Dear Tuck Community,
Happy New Year! We wanted to share with you some of the highlights from the fall term here at Tuck as well as shout out some of the programs and initiatives that make the Tuck School a vibrant, ambitious, and meaningful contributor to the world of business and business education.
We strive to advance Tuck’s mission to develop wise, decisive leaders who better the world through business via a multitude of programs, initiatives, and partnerships. However, when we talk about Tuck, and when people external to the organization think about Tuck, we are often centering our flagship full-time MBA program. While our two-year MBA is highly ranked, globally respected, and impactful, our faculty and staff lead programs for everyone from undergraduates to executives, athletes, veterans and entrepreneurs and several joint and dual degree programs as well as opportunities to study abroad.
It is a joy to witness the energy, intellectual curiosity, camaraderie and the love of learning that students bring to our Master of Healthcare Delivery Science, Tuck Business Bridge, the premier Diversity Business Programs which celebrated more than 40 years of supporting diverse businesses in 2020, TuckLAB, the Next Step Transition to Business, and other programs each year.
Each program contributes to the mission of the Tuck School in its own unique way. We are proud of the participants and alumni of our undergraduate and executive programs and recognize that unlike our MBA program, most students in those programs continue to work while completing their courses.
It is also satisfying to observe the ways that many of our programs intersect. For example, our MBA students support the Tuck Business Bridge program as Tuck MBA Fellows and they can also learn from and support the entrepreneurs and leaders in our Diversity Business Programs by partnering with them to work on special projects such as business and strategic plans thanks to the opportunities such as the First Year Project (FYP) led by Director Becky Rice-Mesec, the Diversity Business Entrepreneurship Collaboration Program, and the work and advocacy of Joseph Gerakos, senior associate dean for innovation and growth and Daniella Reichstetter T’07, clinical professor of business administration and faculty advisor of the Tuck Center for Entrepreneurship.
The range of executive, professional, and non-degree programs allows our faculty to continue to share their talent, time, and research with ambitious practitioners, and young leaders of tomorrow. They also give a diverse array of folks the opportunity to continue to develop in their professional pursuits, learn new skills, and gain access to one of the best institutions of higher education in the world. What all of these programs have in common is that they seek to push the boundaries of collaboration, co-creation, and bringing diverse people and perspectives together to leverage the unique gifts and talents we all bring to the table.
Wishing You Well,
Dia
Dia Draper (she/her)
Assistant Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Many Voices. One Tuck.
In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we are delighted to share with you the calendar of events for Dartmouth’s upcoming celebration of Dr. King’s life. This year’s events begin on January 14 and run until early February. This year’s celebration theme, “Building a Compassionate Community,” focuses on Dr. King’s leadership in the civil rights movement, and the ongoing power and impact of his legacy. Dr. King addressed social inequalities and injustices and has been one of the most inspirational leaders in history.
Join us on Monday, January 16 in Stell Hall between 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. for a BSAT-, Office of the Dean-, and MBAPO-sponsored coffee and cocoa break and a chance to hear Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech broadcast throughout the day.
We encourage all of you to visit the full calendar of events and the Tuck DEI events calendar.
Kayanat Paracha (she/her/hers) joins the Tuck School of Business as the Associate Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. In this role Kayanat will lead strategic implementation of key priorities, community engagement, and program development and assessment. Kayanat joined Dartmouth College in June of 2019 and most recently served as an Assistant Dean within the Office of Pluralism and Leadership (OPAL). In her role, she was the institutional lead for Pan Asian Student Advising and OPAL Education programs.
Kayanat earned a BA in Anthropology, with a minor in Women’s Studies from DePauw University, and an M.S.Ed. in Higher Education and Student Affairs from Indiana University Bloomington. During her time at IU Bloomington, she served as a Graduate Assistant for the Community and Leadership Development Center in Residential Programs and Services. Additionally, she completed a summer internship as a Graduate Assistant for the Business Emerging Leaders Programs for the Wisconsin School of Business at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Prior to joining Dartmouth, Kayanat was a Program Coordinator at the Posse Foundation in Chicago.
With sponsorship from Sally Jaeger, Associate Dean of the MBA Program, this fall, a group of Tuck students began the process of completing two intensive training courses to become certified as Peer Support Counselors. First, Peer Support Counselors completed Suicide Prevention training, designed to help participants develop and hone skills to help support others in crisis or distress. Through a combination of didactic and experiential learning opportunities, participants acquired skills to enable them to: identify warning signs of someone who is struggling, understand the role of empathy when helping someone in crisis, connect people in need to resources, and learn effective communication skills.
Next, Peer Support Counselors complete an eight-hour Mental Health First Aid skills-based training course that educated participants about mental health and substance-use issues. Through a combination of interactive role-play, exercises, and class participation, MHFA training taught students how to recognize symptoms of mental health problems, offer help and guide a person toward appropriate treatments and other supports.
Thank you to the MHWI co-chairs Charles Kuchenbrod, Elyse Curtis, Greg Germann, Nathan Busam, Pranali Sabale, and to the students who are in the process of becoming Tuck Peer Support Counselors. View more information about Mental Health and Wellness resources at Tuck.
The 28th annual Tuck Diversity Conference (affectionately known as “DivCo”) convened in September with over 80 talented prospective applicants joining us in Hanover for a weekend of information, inspiration, and connection. Many thanks to our keynote speaker, Justin Rodriguez T’13 managing director, partner, and head of Black, Latinx, & Indigenous Recruiting at Boston Consulting Group (BCG).
Perennial favorites include the “Tuck Unplugged” session led by Tuck Association of Diverse Alumni (TADA) co-chair Ramsey Jay, Jr. T’05, Tuck’s popular small group dinners, an alumni career panel, industry panel sessions and coffee chats, and the annual Blacklight Party hosted by Black Students Association at Tuck (BSAT).
The Tuck Admissions team also invited several coaches from one of our partner organizations, MLT (Management Leadership for Tomorrow) to join us in Hanover for the weekend. The coaches had the chance to meet with several students and administrators to better understand the Tuck culture, demystify the Upper Valley, and cheer on several MLT alumni who are current students as well as prospective applicants to the Tuck class of 2025!
We thank the entire Tuck community for helping us welcome prospective future students, and a particularly warm congratulations and thank you to the 2022 co-chairs—T’23s Divya Bobra, Penny Chen, Anurag Gupta, Andrew Key, Devu Nair, and Daniel Yang. The 2022 DivCo theme was “Seeds of Community,” and centered the opportunity for all of us to reflect on and share what makes Tuck such a transformative experience. Read a recap from the co-chairs here.
In October the 18th annual Women in Business Conference welcomed 90+ attendees from all over the world to Tuck’s campus for a two-day immersion into the Tuck MBA experience, including mock classes, workshops, panel discussions, networking and development opportunities, along with social activities, and small group dinners.
This year’s conference featured keynote speakers Rena Harper T’09, global people leader and executive coach, and Valeria Aloe T’04, a speaker, award-winning author of Uncolonized Latinas: Transforming Our Mindsets and Rising Together, and the founder of the Rising Together Movement. Both distinguished alumnae were able to speak to the 2022 conference them “Courageous Leadership” by sharing stories that were personal, vulnerable, relatable and authentic. Their words and presence set the tone for a weekend of real talk and honest conversation about the opportunities and challenges facing women considering the MBA degree as well as women’s workforce experiences and equity in corporate and other leadership spaces.
One of Tuck’s MBA prospective applicant partners, the Forte Foundation, also hosted their annual Diversity Day the same weekend. Dean Draper was invited to join a distinguished panel of peers for a virtual Business School Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Roundtable event addressing the question: What are our business schools doing to ensure classrooms and communities are more equitable and inclusive for students?
Many thanks to the 2022 WIBC co-chairs—T’23s Lynsey Kirby, Stefanie Nifenecker, Pranali Sabale, and Sherry Yang—for their vision, leadership and commitment to advancing representation in business education. The Tuck leadership team appreciates the contributions of all the students, staff, faculty, partners, and alumni that made the 2022 WIB conference a success.
T’23 Jahnavi Muppaneni is excited to welcome T’24 Allie Coukos as her incoming DEI co-chair. Allie is originally from Newton, MA and graduated from George Washington University in Washington, DC in 2018. Prior to Tuck, Allie spent the last four years at Deloitte Consulting where she was a member of its Government & Public Services practice, specifically working with clients in the national security and intelligence space. Since coming to Tuck, Allie has become an active member of our Tuck Pride community and has truly enjoyed taking advantage of all things Tuck, from networking with engaged venture capital alumni to hiking in the Upper Valley. Allie can’t wait to contribute to all the incredible DEI work that Tuck has started and help establish Tuck as a leader in DEI.
In June 2022, TADA held their inaugural TADA Conference in New York City. Programming centered around the conference’s theme of Leadership 3.0: Leading with Empathy and Diversity. The goal was to provide an engaging day of speakers and networking opportunities with a focus on advancing dialogue, sharing best practices, and supporting the diversity, equity, and inclusion goals of organizations, leaders, and teams. A special thank you goes out to keynote speaker Jose Minaya T’00, Tuck faculty presenters, and distinguished alumni panelists.
Whether you were able to attend this year’s conference or not, TADA is keen to hear your thoughts about what they should be planning for next year, including location, dates, and content. If you could take 30 seconds to complete this brief survey, that would be greatly appreciated!
During the 2022 Investiture Ceremony, Dean Slaughter presented the Tuck Distinguished Achievement Medal to Pamela C. Scott T’75 in recognition of her outstanding service to the Tuck community. Pam is the founder, president, and CEO of LVCC, Inc., a management consulting firm, and an active member of numerous corporate and nonprofit boards. She is notably, the first Black woman to graduate from Tuck’s MBA program. For more details on her impressive impact at Tuck and beyond, view her honorary citation.
We’d like to welcome Tuck’s new Executive Director of Admissions and Financial Aid, Lawrence Mur’ray! Lawrence has more than 20 years of leadership experience in MBA admissions at several top business schools and brings deep industry knowledge acquired through his service to the broader business education community. We look forward to partnering with Lawrence on future DEI initiatives! Read more about Lawrence.
In celebration of Hispanic and Latinx Heritage Month, members of the Tuck community reflected on their goals, accomplishments, inspirations, and passions as part of our ongoing series Many Voices, One Tuck.
Tuck Pride student club members led the celebration of LGBTQIA+ History Month & the Transgender Week of Awareness by hosting their annual Ask Me Anything (AMA) panel. The popular AMA format aims to create a safe, judgement free space where students can share their stories and questions without fear in an effort to co-create and model environments where listening, learning, and sharing facilitate empathy and awareness. The Tuck Pride leaders sweetened the deal with treats and Tuck Pride stickers.
Tuck has a strong tradition of supporting the Movember foundation. The Movember Foundation is the leading foundation dedicated to changing the face of men’s health through targeted funding of local projects that focus on: mental health and suicide prevention, prostate and testicular cancer treatment, research, and support. Read a reflection from the 2022 Tuck Movember team.
LIFT (Low-Income & First-Generation at Tuck) is a newly-founded affinity group that seeks to build a community of students who identify as first-generation college students or have a low-income background, and allies thereof. The group strives to provide resources to enable academic and professional success and create meaningful discussions for first-generation or low-income students to share progress and contribute back to society. In a recent blog post, LIFT cofounders Alan Rice T’23 and Jonathan Diaz T’22 share how their experiences as low-income, first-generation students inspired them to build a community for Tuckies of similar backgrounds.
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