

“Howard's most admirable and endearing quality has always been his generosity. It is related to the philosophy that he expressed in the book, Just Enough, that he wrote with Laura Nash. Some people never have enough and keep score all their lives. Howard is not a scorekeeper, enabling him to get his kicks out of helping others and the School in ways many of us will never know.”
— HBS professor emeritus Jim Heskett

“Howard has contributed so much to the School in so many different roles — as the godfather of the Rock Center, as the dean in charge of our spectacularly successful capital campaign, as the dean who has steered HBS Publishing through a challenging digital transition, and as a committed and engaging teacher — that it’s easy to forget that Howard is first and foremost a brilliant scholar. He’s changed the way that our field thinks about entrepreneurship. Through his writings, through his participation in hundreds of academic seminars, and through his mentorship of dozens of doctoral theses — mine included — Howard has left an indelible mark on a generation of scholars with his deep insights about human behavior in organizations and about general management.”
— HBS professor Tom Eisenmann

“One of the amazing and enduring characteristics of Howard over the years has been his incredible energy level, and his determination to make a difference in his teaching, in writing his many books, in producing new cases and courses, in founding the Entrepreneurship group here at HBS, in pursuing a whole host of generous philanthropic activities from NPR to the environment to just plain helping those in need, Howard has been a nonstop ball of energy and an inspiration to us all.”
— Former HBS Dean Jay Light

“Everyone benefits from having spent time with Howard. By asking me the right questions, with humor and humility, he led me to make good decisions in my life. He mentored me without me realizing it.”
— Stephanie Noone, HBS Development Officer

“If there’s ever a fallen sparrow writhing on the ground, Howard’s there, even if the sparrow deserves it. I admire him for that, and did from the beginning. He always sticks up for people who are in trouble.”
— Former HBS Dean John McArthur

“In a single afternoon, I was stunned by Howard’s skill at cutting to the core of knotty research questions, and touched by his willingness to allow his eyes to well up with tears in speaking of treasured colleagues and students of the past. That combination of qualities makes Howard unique, and beloved.”
— HBS professor Teresa Amabile

“Howard has such a wide range of interests, he often knows a lot about whatever you happen to be working on. With his creative side, he brings an unconventional, but always practical, lens on many things. He is generous toward other people’s career progressions and development and he tries to give people opportunities to do good work and succeed.”
— HBS professor Mike Roberts

“Sometimes one sentence from Howard can completely illuminate an issue. You think ‘Aha! Of course! It’s so simple’ when of course it wasn’t simple at all until Howard trimmed away the excess and got to the heart of the matter. I think he’s the smartest person I will ever meet.”
— Martha Gershun (MBA ’83), former student

“He’s one of the most engaging people on the faculty, a remarkable bundle of things — vulnerability, self-deprecation, energy, and intellect — that you don’t typically see in the same package. Howard is a lovable insurgent, a revolutionary who has succeeded.”
— HBS professor Bill Sahlman

“As a co-founder of The Baupost Group and my partner for close to 30 years, Howard never ceases to amaze me not only with his keen intelligence and wisdom, but also with his ability to rapidly get up to speed on even the most complex subjects.”
— Seth Klarman (MBA ’82), president, The Baupost Group

“Howard has given timelessly of himself not just to HBS but to the community. As a trustee of Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, he has been invaluable in helping them to proactively address the complex financing decisions that the last several years in health care have demanded. His insight and dedication made a huge difference in their coming to the right decisions. I take great pride in the fact I recruited him to the Board.”
— HBS professor emeritus Warren McFarlan

“When I think of Howard, I think creativity, intelligence, energy, wide-ranging curiosity, friendship. Working with him to start the real estate program at HBS or the investment firm, The Baupost Group, or just trying a new restaurant, became not only an adventure but fun.”
— HBS adjunct professor emeritus Bill Poorvu

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