Issue link: http://endeavor.uberflip.com/i/667414
BILL SAHLMAN Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School JOANNA REES Managing Partner, West William "Bill" Sahlman is the Dimitri V. D'Arbeloff - Class of 1955 Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. He received an A.B. degree in Economics from Princeton University and an M.B.A. and Ph.D. in Business Economics from Harvard University. His research focuses on entrepreneurship. Bill has written numerous articles and two textbooks on topics including entrepreneurial management, venture capital, deal structuring, commercializing science, healthcare, and the role of entrepreneurship in the global economy. In 1985, Bill introduced a new second-year elective course called Entrepreneurial Finance. Over 8,000 students have taken that course. Bill has published over 200 cases and notes for classroom use. Since 2006, Bill has been Senior Associate Dean for External Relations. From 1991 to 1999, he was Senior Associate Dean, Director of Publishing Activities. From 2009 to 2015, he was Chairman of the Advisory Committee for Harvard Stem Cell Science. Joanna Rees is a Managing Partner at West. She serves on the corporate board of FICO (NYSE: FICO), Harvest Power, Mursion, and Hickies Inc. Joanna is also a Senior Partner of the B Team. Joanna was a candidate for Mayor of San Francisco in November 2011. Joanna founded VSP Capital, a San Francisco-based venture capital firm focused on early-stage companies combining technical innovation with market development. She has served on the board of more than 25 venture-backed companies across a broad range of industries. The World Economic Forum selected Joanna as a Year 2000 Global Leader for Tomorrow (GLT). The Aspen Institute selected Joanna for its 2002 Class of Henry Crown Fellows. The National Association of Women Business Owners named her "The 2000 Entrepreneur of the Year Rising Star." Joanna is active in the non-profit community. She serves on the National Board of Build.org and the Global Board of Endeavor. Joanna is a Senior Seminar Moderator for the Aspen Institute and a Senior Mentor for the Henry Crown Fellowship. She earned her MBA from Columbia University (beta gamma sigma) and a B.S. from Duke University where she was a member of the gymnastics team. 9 S P E A K E R S