Meet Foster’s MBA Class of 2018

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Robert Nelson   

Foster School of Business, University of Washington

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: Passion and determination fuel a persistent conflagration of ideas and visions to advance the world.

Hometown: Mystic, CT

Fun Fact About Yourself: I am a descendant of Richard Warren, one of the pilgrims who sailed aboard the Mayflower and signed the Mayflower Compact. Other descendants include Ulysses Grant, FDR, and Henry David Thoreau.

Undergraduate School and Major: The George Washington University, History

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation: United States Marine Corps, Captain; Booz Allen Hamilton, Lead Associate

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: At 28, I became the youngest chair of Miriam’s Kitchen’s (MK) Steering Committee. MK, a nonprofit combating homelessness, first tugged at my heartstrings as a George Washington University student-volunteer. But after serving in the Marines, I was better skilled to effectuate broader change, and with veterans comprising a disproportionate segment of the homeless population, I observed that the needs of this vulnerable group necessitated the dissection of the population into manageable parts to better engage public-private sector partners with MK in active campaigns.

Consequently, from 2013 to 2015, I re-imagined and then implemented a re-designed partnership strategy, focusing efforts on veteran homelessness and new partners, including U.S. Senator Chris Murphy, with whom I brokered a relationship—the first of its kind for MK. Senator Murphy’s collaboration invigorated awareness around veteran homelessness and helped recruit 32 new partners. Moreover, I led a team to raise a record-setting $652K.

Looking back on your experience, what advice would you give to future business school applicants? Dive into the application process early — about one year before you plan to submit your applications, but before finalizing your list of schools, personal themes, and post-MBA plans — and seek a life-changing experience to better understand who you are. A life-changing experience should be a trip or an event that allows you to reflect deeply and quietly. This reflection will enable you to hone in on the schools, themes, and plans that best align to you.

What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA? Foster, especially its entrepreneurship ecosystem, is uniquely positioned at the confluence of business, technology, and environment and sustainability.

Tell us about your dream job or dream employer at this point in your life? I would like to design and integrate advanced environmental strategies and products to achieve sustainable results for the interconnected performance of people, planet, and profits (the triple bottom line). Through better environmental strategies and products, companies can restore both environmental and social conditions, which will continue to deteriorate globally if business leaders do not recognize and understand the broader impacts of decisions that are only driven by profit. Thus, I will be among the new generation of young, burgeoning leaders driving companies with strategies and products that are more balanced across the triple bottom line.

What would you like your business school peers to say about you after you graduate from this program? He is always giving his absolute most in the present moment, recognizing that the future is determined by the impact that he has right now.    

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