HBS Puts Bainie In MBA Admissions Job

Deidre Leopold, managing director of admissions and financial aid at Harvard Business School

Deidre Leopold, managing director of admissions and financial aid at Harvard Business School

THE ‘MORMON MAFIA’ CONNECTION

In choosing Losee, the school will no doubt arouse renewed talk of the ‘Mormon Mafia’ at Harvard Business School which reached its peak when Kim Clark had served as dean of HBS from 1995 to 2005. During that time, several Mormon HBS professors, including Clay Christensen and Steven Wheelwright, assumed prominent roles. Former Dean Clark, who had become president of Brigham Young University-Idaho, is now a general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).

A native of Delta, Utah, Losee started his freshman year at Brigham Young with a prestigious scholarship named after LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley that went to the top 5% of the entering students. In 2012, Losee was a summer associate in the office of Kim Clark when Clark was president of BYU-Idaho. After getting his MBA, Losee also worked with Clayton Christensen to develop an HBX course on Disruptive Strategy, an offering designed for executives around the world.

“I am a real believer in Harvard Business School’s mission to educate leaders who make a difference in the world,” said Losee in a statement. “I’ve seen firsthand how my classmates, the amazing body of HBS alumni, and the outstanding faculty and staff all strive to shape the world around them for the better. The experience of a two-year, full-time MBA at HBS continues to have a great impact on me personally and as a leader. My goal as Dee’s successor is to make sure that each diverse MBA class continues to have a transformative experience at HBS and go on to make a real difference in the world.”

KORN FERRY LED THE SEARCH

To help screen the many candidates for the job, Harvard had engaged the search firm of Korn Ferry over a five-month period. Kierstead said Losee, who applied for the job, was one of more than 100 candidates who either Korn Ferry or HBS had spoken to about the position. There were two rounds of interviews on campus with the search committee and Losee was one of three finalists.

“The process was open and exhaustive,” said HBS Senior Associate Dean Felix Oberholzer-Gee in a statement. “We reviewed more than 100 excellent candidates with diverse backgrounds and experience. Chad’s credentials as a strategic problem-solver and his grasp of the challenges and opportunities in management education today helped him to stand out among the finalists.”

People who know Losee speak well of him. “He’s a very thoughtful and soft-spoken person who has always had a passion for institutions of higher education,” said Darren Hawkins, a professor of political science at BYU. As an undergraduate, Losee worked with Hawkins examining the politics of prosecution of war crimes in Sierra Leone, a project that resulted in a 2014 published essay with a shared byline in the Journal of Human Rights. “He was always searching out people who had new ideas, and he had a strong sense that you could do better at this higher education business,” added Hawkins. “He has a passion for doing good in the world.”

WORKED WITH KIERSTEAD AT HBX FOR ONE YEAR

As a 20-year-old, Losee was a student director for a LDS-sponsored Service to the World project that made school bags to benefit children in developing countries. He also was a project coordinator on another initiative at BYU that arranged for students to make quilts that were then shipped to third-world countries.

No doubt, his exposure to Kierstead while working on HBX had to make a big difference to Losee’s candidacy. The school noted that Losee helped to launch and set strategy for its digital learning platform. As assistant director of HBX for one year, he co-led the exam and credential strategy for CORe (Credential of Readiness), the first HBX product which teaches students the basics of accounting, business analytics, and economics for managers.

Yet, Kierstead had actually met him in his first year as an MBA student when he sought her out to talk about careers and education. “He wanted to be in education long-term,” recalled Kierstead, who then headed up career and professional development office. “He wanted to explore how I did it and what lessons I had learned. I believe I gave him a summer job and I believe he turned me down. Clearly, I have forgiven him for that,” she laughed.

‘HE IS AN EXTRAORDINARY MAN WITH EXCEPTIONAL JUDGMENT’

She gained a greater appreciation for his work ethic and abilities when they worked closely together at HBX from September of 2013 to August of 2014. “I have to say he is an extraordinary man,” added Kierstead. “He is incredibly bright. His analytical and strategic skills are phenomenal. He has exceptional judgment. But as a person, he is delightful. He has an easy way about him and makes people feel comfortable.”

Kierstead said she expects no significant changes in MBA admissions in the near term. “Right now, we are in the fortunate position of having Chad walk into the job with a very capable team that is well run,” she said. “He will spend his first year getting to know his team. I don’t see anything dramatic changing in the near term.”

DON’T MISS: HBS HIRES SEARCH FIRM TO FIND DEE’S SUCCESSOR or LEOPOLD TO LEAVE HBS ADMISSIONS JOB

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