Evan Rizvi

Boston University, Questrom School of Business

“I’m an arts leader passionate about the role cultural institutions play in enriching society.”

Hometown: Brookline, Massachusetts

Fun fact about yourself: I’m Pakistani on my dad’s side! I’m very proud of my mixed heritage.

Undergraduate School and Degree: New England Conservatory of Music, BM in Vocal Performance

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? I was self-employed as an opera singer for the 8 years in between finishing my bachelor’s degree and beginning my MBA program.

Where did you intern during the summer of 2024? I worked as part of the strategy team at New England Conservatory of Music in Boston.

Where will you be working after graduation? I will be returning to the New England Conservatory of Music as Associate Director of Strategic Initiatives.

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School: In Year 1, I served as organizational recruiter for Link Day, Community Engagement Representative on the Social Impact and Nonprofit Club, and First Year Representative on the Internship Fund for Social Impact. As a Second Year, I serve as Co-President of the Social Impact and Nonprofit Club.

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? I’m most proud of having won QuestromTalk in my first year, a competition where MBA students give speeches inspired by the TedTalk model. I’m proud because I entrusted my peers with my vulnerability, and they rewarded me by voting me as the winner.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? So far, I’m most proud of being Co-Executive Director of Music for Food, an arts nonprofit which puts on benefit concerts to raise money for food pantries. Founded in 2010 by internationally renowned violist Kim Kashkashian, MFF has to date provided funding for nearly 2.5 million meals in 22 cities across the United States. By chance, the opportunity to help lead MFF arose when I was approached by my finance professor Pegaret Pichler, a long-time friend of Kim’s. In my capacity as Co-Executive Director, I’m primarily responsible for all things finance, such as processing, logging, and dispersing donations; preparing and interpreting financial statements in conjunction with the Treasurer; and preparing budgets for board approval. I feel honored to help fight food insecurity through business acumen.

Why did you choose this business school? I picked Questrom due to its long history of serving society through business, highlighted by the Social Impact concentration where I’m enrolled. In considering and then choosing the Social Impact MBA track at Questrom, I was especially struck by the Social Impact info session I attended at Admitted Students Weekend the March before I enrolled. The then-current Social Impact students were all so kind, encouraging, authentic, down-to-earth, and extremely passionate about their areas of interest and the formative role the Social Impact program had played in shaping their perspectives and choices. Ultimately, the student experience is what convinced me to commit to Questrom.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? My favorite professor was William Kahn due to the nurturing and encouraging way he pushed his students to engage with heavy, difficult thematic material in Necessary Conversations. This course is designed to equip students with the tools and confidence to work through interpersonal conflict in a way that is healthy, productive, and lasting. Of all the invaluable ways in which Professor Kahn’s guidance has helped me grow as an individual, the one which sticks with me the most is the focus on nonviolent communication, in which you express your point of view such that the other party doesn’t feel threatened or antagonized. So far, I’ve found this principle to be highly effective in diffusing tense situations.

What was your favorite course as an MBA? My favorite course at Questrom was Leading Mission Driven Organizations, because it really forced me to reflect carefully about what I believe my core values are as a leader, and whether my behaviors and actions have actually been aligned with what I claim my values to be. In embracing deep introspection, I realized that the values most important to me are authenticity, transparency, empathy, and accessibility.

What was your favorite MBA event or tradition at your business school? My favorite MBA event was Link Day, a yearly one-day pro bono consulting intensive that matches MBA student teams with nonprofits to solve real business problems. For me, it perfectly encapsulates Questrom’s commitment to service. Participating as both organizational recruiter and as a member of a consulting team gave me much more of an appreciation for the sustained success of Link Day over many years. I know how much work goes into planning the event and bringing on organizations every year!

Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently and why? I would have made more time for seeing classmates outside of school because building authentic personal relationships is just as important as the academic aspect of graduate school.

What is the biggest myth about your school? A myth would be that somehow the quality of education at Questrom or its student body are inferior to those of more prestigious programs in Boston. My experience learning from world-class faculty and inspirational, accomplished peers has shown me that nothing could be further from the truth.

What did you love most about your business school’s town? I love how walkable Boston is! It’s a blessing not having to rely on transportation all the time.

What movie or television show (e.g. The Big Short, The Founder, Mad Men, House of Lies) best reflects the realities of business and what did you learn from it? Of all the shows I’ve watched, I believe Mad Men to be the most realistic in the sense of the emphasis it places on building relationships with others as a strategic goal. I’ve learned from the show that even when you think you’ve perfectly pitched a client, they may still go in another direction. Ultimately, a certain amount of randomness and luck factors into business success.

What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What insights did you gain from using AI? Questrom has encouraged the use of AI as a tool for providing the environmental, political, social, and competitive backdrop for business cases in different eras in order to understand cases through a historical lens. One huge insight I’ve gained is that AI is only as good as the quality of information it has been fed!

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? I have the utmost admiration for David Tackeff. He’s always been selfless in sharing his perspective, advice, or in lending a hand in any situation, from professional advice to studying for an exam.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list?

1. To be CEO or Executive Director (depending on the title/designation) of a large arts organization.

2. To serve on the Board of Directors of a large arts organization.

What made Evan such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2025?

“Evan Rizvi is a humble leader and an expert community builder. As Co-President of the Social Impact and Nonprofit Club, he shares responsibility for creating a vibrant community of learning, service, exploration, and mutual support. Evan leads by listening. He is inquisitive, perceptive, and patient in understanding the views of his peers. He ensures that diverse voices are respected and celebrated.

Evan also knows how to get things done. He excels with a demanding courseload, provides guidance as a Teaching Assistant, fulfills leadership responsibilities for student organizations, pursues extracurricular and career development opportunities energetically, leads an arts-focused nonprofit, and always has time for a friend with a question or a request for help.

Evan brings uncommon maturity, enthusiasm, and good judgment to all of his endeavors, in the classroom and beyond. He is self-effacing but his values are steadfast. He is held in the highest esteem across our school community because of the clarity of his insights and our confidence in his integrity.”

David Stolow
Senior Lecturer, Management & Organizations
Dean’s Teaching Fellow
Co-Faculty Director, Social Impact Program (During Evan’s time in the MBA Program)

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