Alfred Jackson

Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management

“I love connecting people to great music, espresso, classic cars, and other great people.”

Hometown: Rock Hill, South Carolina

Fun Fact About Yourself: I played the tenor saxophone from 4th grade through college. In high school, I had the opportunity to play with Steve Smith, the drummer for Journey and Mariah Carey. I’m happy to share that I was able to hold my own during the jam session.

Undergraduate School and Major: Loyola University of New Orleans, Economics

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Arch Grants, Director of Portfolio

Aside from your classmates and location, what was the key part of Northwestern Kellogg’s MBA curriculum or programming that led you to choose this business school, and why was it so important to you? The Heizer Center for Private Equity and Venture Capital, along with the Black Management Association (BMA), played a significant role in my decision to attend Kellogg. I’ve spent the last seven years in early-stage venture capital and startup ecosystem building. I knew that to mature my financial toolkit, I needed a rigorous finance curriculum taught by professors with real-world experience in the private equity and venture capital industries. I was excited about the PE/VC Labs, which provide students with the opportunity to intern with firms during the semester, allowing me to apply what I learn in class to a real-world setting.

Just as important, the BMA community was my support system. My BMA application guides, Taylor Martin and Christian DeRosa, helped me every step of the way, from ensuring that my essays leveraged the key aspects of my personal and professional journey to preparing for my interviews. When you’re going after big goals, you need people who believe in you and will connect you with the resources to succeed. That’s what I found at Kellogg.

What makes Chicago such a great place to earn an MBA? Chicago is an ideal place to earn an MBA because it serves as a central hub for finance, agriculture, logistics, and culture—not just for the Midwest, but for the entire country. Attending business school in a city with deep business roots and a global platform expands the opportunity to cultivate relationships and opportunities available during your MBA. Personally, I have built a strong network in Chicago over the years, thanks to my work in St. Louis, and I knew I wanted to deepen and leverage those relationships during my time at Kellogg. Chicago is the perfect backdrop for professional growth, an engaging culture, and community.

Kellogg is known for a team-driven culture. What quality do you bring as a teammate and why will it be so important to the success of MBA class? The best teams have people who play their defined roles at an elite level; if those roles haven’t been defined, they work together to create a cohesive, winning game plan. I approach teamwork by first understanding the role that needs to be fulfilled, and I attempt to execute it to the best of my ability. I’ve also worked hard to build a deep, cross-sector network that I can tap into to support my team and those I’m serving. Whether it’s sourcing a guest speaker, finding a mentor, or recruiting a project partner, I’m confident I’m never more than one or two degrees of separation away from someone who can help.

What course, club or activity excites you the most at Northwestern Kellogg? I’m especially excited about Kellogg’s Advanced Private Equity Experience (APEX), which supports students with private equity or related experience who are committed to building careers in the field after graduation. My long-term goal is to establish my own private equity firm that invests in industries crucial to enhancing the quality of life for everyday people, while also developing innovative solutions to support the next generation of entrepreneurs and leaders. To make that vision a reality, I know I’ll need mentorship, peers who push me to grow, and examples from alumni who’ve successfully navigated this path. APEX brings all of that together.

What has been your first impression of the Kellogg MBA students and alumni you’ve met so far. Tell us your best Kellogg story so far. From students, to faculty, to alumni—everyone I’ve met at Kellogg is genuinely invested in helping you grow into the leader you want to become. My favorite story happened at a 2024 AgTech conference in Champaign, Illinois, where I reconnected with Karin O’Connor, who I didn’t realize at the time was a Kellogg professor and the Executive Director of the Heizer Center. When I mentioned that I was applying to business school, she immediately said, “You need to be at Kellogg,” and invited me to visit her Growth Strategy Practicum class. A few weeks later, I was sitting in her class, meeting students, and even had the opportunity to meet Associate Dean Greg Hanifee. That trip confirmed that Kellogg was where I needed to be.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Writing the letters of support that helped two Nigerian entrepreneurs secure the 0-1B visas they needed to move to the United States, build their company, and family. It’s my proudest accomplishment because it directly impacted someone’s ability to pursue their dream and build the life they are working towards.

Looking ahead two years, what would make your MBA experience successful? Success for me means three things: (1) Solidifying a financial toolkit that prepares me for roles across investing and advising, from early-stage VC to growth equity and private equity investing; (2) Developing a network of world-class peers across industries; and (3) Making memories that I will cherish the rest of my life.

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into Northwestern Kellogg’s MBA program? Give it your 100% effort and be authentically you. That means investing in learning every aspect of Kellogg’s culture, students, professors, faculty, and resources. Start early. Take advantage of an opportunity to sit in on a class, reach out to current students who are in clubs focused on industries you’re interested in, reach out to professors, and get to know as many alumni as you can. While you do this, stay connected with the people that are helping you along the way, and make yourself known to as many people as possible before you even apply. I was successful in my admission because of the students, staff, professors, and alumni who helped me every step of the way. They helped me because I was 100% invested.

DON’T MISS: MEET THE MBA CLASS OF 2027: STUDENTS TODAY, LEADERS TOMORROW, INNOVATORS ALWAYS

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