Mark Albion

Biography

Albion received his post-secondary degrees from Harvard University, including a BA in Economics, a joint MA/MBA and a joint PhD/DBA in Business Economics from Harvard University and Harvard Business School. He wrote his undergraduate thesis under the direction of Professor Janet L. Yellen, who became the 15th chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System in 2014. During his graduate studies, Albion was mentored by Professor John V. Lintner, whose work was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1990. His doctoral thesis, which received the AMA's award for Best Doctoral Dissertation of 1981, was written under the supervision of Professor Michael Porter.

From 1982 to 1988, Albion served as an assistant professor and then as an associate professor at Harvard Business School, where he taught MBA retail management and marketing classes, and developed the classroom material to introduce the personal computer into the MBA curriculum. He focused on Harvard doctoral programs and helped create joint doctoral programs with other Harvard schools. He was featured by 60 Minutes as one of the top young (under 40) business-school professors in the country.

In 1986, his mother's battle against cancer prompted Albion to reflect upon his goals and the role of business in alleviating poverty and suffering. That year, he connected with responsible business leaders who in 1987 formed the Social Venture Network (SVN). In the summer of 1988, Albion left Harvard Business School to develop a community of service-minded MBAs. In the ensuing thirty years, he made over 625 speaking trips to universities and their business schools to build a network for students interested in transforming enterprise to create a world of more social and economic justice, serving as Faculty Founder of what is today called Net Impact. Coupled with his subsequent involvement with U.S. Congress and officially the United Nations on how to educate socially responsible young leaders, Business Week dubbed Albion as "the savior of b-school souls."

From 2009 to 2010, Albion served in the Office of the President at Babson College to help integrate social values and sustainability into the college, and founded the inaugural AshokaU Changemaker Campus Team.

In 2011, Albion co-founded with neuroscientist Dr. Mrim Boutla, More Than Money Careers, which provides an e-learning, self-leadership career platform to help students, alums and professionals get clear, connected and hired for well-paying social impact jobs that fit their values. As of 2014, the company had 52 university clients and had won several awards for its ed-tech platform, including Ashoka's Cordes Innovation award in 2013.

Albion is heavily involved in interfaith religious events, as a teacher and participant, and most significantly in adult Jewish education, earning a two-year degree from Hebrew College in 2002. Albion became a prominent representative used by the Jewish Reform Movement's adult education Meah program 2003–2007.

Professional recognitions, selected:

Work

Albion became a pioneer in inspiring MBAs to leverage business principles to build a better world. His work was lauded by leaders as diverse as Mother Teresa (Saint Teresa of Calcutta) and Ronald Reagan, as mentors and supporters.

Net Impact

In 1988, Albion began speaking at U.S. business schools about purposeful careers with social impact. In 1993, Faculty Founder Albion and a few other SVN members launched with 13 MBA students Students for Responsible Business (SRB). SRB was renamed Net Impact in 1999. The leading global non-profit organization empowers a new generation to use their careers to drive transformational change in the workplace and the world. With Liz Maw as CEO since 2004, Net Impact currently supports over 300 autonomous volunteer-run chapters and a membership base of over 100,000, with programs and networking events centered on topics such as corporate social responsibility, social entrepreneurship, social enterprise management, nonprofit management, social intrapreneurship, international development, and environmental sustainability, attended by millions of students and young professionals each year.

Speeches

Since 1986, Albion has given over 625 speeches at business schools and universities on 5 continents. His work in helping successful leaders achieve positive social and environmental change through business principles was featured in numerous publications, including BusinessWeek (where in 1997 he was dubbed ‘the savior of business school souls'),"The Green MBA" for Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS),"Forbes: Mark Albion on Net Impact and Its Accomplishments", "Fast Company: Mark Albion-A Living or a Life?" and "Mark Albion-Build Brand You Columnist". Mark has given several college commencement speeches, such as one to 4200 in Northeastern graduate schools on June 6, 2014, entitled "Live a Life, not a Resume". On October 3, 2015, Albion gave a TEDx Talk at the 150th anniversary of the private school he attended, St. Mark's School in Southboro, MA. That talk was entitled "The Paradox of Achievement" with the central message that achievement should be based in love not be a vehicle to get love.

United Nations

Between 1995 and 1996, Albion was tasked by the United Nations to lead a research team to uncover key success factors to develop young socially responsible global leaders. He presented the results of this research in an official speech to the United Nations in 1996, which led to his first personal mentorship meeting with Mother Teresa (Saint Teresa of Calcutta).

The Good Life Parable

Based on his 1997 published story and similar to a 1963 German-written story, in 2008, Mark's created the 3-minute animated movie "The Good Life Parable" produced with Free Range Studios. Winner of four sustainability awards in 2009 (Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival, Hot Springs Environmental Film Festival, American Conservation Film Festival, Appalachian Summer Festival), the "Good Life Parable" was selected to be distributed to 61M potential viewers through the Outside TV Outside Film Festival Program on Sunday nights between November 2010 and November 2011. Special Oscar recognition in 2013.

Writings

Albion is the author of several books concerning living a life of service, discussing leaving what you know to find what you love (Making a Life, Making a Living) (New York Times Best Seller), imbedding what you love into your career (More Than Money: Questions Every MBA Should Answer), and developing the skills needed to scale your passion and serve others (True to Yourself). In addition, Albion published dozens of columns in publications such as UNREASONABLE.is, Aish.com and Fast Company, as well as over 160, 4000-word monthly newsletters. Published from 1996 to 2008, Albion's newsletters was subscribed to by millions of readers across 87 countries. Albion lives in Dover, MA with his wife, Joy. They have two millennial daughters, Amanda, and Nicolette.

Several themes run through Albion’s writings:

Selected publications

Books, a selection:

Articles, a selection: