Nancy F. Koehn (born 1959) is an author and a business historian at

Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate school, graduate business school of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university. Located in Allston, Massachusetts, HBS owns Harvard Business Publishing, which p ...

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, Massachusetts, where she is the James E. Robison Professor of Business Administration, and was a visiting scholar during 2011–2013. She is also a member of Harvard's Faculty of Arts and Sciences, in the Economics Department.

Education

* B.A., History (

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

* Master of Public Policy (M.P.P.),

Kennedy School of Government The John F. Kennedy School of Government, commonly referred to as Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), is the school of public policy of Harvard University, a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard Kennedy School offers master's de ...

, Harvard University * MA,

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

(

European History The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD 500), the Middle Ages (AD 500–1500), and the modern era (since AD 1500). The first early Eu ...

) * PhD,

(

)

Career

Koehn is a business historian at

Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences The Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) is the largest of the ten faculties that constitute Harvard University. Headquartered principally in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and centered in the historic Harvard Yard, FAS is the only faculty respo ...

and has been a business historian at

, since 2011 (some online sources say 1991). She began as a Visiting Scholar (2011–2013), then was offered the James E. Robison Professor of Business Administration, which she has held since 2013. Her predecessor in that endowed Chair was James Cash Jr. Koehn is widely quoted on radio and television, and is a regular featured contributor to WGBH, an

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

radio station in

, Massachusetts, near

. She has been a speaker at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the Aspen Institute Ideas Festival, and the World Business Forum, and has appeared on ''

American Experience ''American Experience'' is a television program airing on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in the United States. The program airs documentaries, many of which have won awards, about important or interesting events and people in American his ...

'', ''

Good Morning America ''Good Morning America'', often abbreviated as ''GMA'', is an American breakfast television, morning television program that is broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends wit ...

'',

Bloomberg Television Bloomberg Television (on-air as Bloomberg) is an American-based pay television network focusing on business and capital market programming, owned by diversified information and media private company Bloomberg L.P. It is distributed globally, re ...

CNBC CNBC is an American List of business news channels, business news channel owned by the NBCUniversal News Group, a unit of Comcast's NBCUniversal. The network broadcasts live business news and analysis programming during the morning, Day ...

's ''Moneywheel'', ''

The NewsHour ''PBS News Hour'', previously stylized as ''PBS NewsHour'', is the news division of PBS and an American daily evening television news program broadcast on over 350 PBS member stations since October 20, 1975. It airs seven nights a week, and i ...

'', A&E's ''

Biography A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or curri ...

'',

CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

's '' Money Line'', and many other television programs. She writes regularly for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'', ''

The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers p ...

'', and the '' Harvard Business Review Online'', and is a regular commentator on

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

. Numerous corporations consult with her for strategic guidance. She is also a director of Fashion To Figure, a clothing retailer, and of

Tempur Sealy International Somnigroup International Inc. is an American manufacturer of mattresses and bedding products. The company was formed when Tempur-Pedic International, a manufacturer of memory foam mattresses, acquired its biggest competitor Sealy Corporation ...

Academic appointments

* 2004–2011, lecturer, History and Literature concentration, Department of Economics, Faculty of Arts and Sciences,

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

, MA * 2011–2013, visiting scholar,

Allston, Massachusetts Allston is an officially recognized neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was named after the American painter and poet Washington Allston. It comprises the land covered by the zip code 02134. For the most part, Allston is ...

* 2013–present, James E. Robison Professor of Business Administration,

Author

In ''Forged in Crisis'', Koehn explores what qualities make for a great leader, using the examples of Ernest Shackleton, Abraham Lincoln, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Rachel Carson, and Frederick Douglass. The book became a Wall Street Journal Bestseller in November 2017. She has devoted significant interest to women in leadership; has written two books about

Oprah Winfrey Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954) is an American television presenter, talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and media proprietor. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show' ...

, and had a role in Harvard's offering her an honorary doctorate.

Personal life

Koehn is single and is a breast cancer survivor. She describes herself as "an avid equestrian" and, on her personal website, as a "Teacher, Rider, Poet, Pilgrim". She often references her love of horses, of riding horses, and her care of three horses.

Works

Books: * , spotlights five masters of crisis: polar explorer

Ernest Shackleton Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton (15 February 1874 – 5 January 1922) was an Anglo-Irish Antarctic explorer who led three British expeditions to the Antarctic. He was one of the principal figures of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarcti ...

; President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

; abolitionist

Frederick Douglass Frederick Douglass (born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, February 14, 1818 – February 20, 1895) was an American social reformer, Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman. He was the most impor ...

; Nazi-resisting clergyman

Dietrich Bonhoeffer Dietrich Bonhoeffer (; 4 February 1906 – 9 April 1945) was a German Lutheran pastor, neo-orthodox theologian and anti-Nazi dissident who was a key founding member of the Confessing Church. His writings on Christianity's role in the s ...

; and environmental crusader

Rachel Carson Rachel Louise Carson (May 27, 1907 – April 14, 1964) was an American marine biologist, writer, and conservation movement, conservationist whose sea trilogy (1941–1955) and book ''Silent Spring'' (1962) are credited with advancing mari ...

. * ''Oprah (Brand) Renew'' (2011) * ''Oprah: Leading with Heart'' (2011) * ''Ernest Shackleton: Exploring Leadership'', (2010: ; 2012) * ''The Story of American Business: From the Pages of the New York Times'' (2009,

Harvard Business Press Harvard Business Publishing (HBP) is a publisher founded in 1994 as a not-for-profit, independent corporation and an affiliate of Harvard Business School (distinct from Harvard University Press), with a focus on improving business management pr ...

, * ''Brand New: How Entrepreneurs Earned Consumers' Trust from Wedgwood to Dell'' (2001, ) * ''The Power of Commerce: Economy and Governance in the First British Empire'' (1994, ) Contributing Author: * ''Creative Capitalism: A Conversation with

Bill Gates William Henry Gates III (born October 28, 1955) is an American businessman and philanthropist. A pioneer of the microcomputer revolution of the 1970s and 1980s, he co-founded the software company Microsoft in 1975 with his childhood friend ...

Warren Buffett Warren Edward Buffett ( ; born August 30, 1930) is an American investor and philanthropist who currently serves as the chairman and CEO of the conglomerate holding company Berkshire Hathaway. As a result of his investment success, Buffett is ...

and other Economic Leaders'' (2008) * ''Remember Who You Are: Life Stories That Inspire the Heart and Mind'' (2004) * ''Beauty and Business'' (2000) * ''The Intellectual Venture Capitalist: John H. McArthur and the Work of the

'', 1980–1995 (1999) * ''Creating Modern Capitalism: How Entrepreneurs, Companies, and Countries Triumphed in Three

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution, sometimes divided into the First Industrial Revolution and Second Industrial Revolution, was a transitional period of the global economy toward more widespread, efficient and stable manufacturing processes, succee ...

s'' (1997) * ''Management Past and Present: A Casebook on American Business History'' (1995) Journal articles: * Koehn, Nancy F
"Great Men, Great Pay? Why CEO Compensation Is Sky High."
Opinions. ''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' (June 12, 2014). View Details * Koehn, Nancy F
"Calling All Leaders: Feed and Water Yourself."
''

Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers ...

'', The Blog (March 25, 2014). Harvard Business School Case Studies: Nancy Koehn has written and supervised

br>business cases

/ref> including *

Starbucks Coffee Company Starbucks Corporation is an American multinational chain of coffeehouses and roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It was founded in 1971 by Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, and Gordon Bowker at Seattle's Pike Place Market ...

Bono Paul David Hewson (born 10 May 1960), known by the nickname Bono ( ), is an Irish singer-songwriter and activist. He is a founding member, the lead vocalist, and primary lyricist of the rock band U2. Bono is known for his impassioned voca ...

and U2 * Celeste Walker *

Dell Computer Dell Inc. is an American technology company that develops, sells, repairs, and supports personal computers (PCs), servers, data storage devices, network switches, software, computer peripherals including printers and webcams among other produ ...

* Ernest Shackleton * Estée Lauder * Henry Heinz *

Marshall Field Marshall Field (August 18, 1834January 16, 1906) was an American entrepreneur and the founder of Marshall Field's, Marshall Field and Company, the Chicago-based department stores. His business was renowned for its then-exceptional level of qua ...

Milton Hershey Milton Snavely Hershey (September 13, 1857 – October 13, 1945) was an American chocolatier, businessman, and philanthropist. Trained in the confectionery business, Hershey pioneered the manufacture of caramel, using fresh milk. He launched ...

* Stonyfield Yogurt *

Whole Foods Whole foods are foods that are unprocessed and unrefined. Examples of whole foods include grains such as oatmeal and rice, fruits, vegetables, dried beans, nuts, seeds, unprocessed meats, and fish. Depending on the context this may sometimes refe ...

Wedgwood Wedgwood is an English China (material), fine china, porcelain and luxury accessories manufacturer that was founded on 1 May 1759 by the potter and entrepreneur Josiah Wedgwood and was first incorporated in 1895 as Josiah Wedgwood and Sons L ...

References

External sources

Nancy Koehn's faculty profile, Harvard Business School

Nancy F. Koehn's personal website

Nancy Koehn's Twitter account – @nancykoehn

Harvard Business School Working Knowledge (case studies; HBS pioneered the case study method in business education

The James and Anne Robinson Foundation, Armonk, NY

Forged in Crisis book website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Koehn, Nancy 21st-century American historians Date of birth missing (living people) American economic historians American female equestrians Living people Harvard Business School faculty Harvard Kennedy School alumni Writers from Boston Stanford University alumni American women historians American women in business 1959 births Historians from Massachusetts 21st-century American women writers 20th-century American sportswomen

Education

Career

Academic appointments

Author

Personal life

Works

See also

References

External sources