“I have the opportunity and responsibility to create social change through my environmental work by building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive team.”
I wanted to get an MBA for so long that my first GMAT scores expired. A general management education was the perfect way to pull together my wide-ranging experiences from the first 10 years of my career. It took a while for the timing to work out, but eventually the stars aligned around Tuck and I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out.
Tuck wasn’t on my radar at first, but after I visited Hanover, it jumped to the top of my list. Sachem and the partner community were a huge draw for me and my wife Alena, plus we both love spending time outdoors. Still, it was a big shift from our lives in DC, so we weren’t sure coming into Admitted Students Weekend, but we felt so at home with the people we met here that we sent in the deposit before we checked out of our hotel! The impact career session was what sealed it for me. I felt like I could see my whole Tuck experience based around the Center for Business, Government, and Society and the Tuck Social Venture Fund—and that’s pretty much how it turned out! They were the bedrock of my time at Tuck.
In my first year, I got the opportunity to represent Tuck as a delegate to COP25, the UN climate change conference in Madrid. It was an unparalleled opportunity to learn directly from leaders at the pinnacle of international climate change action. In my second year, I led a team in hosting the inaugural Tuck Natural Capital Summit. It was a perfect capstone for my time at Tuck, allowing me to reconnect with the leaders who taught me the world of natural capital and to share that world with my classmates.
The Tuck faculty is ready, willing, and eager to help students learn key business concepts and apply them outside of the classroom. Professors Curt Welling and Ramon Torras, for example, not only taught me the frameworks I needed for my Hancock internship in their Impact Investing and Strategy classes, but they also took the time over the summer to help me think through the complexities of building value proposition around forest carbon.
The trust and generosity of the Tuck community is unlike anything else I’ve experienced. I’ve had a lot of discussions with classmates about whether Tuckies are different or if we act differently because we’re Tuckies. I think it’s the latter, and I find that more inspiring. Year after year, hundreds of people choose to opt in, pay it forward, and keep the Tuck culture alive.
There’s something magical about leaving the first set of footprints after a fresh snowfall. I did my best thinking in the fields and forests around Sachem, usually with my daughter Davia strapped to my back and my dog Fenway scouting ahead. We also had so many great experiences exploring the Upper Valley with classmates and partners, even in the face of the pandemic. It obviously wasn’t an ideal time to go to business school, but I’ll always be grateful that we spent the pandemic in a place that allowed us to keep getting outside and keep making connections.
Tuck is a place that rewards intentionality. Dedicating two years of your life to the Upper Valley is a big commitment. The more time you spend on self-reflection, the more you’ll get out of your time here.
Natural Capital
Providence, Rhode Island
Franklin & Marshall College, BA, Philosophy
Director of Grants Administration, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation; General Manager, Marvelous Market; co-founder and CFO, Siren Medical; English Teacher, Jungchul English Academy
Tuck Social Venture Fund Director; Natural Capital Summit Founder; Admissions Associate; Men As Allies Co-chair; Center for Business, Government, and Society Fellow; Impact Capital Club Co-founder; Career Services Mentor; Tripod Hockey; Tuck Soccer; Tuck Games Club
Real Options in Forest Carbon independent study with Professors Curt Welling and Jim Smith; self-sourced First Year Project with the Conservation Finance Network
Hancock Natural Resource Group: as the Carbon Strategy MBA Intern, I worked directly with the Global Head of Business Development and Chief Sustainability Officer to help develop a business plan for a new impact investing platform.
Impact Investing: Capital for Social Impact! with Clinical Professor Curt Welling; Negotiations Accelerated with Professor Daniel Feiler; Leading Individuals In Teams with Professor Jennifer Dannals
Leadership coaching with Assistant Dean Dia Draper; Visiting Executive dinners at Pine; representing Tuck as a delegate to COP25, the UN climate change conference in Madrid; scoring the final hockey goal to seal (yet another) Section 4 victory in Section Wars
Heading to Boston to continue working in natural capital strategy
During my summer internship, I had these moments where I would hear myself talking and realize that there was no way I could have had this conversation a year earlier. I used concepts from almost every core class in my work with Hancock, and I’ve been able to build on and refine that business skillset in my second year. I feel incredibly well-prepared for my post-MBA career.
My time at Tuck has also pushed me to be more intentional about the impact I want to have in my career. I like to say that I have green handcuffs because I can’t imagine moving into another field after working on climate change. That’s still true, but thanks to conversations with classmates, professors, and partners, as well as my experience working with the incredible team of Rod Milligan, Lia Parker-Belfer, and Dia Draper on the inaugural MBA DEI Summit, I’ve realized that I also have the opportunity and responsibility to create social change through my environmental work by building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive team.
On a personal level, my time at Tuck will always be defined as the place where Alena and I started our family. Our daughter Davia was born halfway through first year, and while it hasn’t always been easy being pandemic parents, we are so lucky to have had the Tuck community to support us. I am incredibly grateful to Alena for the love and support she has given me throughout this journey. I could not possibly have done it without her, and I look forward to returning the favor in the next chapter of our lives as she pursues her new career in school psychology.
