Bill Barker was one of the six men—and two Tuck alumni—in Back in Business '06. A 1973 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, he spent 3 years as captain of a Pershing Missile unit in Germany, left the military to earn an MBA at Tuck, and spent the next 25 years working in business development and private investments for companies such as Aetna, IBM, and GE Capital.
At 52, he took a sabbatical to help develop his wife's small pottery business—which offered the chance to improve his own potting skills. Two years later, refreshed and ready for reentry, he learned about Back in Business.
It was the networking part that appealed to him. "Having already gone to Tuck, I didn't think the classroom work would be as valuable." He was mistaken. "With that first class, I realized that despite my weekly reading of The Economist in the time I was away, I had a lot to learn."
He also found reinforcement for strategies he'd developed on his own. "Negotiations class 30 years ago was all about gaining the advantage. Today the emphasis is on cooperation so that all parties come away satisfied. I was doing that instinctively at GE, but I didn't have the framework to articulate it to my superiors."
Barker is now seeking a situation that values his experience, gives him the opportunity to contribute beyond strict investment analysis, and offers some flexibility. In particular, he is seeking a private equity investment/board of directors role. "My early experience centered around identifying, valuing, and closing transactions. I now see transactions much more in terms of an organization dynamic where—because of my later experiences—I can help reduce friction, increase efficiency, embrace change, and set strategy."
