Coming to Tuck was the best decision I’ve made in my life. It’s hard to pick a single favorite thing here, but, as a person who came to Hanover to get inspired, I would like to share with you six Tuck professors who have had a profound impact on me during my time at Tuck.
Daniella (pictured above), as she likes to be called, is an adjunct professor of entrepreneurship and the executive director at the Center for Private Equity and Entrepreneurship. She co-teaches the courses Entrepreneurial Thinking and Building Entrepreneurial Ventures, advises several Independent Studies, and helps manage entrepreneurial First-Year Projects. I first met her while travelling to Israel for my GIX and she later became one of my advisers at the Tuck Social Venture Fund (TSVF).
Daniella’s Socratic style of teaching is sharp and effective. She masters the art of facilitating the “aha moments” that make lessons so sticky. I have certainly benefited from her style and the 15+ years of real-world experience that she brings to the table. As one of the directors at TSVF, I find it extremely useful to have a former serial entrepreneur guiding me through the sourcing, due diligence, and investing processes for potential deals for the fund. As an aspiring VC fund manager, I appreciate having someone who can help me navigate the different paths that will take me where I want to be. Daniella takes a special interest in her students. I am fortunate to say that I found a life-long mentor at Tuck.
Emily Blanchard is one of the most beloved professors here. She teaches the second core economics course and a seminar on firms and trade policy. Her interests are not limited to economics—you will find her making guest appearances at other professors’ classes, leading academic trips to Mississippi, moderating fireside chats with candidates for state governor, hosting formal lunches to discuss her research, informal lunches to get to know students, and opening events such as the Tuck Business, Government and Society Conference.
Professor Blanchard’s witty sense of humor and warm approach to cold calling students creates the optimal learning environment for assimilating complex topics. I must say it is a pleasure to witness how she perfectly orchestrates each class. Emily’s impact extends beyond the classroom. I have had plenty of opportunities to engage in conversations with her about a wide range of important topics. She is often highlighted as a role model to students, myself included. She gave me a new perspective and had a lasting impact on me.
Adam Kleinbaum is an associate professor in the strategy and management area at Tuck. He offers a well-rounded variety of courses that include Leading Individuals and Teams. He also leads the Israel GIX and a seminar on social networks. I took all of them and I personally find his research on social networks fascinating. After taking his seminar, I decided to enroll into more courses in that format.
Professor Kleinbaum’s teaching style is insightful and inclusive. He does a great job of incorporating every student’s perspective into the discussion. Adam seems to enjoy exchanging ideas with students to deepen his research and encourages intellectual challenges. It was a great experience to travel to Israel with him and learn more about topics I otherwise would have never been introduced to.
Governor Lynch is a clinical professor at Tuck and a senior fellow at the Center for Business, Government & Society. His course, The CEO Experience, is very popular among Tuckies. He focuses on the similarities and differences between being a leader in the private sector and a leader in the public sector by sharing his experiences as former governor of New Hampshire and CEO of Knoll.
As a teacher, I would describe him as warm and memorable. He always starts class recalling the most important lesson from the previous session and closes by stressing the most important lesson of the day. As a leader I would describe him as wise and down to earth. Professor Lynch taught me that the wisest leaders are also the most human. It was an honor to have him as a professor during my MBA.
Ron Adner is an award-winning professor of strategy who focuses on innovation and entrepreneurship. When he describes the content of his courses as “all Adner,” he means it. He teaches theories and ideas that sometimes are not yet published, making his class experience very original. It is not often that you get the opportunity to enroll in a course that no other MBA programs are teaching.
Professor Adner’s teaching style is fun, dynamic, and entertaining. He is as good of a performer as he is a teacher. He encourages new perspectives and out-of-the-box thinking. Ron Adner certainly widened the lens though which I see the world.
Phil Ferneau is an adjunct professor of private equity and venture capital at Tuck. He teaches Field Studies in Private Equity and is involved with First-Year Projects. As a current managing director at Borealis Ventures and a board member at multiple companies, he brings real-world experience to each lecture. I cannot stress enough how useful it is to have practitioners such as Professor Ferneau teaching the day to day issues of early stage investments.
Professor Ferneau’s teaching style couldn’t be more varied. When taking his course, you will negotiate term sheets, engage in role plays, present investment recommendations to other experienced practitioners, screen real deals, analyze portfolio management operations, and meet fantastic top-notch guest speakers. He is committed to deliver the best class experience for aspiring entrepreneurs and fund managers and he is constantly incorporating student feedback in his lectures. I always look forward to attending Phil’s class on Mondays.
Ana is a second-year student at Tuck who is in love with Hanover. Her background is in finance, particularly within the banking, private equity, and venture capital industries in Mexico. She holds a BA in economics from Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México. At Tuck she is a co-chair of The Film Society and a director at the Tuck Social Venture Fund (TSVF), a student-run venture capital fund that invests in for profit companies focused on social impact. Her long-term goal is to stay connected to the Mexican entrepreneurship world as an investor.
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