Leaders of Impact 2024 Celebrates Teamwork and Persistence

“Having met with thousands of people who play college sports over the past couple of years, I am absolutely convinced it teaches all the right lessons,” said keynote speaker Charlie Baker at the Isenberg Leaders of Impact event on October 24. The president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), who is also a former college basketball player and governor of Massachusetts, added that student athletes gain skills that have served him well in his career. “They know what it means to be on a team. They know you don’t get better if you don’t work hard. They know how to win with dignity and lose with grace.”

Baker, who served as governor from 2015 through 2023, sees teamwork as one of the most important aspects of leadership, and told attendees that he accepted the top position at the NCAA because the organization is a distributed decision-making model with lots of different points of view across the membership. Plus, it serves a population of young people who make him feel good about the country and the future.

“I’ve been fortunate to play—in life, in business, in service, and in sports—on a lot of really great teams,” Baker said.

The Leaders of Impact event, which took place at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, celebrates leaders who are making a difference and influencing their organizations, industries, and communities in innovative and tangible ways. More than 200 alumni, faculty, staff, students, and friends of Isenberg attended to celebrate impactful leadership and to mingle with other members of the school community.

View the Leaders of Impact 2024 photo gallery.

After his speech, Baker sat with Isenberg Dean Anne Massey for a question-and-answer session, delving more deeply into how he has dealt with the challenges facing the NCAA at this pivotal moment in college athletics, as the industry tries to find the balance between academics, athletics and financial incentives. Baker described some of the work the organization is doing to reform the “name, image, likeness” (NIL) system so that payments are applied more broadly across sports, including for women, and he discussed efforts to keep student athletes from sacrificing their college scholarships by entering the transfer portal, and to encourage them to pursue graduation at their institutions.

Supporting Isenberg Students

Before delivering the keynote address, Baker spoke with members of the Isenberg Dean’s Academy, a cohort of first-year students chosen based on outstanding academic achievement in high school as well as potential for success at Isenberg. The Dean’s Academy students have spent their first two months of college participating in weekly seminars with faculty and meeting with prominent alumni, corporate executives, and industry leaders. They had received coaching to prepare them to network with alumni and members of the Boston business community and came ready with questions for Baker about his leadership secrets, NCAA experience, and political career.

“You sometimes get the sense that anyone who doesn’t win is a loser,” Baker said about his experience losing the race for Massachusetts governor in 2010 before winning in 2014. “But the truth is that everyone who wins has lost. Losing gives you the opportunity to figure out what you did wrong.”

He also explained to the students that being governor during the Covid-19 pandemic tested his leadership principles, and validated them. “When you make a mistake, you need to admit it,” he said. “If something’s not working, try something else. Be willing to accept responsibility.” Baker achieved approval ratings above 75 percent as governor, making him one of the highest-rated elected representatives in the nation. 

Leader of Impact Award

During the formal program, Dean Massey presented the 2024 Leader of Impact Award to Sarah Bergs, founder and CEO of the Nourish Foundation, which works to connect conservation and community well-being in South Africa. Isenberg students have had enriching experiences working with Nourish during the “Service Learning in South Africa” study abroad trip, and the school has supported the foundation by donating a computer lab in one of the organization’s eco-villages.

“Nourish has hosted our students during their study abroad program, and they came back raving about the great work that’s happening there,” Massey said.

Bergs expressed her gratitude in a speech, explaining that the work she does can feel small at times. “Mother Teresa said you can do no great things, only small things with love,” Bergs said. “This award has made me feel seen, so thank you.”

Learn more about Sarah Bergs and Nourish.

During the reception that followed in the rotunda of the museum, attendees donated to help Isenberg students reach a fundraising goal of $7,500 to support solar power installations at Nourish eco-villages that lack dependable energy.

Support sustainable energy at Nourish Eco-Village.