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Michael E. Porter  -  Biography 
Institute Director
Phone: 617 495 6153   Fax: 617 547 8543

Michael E. Porter is the Bishop William Lawrence University Professor, based at Harvard Business School. A University professorship is the highest professional recognition that can be awarded to a Harvard faculty member. Professor Porter is the fourth faculty member in Harvard Business School history to earn this distinction, and is one of about 15 current University Professors at Harvard. In 2001, Harvard Business School and Harvard University jointly created the Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness, to further Professor Porter’s work.  continued

 

Jennifer Baron
Research Associate

Phone: 617 495 6657   Fax: 617 384 7268 
email: jebaron@hbs.edu

Jennifer Baron is a Research Associate at the Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness, supporting the Institute’s work on healthcare and general strategy issues. Prior to joining the Institute, Jennifer was a Business Associate with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Office of International Affairs, focusing on international regulatory policy and promoting the growth and development of small and medium-sized enterprises in the western hemisphere. Before joining the SEC, Jennifer worked with the private nonprofit organization Management Sciences for Health and the Boston Public Health Commission’s HIV/AIDS Program. Jennifer earned her M.B.A. from the Yale School of Management and an M.P.H. from the Yale School of Epidemiology and Public Health. Ms. Baron did her undergraduate work at Georgetown University where she majored in Government and Spanish. She resides in Brookline with her husband.

 

Richard Bryden
Director of Information Products

Phone: 617 495 6777   Fax: 617 496 7392 

Rich Bryden is Director of Information Products at the Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness.  His responsibilities include the continuing development of the Cluster Mapping Project as well as the broader effort to enhance the distribution of the Institute’s agenda of research and economic analysis.  Prior to joining the Institute, Rich worked for eight years in product management and marketing roles for ventures in the field of on-line publishing.  He earned an M.B.A. with highest honors from the University of Chicago in 2001.  His areas of concentration were in Analytical Finance and Economics with a significant emphasis on econometric methods.  He also holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Lehigh University.  Rich enjoys racing Soling class sailboats in Boston Harbor.

 

Kathleen Custodio
Staff Assistant

Phone: 617 384 5938   Fax: 617 384 7268

Kathleen Custodio is a Staff Assistant at the Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness. She assists in the coordination of the Microeconomics of Competitiveness course as well as with daily administrative tasks at the Institute. Kathleen obtained a dual BA in American Studies & Ethnicity and Mathematics from the University of Southern California in 2003 and her MA in Asian American Studies at the University of California Los Angeles, USC’s infamous cross-town rival, in 2005. A native of perennially sunny San Diego, California, Kathleen relocated to the Boston area in the fall of 2005 and is still adjusting to the inclement winters New England is known for. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, watching movies, trying different ethnic foods, traveling, and solving addictive Su Doku puzzles.

 

Mercedes Delgado
Post Doctoral Fellow

Phone: 617 495 6869   Fax:  617 496 7392
website: http://www.nber.org/~mdelgado
email: mdelgado@hbs.edu

Mercedes Delgado works on joint research projects with Professor Michael Porter at the Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness. She is also a post-doctoral fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research, Innovation Policy and the Economy Group. Prior to joining the NBER, she was a visiting scholar for three years at the Management and Strategy Department, at Kellogg School of Management, where she studied the impact of industry clusters on national companies' strategies. Her research focuses on the linkages between firm strategy, the business environment, and the prosperity of regions and countries. A native of Seville (Spain), she is enthusiastic about traveling and flamenco.

 

Hannah Ginley
Administrative Manager
Phone:  617 495 6153    Fax:  617 547 8543

Hannah Ginley is the Administrative Manager at the Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness. She manages the administrative, financial, and human resources functions for the Institute and also assists in the planning of all Professor Porter’s activities. Hannah attended the University of California, Los Angeles and then transferred to Boston University, where she graduated with honors in psychology and special education. A classically trained ballerina, Hannah extends her knowledge and love of dance to adult students through a Marblehead-based program, Dancenergy. She has two college-aged children and resides in Topsfield, MA.

 

Sachin H. Jain
Senior Researcher
Phone: 617 495 5954   Fax: 617 384 7268

Sachin H. Jain is a senior researcher at the Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness and an associate director of the Global Health Delivery Project that is jointly housed at Harvard Medical School and the Institute. His work focuses on health system strategy in the United States and in resource-poor settings. He holds his bachelor's degree magna cum laude in government from Harvard College and his MBA from Harvard Business School, where he was also a recipient of the Dean's Award. He is presently a candidate for his MD from Harvard Medical School (2008). A Paul and Daisy Soros Fellow, he has worked previously at McKinsey and Co, WellPoint, and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. He was a founder of ImproveHealthCare.org and maintains a private consultancy for select payer and provider organizations. He has authored and edited several published works on health care, most recently the book, The Soul of a Doctor (Workman Books: New York). A native of Bergen County, NJ, he resides in Boston, MA.

 

Christian Ketels
Principal Associate
Phone: 617 384 5935   Fax: 617 384 7268

Dr. Christian Ketels is a member of the Harvard Business School faculty at Professor Michael E. Porter’s Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness. He holds a PhD (Econ) from the London School of Economics and further degrees from the Kiel Institute for World Economics and Cologne University. He is currently a Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Strategy and Competitiveness at the Stockholm School of Economics and a Director of The Competitiveness Institute, a not-for-profit global network of cluster practitioners and researchers. He has led cluster and competitiveness projects in many parts of the world, has written widely on economic policy issues, and is a frequent speaker on competitiveness and strategy issues.

Dr. Ketels currently serves on the advisory boards of The Baltic Development Forum, the Center for Strategy and Competitiveness at the Universidad de los Andes, ORKESTRA The Basque Competitiveness Institute, the academic advisory council of Invest in Sweden Agency, is a special advisor to the Asia Competitiveness Institute, chairs the selection committee of RegioCluster.NRW cluster funding competition in Nordrhein-Westfalen (Germany), and is a member of the selection committee for the excellence cluster initiative launched by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Germany).

 

Alexander Muggah
Research Associate

Phone: 617 496 3383   Fax: 617 547 8543

Alex Muggah is a Research Associate at the Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness, supporting the Institute’s work in cluster competitiveness and economic development. Prior to joining the Institute, Alex worked for the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, as part of a team negotiating a free trade agreement with the Republic of Korea. Alex graduated with a MSc. in Management Economics from Queens University in 2004, with a focus on international political economy and trade. An avid athlete, Alex plays on a touring ultimate frisbee team, as well as continuing to enjoy soccer, hockey, and squash. Alex lives in Cambridge with his partner, who is currently working towards her PhD in Organizational Behavior at the Harvard Business School.

 

Laurice Mulherin
Executive Assistant to Professor Michael E. Porter
Phone: 617 495 6408   Fax: 617 547 8543
 

Laurice Mulherin is the Executive Assistant to Professor Michael E. Porter. She assists in the planning and coordination of Professor Porter’s daily activities. Before joining the Institute, Laurice was an Executive Assistant at State Street Global Advisors, where she supported the Chief Operating Officer. Laurice is a member of the Junior League of Boston and a Council Member at the Museum of Fine Arts. In her spare time, she enjoys working out, reading and practicing yoga. Laurice is a graduate of Marian Court College and resides in Boston.

 

Andrea Rule
Office Assistant
Phone:  617 384 8050   Fax:  617 384 7268
 

Andrea Rule is the part-time Office Assistant at the Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness. She maintains the Institute’s vast filing system and assists as needed in other areas. Andrea attended Stetson University where she earned her B.A. in Sociology and played violin with the University Symphony and Chamber Orchestras. Currently, she is attending Emerson College for graduate work and is an intern at WGBH Boston. In her spare time Andrea enjoys reading, cooking, and sailing.

 
 
 
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