Eliza Harrison

Duke University, Fuqua School of Business

“A woman of the American West dedicated to restoring the ecological health of the planet.”

Hometown: Santa Fe, New Mexico

Fun Fact About Yourself: I’m a certified Rescue SCUBA diver and started my career as a seaweed farmer.

Undergraduate School and Major: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, B.S.P.H. in Environmental Health Science

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Ocean Rainforest, Inc. – Director of California Operations

The MBA program is renowned for its “Team Fuqua” culture, which is predicated on six paired principles: Authentic Engagement, Supportive Ambition, Collective Diversity, Impactful Stewardship, Loyal Community, and Uncompromising Integrity. Which of these resonates most with you – and what does that principle demand of you as a Fuqua MBA? Impactful Stewardship best describes my professional pursuits and long-term career aspirations. The climate crisis demands immediate and transformative action. As a Fuqua student, I hope to bring my commitment, passion, and enthusiasm for ecological restoration to my work and studies with my classmates and professors. Alongside similarly curious peers and mentors, I hope to help facilitate opportunities to transition to a resilient, ecologically vibrant, and socially responsible future.

Aside from your classmates and school culture, what was the key part of Duke Fuqua’s MBA curriculum programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? I was drawn to Fuqua’s self-guided curriculum that encourages curiosity, exploration, and discovery in a student’s course of study. In contrast to other professional development programs, the quarter system compresses the learning experience: requiring critical thinking skills to be quickly developed and refined. The programs’ sequence also encourages students to quickly move into their prospective fields of specialization or interest–creating opportunities to build enduring relationships, study relevant subject matter in-depth, and lay the framework for their next professional chapter.

What has been your first impression of the Fuqua MBA students and alumni you’ve met so far. Tell us your best Fuqua story so far. Throughout the application and review process, I was deeply impressed by the admissions committee and interview team’s commitment to consider each applicant as an individual with a unique story. The spirit of curiosity, enthusiasm, joy, and humility I consistently encountered gave me confidence that the Fuqua community would be welcoming, supportive, and strongly encouraging of my professional and personal development.

Since being invited to join the community early this summer, I’ve also had the opportunity to speak with a small collection of Fuqua alumni. One 2016 alum, who works in energy and sustainability, proved especially complimentary of the program’s flexible, diverse coursework. Her description of the dynamic and value-driven students, professors, and alumni affirmed my decision to pivot away from my professional responsibilities and lean into the MBA program.

What course, club or activity excites you the most at Duke Fuqua? I look forward to joining Building Outdoor Leaders at Duke (BOLD) for weekly workouts, training, and expeditions throughout North Carolina. As a certified Wilderness First Responder, skilled whitewater raft guide and kayaker, backpacker, and amateur outrigger canoeist, I am excited to engage with like-minded individuals in navigating the uncertainties and unexpected challenges of the group’s outdoor recreational pursuits.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I helped author and ultimately secure the first federal waters permit exclusively for seaweed aquaculture in the United States. Our team has successfully installed and maintained the 86-acre demonstration farm for giant kelp cultivation off the coast of southern California since 2023.

Looking ahead two years, what would make your MBA experience successful? Although it’s impossible to predict future interests and opportunities, I can imagine playing a leadership role in a start-up, private entity or nonprofit organization committed to ecological stewardship—modeling new approaches to restorative aquaculture or championing nature-based solutions that encourage climate resilience, I will consider my graduate studies a success if I’m able to refine my strategic thinking capabilities in such a way that allow me to dedicate my creative and intellectual energies to mitigating the effects of climate change. At the same time, I hope to cultivate enduring relationships with my peers, mentors, and professors who inspire, challenge, and encourage each of us to pursue a career of meaning and impact.

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into Duke Fuqua’s MBA program? Engage in meaningful and interesting work that allows you to deepen your understanding of the professional sphere, refine your work practice, and inspires you to continue contributing to the global community. The joy, humility, learnings, and successes that stem from an early career of this nature can help curate a compelling story for the admissions committee and interview team.

DON’T MISS: MEET DUKE FUQUA’S MBA CLASS OF 2026