Yale SOM alumni run all kinds of organizations, from multinational corporations, to mission-driven nonprofits, to one-woman consultancies. But they are often distinguished by a willingness to own and solve the hard problems that matter. Below are a few stories of Yale SOM alumni and their work.

Greg Vanourek '00
Founding Partner
New Mountain Ventures
Vanourek and his business partner wrote a book that argues that the best way to live is like an entrepreneur.

Nick Hardigg '99
Executive Director
Alaska Conservation Foundation
Hardigg was able to pursue a nonprofit career in wilderness conservation with help from the Loan Forgiveness Program.

Curtis Jensen '95
Co-Chief Investment Officer
Third Avenue Management, LLC
Jensen’s involvement at Third Avenue Management has grown as the company has become a major Wall Street investment firm.

Rob Quartel '78
CEO and Chairman
FreightDesk Technologies
For Quartel, a 3 a.m. revelation guided his company, FreightDesk Technologies, into a leading position in computer-based shipping security.

Theresa Barger '82
Former Director of Corporate Governance
World Bank and International Finance Corporation
In a 20-plus year career, Barger has hit nearly every financial sector and every continent.

Laszlo Bock '99
Vice President of People Operations
Google
As the vice president of people operations at Google, Laszlo Bock may have the most glamorous HR job in the world.

Trish Karter '82
CEO and President
Dancing Deer Baking Company
Karter describes why she kept her company’s headquarters in inner-city Boston.


Matt Gould '02
Managing Director of Administration
Teach for America
The managing director of administration for Teach for America arrived on the job just in time for an explosion in the organization’s size and scope.

David Meyers '99
CEO
Madagascar Bamboo
The CEO of Madagascar Bamboo plans to use a bamboo plantation to sequester carbon, allowing him to sell credits on the carbon market.

Chuck Slaughter '90
Founder
TravelSmith and Living Goods
The founder of TravelSmith, Slaughter’s career has existed both in the commercial sphere and the world of social entrepreneurship.

Rosemary Ripley '80
General Partner
NGEN Partners
New to NGEN Partners, Ripley works in the “cleantech” sector, focusing on environmental start-ups.

Shari Rosenfeld '87
Vice President, International Projects
Sesame Workshop
When Rosenfeld, who oversees much of Sesame Workshop’s overseas productions, visits a foreign country, she meets with top dignitaries.

Jon Carson '84
CEO
cMarket
The CEO of cMarket, Carson aims to make his company the eBay of charity auctions.


Charles A. Zelle '83
President and CEO
Jefferson Partners, LP
The CEO of Jefferson Lines took a failing family business and turned it into an innovator in the transportation industry.