Wharton School Leadership Advisory Board

The Wharton Leadership Advisory Board provides an essential link between the Wharton community and the foremost leaders in business, public service, government, entertainment, and sports.  “The collective knowledge of the advisory board,” said Wharton Dean Patrick Harker, “is an invaluable resource for the Wharton community as we seek to continuously expand our educational offerings and research in the area of leadership.”

Formed in 2005, the advisory board has been spearheaded and chaired by alumnus Todd Thomson, founder and chief executive of Headwaters Capital LLC.  “There is an ever-increasing need in both academia and the world at large,” Thomson explained, “to place greater focus and attention on the development of leadership skills across all facets of business, public service, and industry.  It is imperative that recognized leaders in all fields come together in a forum where they can pass on their ideas, philosophies, and success stories in the areas of leadership and change management.”

Meeting twice annually in New York and Philadelphia, members of the advisory board offer guidance to Wharton faculty and administrators on the school’s leadership curriculum, research, and outreach.  They advise the school on issues ranging from course design and research priorities to public forums and fund raising.  In return, board members have an opportunity to learn of cutting-edge leadership research by Wharton faculty and to shape the future of business education in leadership and change for years to come.  Board members are also invited to participate (entirely at their own discretion) in a broad range of leadership initiatives at Wharton, including service as guest instructors in courses, speakers at conferences and forums, participants in the Wharton Leadership Ventures (the school’s experiential learning program), and host to faculty research or case writing in their own organizations.

Wharton’s Center for Leadership and Change Management serves as the primary contact for the advisory board.  “We strive to provide students and managers with the intellectual framework necessary to understand theories of effective leadership,” said its director, Michael Useem.  “We offer them the opportunity to practice this theory in both classroom and experiential settings, and we encourage the development of lifelong leadership learning.”

The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania is recognized around the world for its academic strengths across every major discipline and at every level of business education. Founded in 1881 as the first collegiate business school in the nation, Wharton has approximately 4,600 undergraduate, MBA, Executive MBA, and doctoral students, more than 8,000 participants in its executive education programs annually, and an alumni network of more than 80,000 worldwide. 

Members of the Wharton Leadership Advisory Board 

Former Members