Alumni Profiles

Spotlight stories on alumni who are leading, innovating, and making a difference.

Catherine Zipf smiling, wearing striped shirt and dark sweater outdoors.

Preserving the History of Jim Crow Era Safe Havens

Architectural historian Catherine Zipf is building a database of Green Book sites.  

by Lydialyle Gibson

Clayton Christensen on disruptive innovation

Innovation guru Clayton Christensen on spreading his gospel, the Gospel, and how to win with the electric car

by Craig Lambert

In his Cambridge studio, Childs makes about six violins a year.

Bob Childs makes world-class violins

Bob Childs makes world-class violins.

by Laura Levis

Lissa Young fosters open discussions about love and sexuality during a psychology class for freshmen cadets at West Point.

Lissa Young: back at West Point, after Don't Ask, Don't Tell ended her career

An alumna chooses “the harder right.”

by Nell Porter-Brown

Justin Kaplan at home

A tribute to Justin Kaplan

In tribute to an old friend

The plate-glass windows in Avis Buchanan’s downtown Washington, D.C., office neatly frame the U.S. Archives building. “It’s the repository of our Constitution," she says. "The Sixth Amendment gives us our existence and we use the Fourth and Fifth and Sixth in our fight on behalf of our clients every day.”

Profile of Avis Buchanan, director of the D.C. Public Defender Service

A profile of Avis Buchanan, director of the D.C. Public Defender Service

by Nell Porter-Brown

Moulton (at right) leads a mission in Najaf.

Seth Moulton, Harvard graduate and former Marine, is profiled

A profile of former Marine Seth Moulton ’01, M.B.A.-M.P.P. ’11

by Michael Zuckerman

Murray in 1962

Brief life of psychologist Henry A. Murray, by Marshall Getz

Brief life of a personality psychologist: 1893-1988

by Marshall J. Getz

The Schachters with children they have helped in Chennai

Michael and Allie Schachter help child victims of human trafficking in India

An ’09 couple, Michael and Allie Schachter, help child victims of human trafficking in India.

by Nu Xiong

Claudia Bedrick displays one of Enchanted Lion’s books.

Claudia Bedrick of Enchanted Lion Books for children

Claudia Bedrick ’85 of Enchanted Lion Books offers an international array of stories to young children.

by Kristen Strezo

Dewitt Jones seeks a fragile balance in financing community development.

Boston Community Capital's DeWitt Jones promotes affordable housing, energy efficiency, and a mortgage buyback program in low-income communities.

by Nell Porter-Brown