Natalie Jackson

“I attended HBS to pursue food systems transformations that address our biggest human health challenges.”

I entered George Washington University eager to attain an interdisciplinary framework to solve global problems. I was in for a shock as the consequences of a poor, yet improving, diet had finally caught up to me and my ambitious college plans were obstructed by medical obligations and complicated dietary changes that were both time-consuming and unaffordable. Growing up in Baltimore, I had maintained an active lifestyle and just a few years prior my mother made a concerted effort to improve our family’s diet. Still, I suffered from chronic ailments which declined into a health crisis that I could not ignore.

Finally acknowledging that my poor health had severely disrupted my quality of life, I decided that health improvement strategies must be factored into my future life decisions. It was abundantly clear that optimal health is an expensive privilege, but thankfully I was afforded opportunities to work in financial services at Citigroup and Stanford University’s investment office in New York and the San Francisco Bay Area. I had the privilege of living in cities with access to some of the best high quality food and medical professionals.

During the journey to gradually improve my health, I was dismayed to discover that so many people were afflicted with similar health issues. I realized that there seemed to be widespread issues within our food system negatively impacting public health. I investigated healthcare and food systems from a primarily economic perspective as a healthcare investment banker and global endowment investor. Leveraging my interdisciplinary mental model, I also engaged with local advocacy groups and scientific experts to understand our systemic problems. Spending so much time investigating the problem motivated me to find an opportunity where I could dedicate my time to developing solutions.

Thus, I attended HBS to pursue food systems transformations that address our biggest human health challenges. I immediately connected with BEI and took on a leadership role as Co-President of the Food, Agriculture & Water (FAW) Club during which I co-organized our first FAW conference. Staying true to my interdisciplinary framework, we attracted business, policy, legal, and public health experts across Harvard and the New England startup community to address the future of our food system. Outside of HBS, I worked extensively with Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), and Harvard Medical School (HMS) students and professors to investigate a range of food and health system issues and develop recommendations. I applied my industry and general management knowledge in a Business Strategy internship with Natac Group, a Madrid-headquartered company sustainably harnessing food ingredients to enhance human health.

During my second year, the BEI was instrumental in supporting nearly every effort to broaden my knowledge about environmental problems causing human harm. As Co-President of the FAW club, we co-organized our second conference which gathered 20+ global business stakeholders sharing ideas on how to create a more sustainable, resilient, and nourishing food system. We intentionally drew attention to the water pillar of the FAW club in partnership with HBS, HSPH, Harvard School of Engineering & Applied Sciences (SEAS), and University staff and alumni through academic and industry events. Finally, BEI sponsored the co-founding of Nucleate Eco (formerly Activate Eco), an entrepreneurship program that incubated five Harvard & MIT life sciences ventures solving climate change through engagement with 40+ leading professors, investors, and entrepreneurs.

The BEI fueled my passion to continue to investigate and address our biggest human and environmental health problems through food system transformations. At the moment, I am immersed in the burgeoning global controlled environment agriculture industry, which has the potential to transform food systems across the globe. I’m consulting with the Japan Plant Factory Association as they seek to advance research and commercial advancement of plant factories with artificial lighting in Japan and beyond. I also serve as a board member of the Harvard Alumni for Agriculture & Food Association to continue to advance food systems knowledge. This is just the beginning of my endeavors to advance transformative technologies and I’m excited for the journey ahead!