Agents of Progress and Positive Change

In a letter dated April 22, 2014, then Dean David Schmittlein welcomed the members of the inaugural MIT Sloan Alumni Board, thanked them for their willingness to volunteer their time, and expressed his general excitement.

Creating an advisory board like the MIT Sloan Alumni Board was, Dean Schmittlein wrote, one of the first things he envisioned upon his arrival at the MIT Sloan School of Management in 2007.

“I thought about what it would look like, the goals it would achieve, the precedent it would set, and, most importantly, the positive impact it would have on the entire alumni community,” he said. “It is a distinct privilege for me to see this board come to fruition. Thank you for being an inaugural member.”

A decade later, current and emeritus board members gathered in Cambridge in late September for the MIT Sloan Alumni Board 10-Year Anniversary Celebration. They reconnected with each other, reflected on the 10 years of service, and toasted to the future of the school and the board.

“You have my heartfelt gratitude for the impact you’ve had on the school, on the students whose lives you’ve touched, and on the robust alumni community you continue to help us build,” John C Head III Dean (Interim) Georgia Perakis told attendees. “Together, we will continue to build a vibrant and engaged MIT Sloan community.”

David Schmittlein | Former Dean (2007–2024) and Professor of Marketing

I thought about what it would look like, the goals it would achieve, the precedent it would set, and, most importantly, the positive impact it would have on the entire alumni community. It is a distinct privilege for me to see this board come to fruition. Thank you for being an inaugural member.

Positive impacts for all

The inaugural board members who were welcomed by former Dean Schmittlein, and all others since, serve a three-year term. Those appointed as board chair hold that position for two years.

“I learned that every board member brings a wealth of unique experiences to share with the school,” says Stephanie Tan, MBA ’98, who served as board chair from 2022 to 2024. Included among these experiences is the time they spent at MIT Sloan as students.

Like many of his fellow emeritus board members, Robert Meese, MBA ’08, looks back with fond remembrance on his student years at MIT Sloan. They were, he says, “some of the best years of my life.”

Students and alumni have vastly different experiences at MIT Sloan, but as Meese explains, the opportunity to volunteer for something like the board helps everyone stay connected. This helps all alumni across the globe and everyone back in Cambridge.

Sam Épée-Bounya, MBA ’03, could not agree more. “It is a unique opportunity to work closely with alumni across various class years, to advise the dean on key strategic initiatives, and to make enduring contributions to MIT Sloan,” he says.

Participating in the MIT Sloan Alumni Board, notes Épée-Bounya, can have a transformative impact on both the professional and personal lives of its members. For example, after graduation, his career advanced at Bank of America and Wellington Management, as did his volunteerism. Épée-Bounya is currently a member of the MIT Sloan Americas Executive Board and the MIT Corporation’s Visiting Committee for MIT Sloan and has established a fellowship fund for MBA students.

Sam Épée-Bounya | MBA ’03

It is a unique opportunity to work closely with alumni across various class years, to advise the dean on key strategic initiatives, and to make enduring contributions to MIT Sloan.

Agents of progress

“I like making connections and harnessing my passion to motivate and engage others,” says Aliza Blachman O’Keeffe, SM ’90, who served as board chair from 2015 to 2018.

As alumni leaders, she continues, MIT Sloan Alumni Board members play a significant role in helping to improve the school. “We’re walking, talking advertisements for the school, for prospective employers, [and] for prospective applicants,” says O’Keeffe.

After all, as Robert Meese, Sam Épée-Bounya, and many others are quick to point out, MIT Sloan Alumni Board members were students before they were graduates. They have been members of many facets of the MIT Sloan community, both in Cambridge and around the globe, and this unique perspective places them in a unique position.

They are enabled to become what former Dean Schmittlein called agents of progress and positive change.

“We need to provide newer Sloanies with the same opportunities we had, if not better,” says Din Shih, SM ’93. “Understanding what MIT Sloan is doing to serve students and alumni, and the challenges this presents, makes me more appreciative of what our school needs.”

At the 10-year anniversary celebration in September, current MIT Sloan Alumni Board Chair Carrie Wager, EMBA ’17, provided attendees with a running list of their accomplishments. These included—but are by no means limited to—hundreds of networking events, thousands of career mentoring conversations and admissions outreach calls to accepted students, and $2.3 million contributed to support students, faculty, and initiatives.

“These accomplishments speak to our track record,” said Wager.

A growing partnership

Christopher Reichert, MOT ’04, who hosts the Sloanies Talking with Sloanies podcast—an idea that originated with the board—celebrates the achievements highlighted by Wager. But like Din Shih, he stresses the need for the board’s continued service.

“It takes an army of minds and hands with an understanding of the history and culture of MIT Sloan to advance the school’s mission. This is where volunteers are needed,” he says.

Interim Dean Perakis touched on this point and many others at the September celebration by quoting from former Dean Schmittlein’s 2014 letter.

“We as a community look for your partnership as we grow and strengthen the relationship between our alumni and the school through opportunities for engagement and philanthropy. We value your perspective, admire your passion, and above all else, believe that you will be an agent of progress and positive change.”

Established in 2014, the MIT Sloan Alumni Board aspires to create a strong, supportive, and visible global community that benefits alumni, students, and the school. These MIT Sloan alumni from around the world focus on strengthening the alumni community, raising awareness, and increasing volunteering and giving participation across all alumni degree programs and class years. For more information, please contact Lauren Wojtkun, Director, Alumni Experience, Office of External Relations.