The Donaldson Fellows Program for Yale SOM Alumni recognizes graduates whose personal and professional accomplishments embody the school’s mission to educate leaders for business and society. Donaldson Fellows come from all sectors and across the globe, sharing a dedication to solving complex problems and pursuing positive change in the world. The program is named to honor SOM’s founding dean, William H. Donaldson, who also founded an investment bank, served as an undersecretary of state, and led a major insurance corporation, the New York Stock Exchange, and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Leaders for All Sectors: Interviews with the 2023–24 Donaldson Fellows
Leaders for All Sectors: Listening to Communities
Martine Singer ’89 worked in investment banking, consulting, and journalism before becoming CEO of a Los Angeles nonprofit that provides resources to children and families in need.
Leaders for All Sectors: Bridging Cultures
Chin Hwee Tan ’03 held roles in American and multinational companies before serving his home country of Singapore as chair of a public-private partnerships that facilitates the digitization of global supply chain data.
Leaders for All Sectors: Changing the Trajectory
David Browning ’99 came to SOM to study global poverty solutions. He now leads a company that helps coffee roasters improve their sustainability and social impact.
Leaders for All Sectors: Finding a Calling
Linda Mason ’80, who founded the largest provider of workplace childcare in the United States, recalls how SOM helped her launch a career that has led from humanitarian aid to entrepreneurship.
2023–24 Fellows
- David Browning ’99, Founder and CEO, Enveritas
- Dr. Marian Chertow ’81, PhD ’00, Professor of Industrial Environmental Management & Director, Center for Industrial Ecology, Yale School of the Environment
- Linda Mason ’80, Chair and Founder, Bright Horizons
- Martine Singer ’89, President and CEO, Children’s Institute
- Chin Hwee Tan ’03, Chairman, EMA and SGTRADEX
Criteria
Every two years, nominations for Donaldson Fellows are submitted by the Yale SOM community. The Donaldson Fellows selection committee includes former Donaldson Fellows, Yale SOM students, faculty, and members of the School’s senior leadership team who review and choose the final honorees. In selecting the Donaldson Fellows, the committee seeks a wide range of experience, and a variety of industries, sectors, and time since graduation. The objective is to select those who live the Yale School of Management’s mission of educating leaders for business and society, meaning they:
- Demonstrate reputation, leadership, and achievement in one’s chosen field;
- Demonstrate commitment to Yale SOM’s mission of educating leaders for business and society;
- Pursue their work with thoughtful integrity;
- Demonstrate innovation in their chosen field; and
- Contribute to their communities in a variety of ways
Past Fellows
(affiliations at time of Fellowship)
Class of 2021–2022
- Lori Hotz ’94, Cofounder and Co-CEO, Lobus
- Jane Mendillo ’84, Former President and CEO, Harvard Management Company
- Amanda Skinner ’08, President and CEO, Planned Parenthood of Southern New England
- Catherine Smith ’83, Board Member, Global Atlantic Financial Group
- Josh Wright ’98, Executive Director, ideas42
Class of 2018–2019
- Michael Apkon ’02, President and Chief Executive Officer, Tufts Medical Center and the Floating Hospital for Children
- Curtis Chin ’90, Asia Fellow, Milken Institute
- Louise Dube ’88, Executive Director, iCivics
- Katherine Gross ’83, Director, The Charlotte Foundation
- James Robertson ’99, Independent Consultant and Former Chief Executive Executive, India HIV/AIDS Alliance
Class of 2016–2017
- Danguole Altman ’85, President and CEO, Vapogenix, Inc.
- Joaquin Avila ’82, Co-founder and Managing Director, EMX Capital
- Colonel Rich Morales ’99, Professor and Deputy Head of the Department of Systems Engineering, U.S. Military Academy at West Point
- Dr. Ann Olivarius ’86, Chair, McAllister Olivarius
- Sandra Urie ’85, Chairman Emeritus, Former CEO and COO, Cambridge Associates
Class of 2014–2015
- Jaime Gonzalez Aguade ’96, President, Mexican National Banking and Securities Commission
- Beth Axelrod ’89, Senior Vice President, Human Resources, eBay Inc.
- Kathie Julian ’84, Country Director for Georgia, Asian Development Bank
- Chuck Slaughter ’90, Founder and CEO, Living Goods
Class of 2012–2013
- Christine Bader ’00, Nonresident Senior Fellow, The Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke University & Human Rights Advisor, BSR (Business for Social Responsibility)
- Don Gips ’89, U.S. Ambassador to South Africa
- Nadim Matta ’89, President, Rapid Results Institute & Senior Partner, Schaffer Consulting
- Liang (Leon) Meng ’97, Co-founder, Ascendent Capital Partners Limited
Class of 2010–2011
- Brad Abelow ’89, Chief Operating Officer MF Global Inc
- Jennie Niles ’98, Founder and Head of School, E.L. Haynes Public Charter School
- Ken Ofori-Atta ’88, Executive Chairman & Co-Founder Databank Financial Services, Ltd., Ghana
- Hilary Pennington ’83, Director of Education, Postsecondary Success, and Special Initiatives, U. S. Programs, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Class of 2008–2009 (Inaugural Class)
- Adam Blumenthal ’89, Managing General Partner, Blue Wolf Capital Management
- Laszlo Bock ’99, Vice President, People Operations, Google, Inc.
- Andrea Levere ’83, President, Corporation for Enterprise Development
- James Levitt ’80, Director, Program on Conservation Innovation at the Harvard Forest, Harvard University, and President, Levitt & Company, Inc.
- Elizabeth Serlemitsos ’93, Chief Advisor, National AIDS Council, Zambia
