How has your HES experience helped you throughout your career journey? How do you expect it to impact your next steps?
Harvard Extension School not only gave me a chance to deepen my expertise in sustainability, but has also directly strengthened both my leadership and strategic decision-making.
Coming into the program, I had a foundation in military service, executive leadership, and motherhood, but HES pushed me to connect sustainability to measurable business outcomes in a much more rigorous and impactful way.
The coursework challenged me to translate environmental and social complexities into operational strategies, financial implications, and consumer behavior insights. That perspective has already shaped my work in sustainable packaging leadership, and I expect it will continue to influence how I approach large-scale sustainability initiatives moving forward.
What did you learn about your own capabilities through the rigor of your coursework? Were there any moments in particular that pushed you to grow?
One of the most significant lessons I took from the rigor of the program was discovering just how capable I am of operating at a higher academic and professional level than I had previously realized. Completing a Harvard thesis while holding a global leadership role and raising three young children (I started with a toddler and had two more children during the program!) tested my discipline, resilience, and adaptability beyond anything I’d experienced.
There were many moments during the thesis process when balancing research, data analysis, and tight deadlines seemed almost impossible. But seeing it through taught me that personal growth often happens alongside uncertainty, and that I can sustain excellence even in the busiest seasons of life.
How did you fit your education into your life?
Fitting my education into my daily life required a great deal of intentionality, flexibility, and reliance on support systems. Throughout my time at HES, I worked full time as a sustainability executive, managed family responsibilities with three kids, and juggled the demands of coursework and a thesis.
Most of my schoolwork was completed early mornings, late nights, or during carefully protected pockets of time between work and family commitments. Rather than waiting for an ideal moment, I learned to integrate education into my real life as it was. That balancing act became one of the most meaningful aspects of my experience, reinforcing that growth and ambition don’t have to be postponed while building a career and a family.
Describe your Extension experience in one word:
Transformative.
