In late October last year, when the news of Dierdre Leopold, fondly known as Dee Leopold, stepping down from her position as the Head of MBA Admissions and Financial Aid at Harvard Business School first emerged, it became fairly evident that her replacement had large shoes to fill. Leopold had brought about radical changes to the admission procedure at Harvard Business School, making it more transparent than ever and being a calming and grounded presence for the jittery applicants. For instance, her widely read blog ‘Direct From The Director’ would instruct applicants on directions related to application-related matters, the intent behind essay questions and the like.
Chad Losee – HBS’s Incoming Admissions & Financial Aid Head
After a long search, for an equally worthy candidate, that spanned over five months, HBS decided to appoint its alumnus, Chad Losee (MBA 2013) as its new Head of MBA Admissions and Financial Aid, owing to his “deep understanding of HBS and its pedagogy and mission; superb interpersonal, analytical and strategic skills, and a passion for admissions,” in the words of Jana Pompadur Kierstead, Executive Director of the MBA program.
Losee, a native of Utah, shows a stellar academic profile, having graduated from the Honors Program at Brigham Young University (BYU) with a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations with the highest honors (summa cum laude). Losee was also one of the three nominees from BYU for the prestigious Truman Scholarship, worth $30,000 for graduate study, in 2007. As part of the application, the candidates were to propose possible improvements in public policies. Losee suggested that the spread of terrorism could be better contained by an increased international commitment to helping countries, still recuperating from the aftermath of the Civil War, promote the rule of law once again.
He went on to pursue MBA from HBS and was conferred with the approbation as the Baker Scholar (an academic honor awarded to the top 5% of the graduating class of about 900 students). Even as a student, he served as the HBS Admissions Ambassador, helping prospective students during their visits to the campus. This ignited his passion for Admissions, which led him to serve the HBS Admissions Board, helping them evaluate students during the personal interview sessions.
Losee was active as an alumnus. He worked for over a year as an HBS fellow in the Dean’s Office. During this period, he joined forces with the school’s Senior Leadership and helped them launch and strategise for a one-of-its-kind digital learning platform – the HBX. Furthermore, he went on to co-lead the credential strategy for Credential of Readiness (CORe), and also develop an HBX course on Disruptive Strategy with an HBS professor, Clayton Christensen.
In 2012, Chad Losee worked as a Summer Associate in the office of Kim Clark, former President of BYU-I, and an HBS faculty member and Dean from 1995 to 2005. He spearheaded a wide range of campus-wide initiatives involving all stakeholders – the students of BYU-I, the faculty members and the administrative leaders.
On the professional front, Losee rejoined Bain & Company’s Dallas office as Manager, in 2014, and still continues to hold his position, after having worked with them through the period of 2008-2011 as an associate consultant. During his stint, he has led consulting teams in client engagement across various industries.
Losee has also co-authored an article in the Journal of Human Rights, along with Darren Hawkings, a professor at BYU – States and International Courts: The Politics of Prosecution in Sierra Leone, in which they go on to examine and provide a detailed analysis on the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) from the perspective of a principle-agent.
On his appointment, Losee pointed out that he is a “real believer in Harvard Business School’s mission to educate leaders who make a difference in the world.” He also mentioned how “the experience of a two-year, full-time MBA at HBS continues to have a great impact” on him on a personal level, as well as, as a leader.
As Chad Losee commences his new position in June, his predecessor, Dee Leopold continues to remain associated to Admissions, by stepping down to the position of the Program Director for 2+2, a deferred admission process for students in college or full-time master’s program.
We eagerly wait to see what changes there might be in the upcoming HBS application – the first with Losee at the helm. If Santa is listening, a later R1 deadline is on our wishlist!
