Tori Bell

Columbia Business School

“Community Builder, Diversity and Inclusion advocate, Creative.”

Hometown: Wichita, Kansas

Fun Fact About Yourself: As a native Kansan, I am a self-proclaimed “country girl.” I regularly attend the local farmers market in NYC’s Union Square. It’s one of the highlights of my week.

Undergraduate School and Major: Agnes Scott College, Economics and Organizational Management

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: I had two roles:

Facebook, Community Programs Manager.

While at Facebook, I started my own company called “Inclusion Unpacked.” Here, we lead early-stage founders and small businesses in implementing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion into their companies through an online diversity foundations program called “Inclusion School.” My big vision is for every new founder and small business owner to participate in this program and commit to allyship as they continue to scale and grow. Through Inclusion Unpacked, I have received media features in WhoWhatWear, Yahoo, and Girlboss.

What word best describes the Columbia Business School MBA students and alumni you’ve met so far and why? Community driven. I feel very fortunate to have met a wide array of students, and alumni from all industries and backgrounds. Each person is deeply inquisitive, community-oriented and excited about the CBS experience.

Aside from your classmates and location, what was the key part of Columbia Business School’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? I was excited to participate in the Eugene Lang Center for Entrepreneurship’s resources, notably the Entrepreneurial Greenhouse Program. It is an accelerator course offered to second-year students. As an entrepreneur, my path is slightly different from my peers as I am not participating in recruiting. I love that CBS has tangible resources for students like me to grow our businesses while at school.

What course, club or activity excites you the most at Columbia Business School? As a first-year, I am excited that CBS infuses Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) into its orientation curriculum. I feel strongly that every business leader should have a foundational knowledge of DEI as it is critical to know how to navigate, especially in today’s society. I am grateful they are equipping us with this knowledge at the beginning of our journey at CBS.

What makes New York City such a great place to earn an MBA? The networking is incredibly tangible here. As a new business owner, it was vital for me to connect and learn from fellow entrepreneurs as a student. There are so many to meet and learn from in the city. I feel very fortunate to have New York City as an extension of the CBS community.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: While at Facebook, I created the employee resource group “Black Women at Facebook,” which is Facebook’s first intersectional community to support those who identify as Black women at the company. I created the community because, quite frankly, I didn’t feel that I belonged. Facebook is such a large organization, and it can be challenging to navigate as a woman of color. I scaled the community to operate to over two thousand members and allies globally during my time there.

As the organization leader, one of the issues across the board we saw within Black women in tech is that we struggled to level up in our careers and receive mentorship. Knowing this information, I implemented a career coaching program that matched our members with an external career coach, putting tangible resources behind this genuine issue. While the career programming has been enriching, I am very proud that every Black woman who enters Facebook has a community and a safe space to lean on.

How did COVID-19 change your perspective on your career and your life in general? I have lived in New York City for over five years and rarely had the opportunity to visit my family. I was very career-driven and cared deeply about achieving the “next thing.” Because of the pandemic, I left NYC for a few months to stay with my family in Kansas. I was grateful for the time because I don’t think I would have ever had an opportunity like that to spend a significant amount of time with them.

While I still care deeply about my career, my goal is always to remain connected to my family and develop a strong relationship with them. At the end of the way, they are why I work so hard.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point and what do you hope to do after graduation? I have spent my career primarily in HR functions. I knew that I needed to further develop my quantitative skills as a well-rounded business leader which, will ultimately provide a competitive advantage as I pitch my company and discuss financials (as an example).  I hope to secure seed funding and maybe even make a few hires after graduation.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? HBS, CBS, Stanford

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into Columbia Business School’s MBA program? CBS sometimes gets a bad rep about not being community-driven. That has not been my experience as a student. I have found that everyone is incredibly kind, helpful, and inclusive. If those values align with you – I encourage you to make CBS a part of your journey.

DON’T MISS: MEET COLUMBIA BUSINESS SCHOOL’S MBA CLASS OF 2023