Occupation: Conservation Portfolio Director, Great Plains Division, The Nature Conservancy
City: La Grange Park, IL
I chose Chicago Booth for its intellectual openness, entrepreneurial spirit, and commitment to social innovation, which match how I want to tackle the climate, biodiversity, and community challenges ahead. I was drawn to the purpose and curiosity of its students and alumni, along with Booth’s strong business fundamentals. Having a world-class flexible MBA in my backyard makes the opportunity even more compelling: I can stay rooted in the work while learning alongside people equally determined to tackle planet-sized problems.
I want to immediately apply what I learn at Booth to my current role serving the 10 states of The Nature Conservancy’s Great Plains Division, while growing into leadership roles that can shape the future of conservation. I’m especially interested in how entrepreneurship, innovative capital structures, and equity-centered leadership can help ensure that big ideas and needed organizational shifts reach the ground rather than evaporate before they get there. Ultimately, I want to help reshape how conservation is organized, financed, and led so more ideas reach communities and ecosystems at the scale they need.
Booth’s practical courses and exceptional faculty, along with a classroom filled with engaged fellow students will expose me to new perspectives, from entrepreneurship and finance to organizational strategy and leadership. I’m already exploring new ways to invest in innovation across my conservation portfolio, and I’m excited to bring those challenges into the classroom, test my thinking, and put new ideas to work immediately. The flexibility to follow the questions that emerge will help me shape the learning most relevant to the leader I am becoming.