People

“Work in the Sociology department is largely theory-driven, whereas at HBS there’s a healthy mix of theory and practice.”

Even as an undergraduate, Ahmmad Brown’s (he/him) interests were far-ranging; he graduated from Swarthmore College with a joint degree in Sociology & Anthropology, and Japanese. He credits the liberal arts approach with teaching him to be an ambitious and open thinker, and to value creativity of thought and curiosity.

Five years post-graduation, after working in admissions at two liberal arts colleges, Ahmmad decided to pursue an MBA and M.A in Education at Stanford University. “I’m not a traditional MBA holder,” he explains. “I didn’t enter my MBA program with a specific goal in mind beyond wanting to refine the way I think.” Ahmmad believes his MBA program helped him develop a clear and concise style of thinking and writing, which enables him to quickly get to the heart of an issue.

After spending two years as a consultant at The Bridgespan Group, Ahmmad decided that he wanted to delve deeper into research—“I hadn’t done academic research in over a decade, which made me a different kind of candidate for doctoral programs. In the Organizational Behavior program at HBS, I knew I would get the disciplinary fundamentals of sociology alongside exposure to psychology and management theory, which was very appealing to me,” Ahmmad explains.

As a graduate student at Harvard, Ahmmad feels connected to both the Sociology department and to his program, faculty, and peers at HBS. “We get excellent theoretical training in the Sociology Department, and we're encouraged to consider both the theoretical and practical implications of our research at HBS. Engaging with both sides of the program has been wonderful for my development."

Research

Throughout his career, Ahmmad has explored issues related to diversity and inclusion in both professional and academic settings. He spent two years as the diversity recruitment director at Williams College; at The Bridgespan Group, he was the primary author of an internal resource for Bridgespan to integrate racial equity into its strategy work and case team processes. His current research explores diversity and inclusion initiatives in educational, public sector, and for-profit contexts. His main project focuses on how a minority socialization program affects students’ ability to build networks for academic and psychosocial support. He works closely with Professors Lakshmi Ramarajan and Robin Ely at HBS, as well as Professor Frank Dobbin in Sociology. “I feel confident that I will always have access to the resources I need to pursue my work the way I want to at HBS.”