2022 Best & Brightest MBA: Andrew Hazel, Dartmouth College (Tuck)

Andrew Hazel

Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth

“I am a charismatic person that loves to learn and connect with others.”

Hometown: Philadelphia, PA

Fun fact about yourself: Prior to Tuck I never saw myself on skis and now I am an avid skier.

Undergraduate School and Degree: Temple University, BA in Finance

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? Alliance Data, Pricing Manager

Where did you intern during the summer of 2021? Boston Consulting Group

Where will you be working after graduation? Boston Consulting Group, Consultant

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School?

  • Co-Chair, Black Students Association at Tuck
  • Co-Chair, Tuck Diversity Conference
  • Mentor, Tuck Consulting Club
  • Case Writer, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco DEI

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school?
I am most proud of being a Diversity Conference (DivCo) co-chair. In this role, I was responsible for developing programming for applicants aimed at increasing diversity at Tuck. This past year was the largest conference to date with more than 100 participants. It was also the most audacious as we were one of two top business schools to hold an in-person diversity conference during COVID. This was a very special moment for me as my attendance at DivCo in 2019 was the deciding factor in making Tuck my first-choice school. Being a co-chair was a full circle moment, where I hoped to inspire the next group of applicants and help them see why Tuck should be their first-choice school.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? The achievement that I am most proud of professionally is leading my team in a profitability project that identified $41M in sales opportunity for a $1.2B credit card portfolio. I consider this my proudest moment not just because of the financial success but because of the circumstance under which I had to lead the team. When I took on this project, I was three months into my first managerial role in a new company, working in a completely new state on my own. I had to manage this project, while building a rapport with my team and learning a new company culture. I was able to be successful because of the relationships I built with my direct reports and the trust we had in one another.

Why did you choose this business school? Having gone to a large undergraduate institution and primarily lived in large cities, I knew I wanted a more intimate experience for business school. When I visited Tuck, I was impressed with the small and close-knit bond that permeated the Tuck community. It was immediately apparent to me that most of the students had close relationships with each other and the Tuck faculty. The quaintness of Hanover, NH was very different from what I was used to but that was the very reason I liked it. It provided a unique environment where I could immerse myself with my classmates, faculty, and studies. A year and half later, I am certain that I made the right decision!

What is the biggest myth about your school? Tuck students are known for being “nice”. The perception or myth we struggle with is that, because we are nice, we are less assertive or direct. I can affirm that Tuckies are some of the nicest people you will ever meet. My fellow classmates have been there for me in ways that, previously, I would only expect from immediate family. My classmates have also been the first to give me constructive feedback and lead difficult conversations, proving that nice and direct are not mutually exclusive at Tuck.

What surprised you the most about business school? The exploratory opportunities and networking access that business school provided is what surprised me the most. I have been able to talk directly to the former U.S. Deputy Attorney General regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion; work with cabinet members from the country of Georgia on farming reform; moderate a Q&A session with the CFO of Bank of America; and develop a case study with one of the CEOs of the Federal Reserve Bank. Interestingly, this is only a fraction of the opportunities and connections I have been able to make the last two years, and they were all possible because of business school. The experience has truly been astonishing and life changing.

What is one thing you did during the application process that gave you an edge at the school you chose? Going out and visiting Tuck by way of its Diversity Conference allowed me to experience the Tuck community first-hand, which I am certain gave me an edge in my application process. Through my visit, I was able to sit in on classes, interact with professors and students, and explore Hanover. I remember feeling the close and supportive nature of the Tuck the community even as an applicant. This enabled me to have a keen understanding of how Tuck would help me grow personally and professionally and what I would be able to contribute to the community. I was then able to articulate this sentiment vividly in my essays and interview.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? A classmate that I admire the most would be Ashley Barard. What has impressed me about Ashley is that she has left no rock unturned in her MBA experience and has made sure she explored every opportunity that interested her. This resulted in Ashley having six summer internship offers—ranging from investment banking to consulting—and receiving four full-time job opportunities. She recently accepted a product management role with Google where she is one of ten PMs hired across all business schools in Google’s upcoming 2022 class. Ashley’s tenacity and accomplishments never cease to amaze me, and this is why I admire her!

Who most influenced your decision to pursue business in college? My former manager and mentor Timothy Parker is the direct reason I attended business school. I interned for Timothy my junior of college at JP Morgan Chase. Timothy planted the idea that I should think about business school, but it was the furthest thing from my mind at the time. Timothy continued to water the idea and connect me with influential business school graduates so I could see directly how this experience could change my life.

After some time, I finally saw the light and turned my attention toward applying. When I did, Timothy provided even more support, serving as a recommender and essay reviewer during my process. Most of all Timothy was one of my biggest encouragers. After taking the GRE twice and not getting the results I desired, Timothy would find ways to encourage me and not let me give up on my dream until I obtained my desired score. I owe a lot of my business school admission success to Timothy, and I am internally grateful for his presence in my life.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list? My short-term professional goal is to move into a leadership position in consulting, focusing on the financial technology (fintech) sector. Long-term, I aspire to hold a senior leadership role at a fintech firm helping to develop and manage strategic planning and execution.

What made Andrew Hazel such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2022?

“I am thrilled to recommend Andrew Hazel. I had the privilege of getting to know Drew last fall when we traveled together as part of the course Freedom Riders: Unpacking Systemic Racism for Leadership in a Diverse World. That course, which brought Tuck students to Washington, D.C. as well as Selma and Montgomery, Alabama, explored the history and present reality of racism in America, with an emphasis on the responsibility of leaders in our diverse society to promote a more equitable and inclusive world. As we walked the streets of Washington and had meals (and drinks) together in Montgomery, I had the chance to learn about Drew’s upbringing in the Philadelphia area and his work experience in financial services. He was candid, open, and insightful in sharing his experience—as a Black man and the son of a police officer—and discussing the problems in American society. More importantly, he communicated a strong sense of responsibility to give back to his communities and leave them stronger than they were before.

As I look at his participation in the Tuck community, it is clear this was no idle talk. Drew is co-president of BSAT (Black Students Association at Tuck), where he is responsible for developing educational programming and social experiences related to the Black diaspora. He recently organized Black Ski Weekend, an event that drew 370 Black MBA students from top programs across the country to build community among future business leaders from different institutions. He has served as co-chair of the Tuck Diversity Conference, which brings together more than 100 prospective students with a goal of both providing a meaningful experience while also enhancing the diversity of the Tuck student population. And although promoting racial equity is a passion of Drew’s, his leadership within the Tuck community has not been limited to this space; he also serves as a mentor to first-year students in the Consulting Club.

Recently, I got a chance to write a case on the diversity and inclusion practices at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. Although the opportunity arose only a month ago, I decided to make this case the capstone of my upcoming spring core class, Managing Organizations. Due to the short timeframe, I knew that I would want some student support in researching and writing the case and Drew’s was the first name that came to mind. To my delight, he agreed to help and has been instrumental in the project management, in interviewing subjects (including FRB-SF President Mary Daly), and in writing both a case and a teaching note. Although the case is still in progress, I have every confidence that it will turn out beautifully.

Across all these experiences, it is clear to me that Drew has not only talked the talk of an impactful student leader on the issue of diversity, equity and inclusion; he has walked the walk as well.

I see Drew as not only the most important student leader at Tuck on one of the most pressing issues facing our society; I can’t imagine anyone playing the role better. As a result, it is my fervent belief that your list of the Best & Brightest MBA students would be incomplete without Drew.”

Adam Kleinbaum
Associate Professor of Business Administration

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