Harvard Business School Hires First Diversity & Inclusion Officer

Harvard Business School has hired its first diversity officer: Terrill Drake. HBS photo

Harvard Business School has hired Terrill L. Drake as the school’s first chief diversity and inclusion officer, effective September 1, 2021. In this inaugural position, Drake will play a lead role in developing and implementing a strategy for cultivating and achieving a culture of inclusive excellence, diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout the HBS community, as well as with alumni and other constituents across HBS and beyond.

Drake, who earned his MBA from the University of Maryland, currently is the associate dean, strategic initiatives and head diversity officer at the Villanova School of Business. Prior roles include serving as the executive director, diversity initiatives at the University of Maryland Smith School of Business. He was recently elected to serve on the steering committee for the Diversity & Inclusion Affinity Group for AACSB and serves on the board of directors for Special Olympics of Pennsylvania. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro Bryan School of Business and Economics.

As CDIO, Drake will build on the work of the School’s Racial Equity Action Plan, along with equity efforts related to race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status, and age. Drake will be charged with helping to enhance and sustain an inclusive and equitable campus climate that engages students, faculty, staff, and the broader community. His office will both lead and support work across the School, including strategic planning, programming, training, curriculum development, and recruiting and hiring.

“Harvard Business School aspires to be a place where everyone can be their best self,” said HBS Dean Srikant Datar. “Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are critical to realizing that goal. We are fortunate to have Terrill, with his extensive experience and expertise, joining us to guide our community in this important work.”

Remote work overtakes top cities for the most high-paying jobs available

For the first time ever, the city with the most high paying jobs available isn’t a city — it’s remote work. Ladders, Inc. analyzes data from 50,000 North American employers weekly. “The most recent data shows when it comes to six-figure jobs, your city is now a state of mind,” said Ladders CEO Marc Cenedella.

Ladders data showed in North America there are more than 80,000 remote jobs currently paying at least $100,000. The runner up, San Francisco has about 69,000 six-figure jobs available. That’s about 11,500 fewer high paying jobs available than there are remotely. New York with about 65,000 high paying jobs, Boston with about 41,000, and Washington D.C., with about 37,000, round out the top five. “For years these cities have offered some of the most six figure jobs,” said Cenedella. “It will be interesting to see how the increase in remote work and relocations from urban centers to more suburban and rural communities disrupts that over the next few years.”

Georgetown McDonough announces Pivot Pitch winners

The Pivot Program’s third annual Pitch Competition at Georgetown University McDonough School of Business was held virtually on Friday, June 25. The event is the culmination of the business and entrepreneurship program, giving Pivot Fellows the opportunity to pitch their business venture ideas to a panel of judges. This year, six unique business pitches were presented and a total of $10,000 in prize money was awarded to the Fellows.

Awards:

  • 2021 Pivot Pitch Competition Winner: LaTasha Moore & Victoria Hunt – $3,000
  • First Runner-Up: Pascal Laporte – $2,500
  • Second Runner-Up: Kaamilya Finley – $1,500
  • Honorable Mentions: Charles Hopkins, Ernest Bokyin III, and Tai’Anthony Carter – $1,000
  • Pivot Partner of the Year: LINK Strategic Partners

Moore and Hunt won for Next Endeavour Diversity Staffing, a business venture focused on diversifying the workplace, particularly in the employment of returning citizens. This business model would partner with companies seeking to employ returning citizens and connect them with returning citizens in the Next Endeavour Diversity Staffing employer base.

Deloitte Foundation backs scholarships for diverse students at The Ohio State University

The Deloitte Foundation, in collaboration with The Ohio State University, has created a need-based scholarship fund to support diverse students pursuing professional services careers at the university’s Max M. Fisher College of Business. A total of $180,000, raised through contributions from Deloitte professionals, who are Ohio State graduates and with Deloitte Foundation matching gifts, will provide tuition support for Master of Accounting (MAcc) students as well as programmatic support for the college’s Project THRIVE.

“It is fundamental to harness the power of these students in order to help build more inclusive talent pipelines and advance both business and society,” said Cynthia Turner, assistant dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and chief diversity officer at Fisher. “As the first Black woman to earn a PhD in accounting from The Ohio State University, I have seen first-hand how a holistic education can empower and motivate students to be successful in the accounting field. I am proud of our success so far and grateful for the Deloitte Foundation’s support of our students.”

Project THRIVE (Transcend fear; Harvest the power of knowledge; Raise the standard; Invest time wisely; Value others; Embrace excellence) was created by Turner in 2016 to provide diverse students with access to Fisher’s accounting curriculum and an accounting and management information systems education experience.

DON’T MISS OXFORD SAÏD AWARDS 2 MAJOR FELLOWSHIPS TO ‘IMPACTFUL’ LGBTQ STUDENTS

Questions about this article? Email us or leave a comment below.