Green Economy Pioneer Van Jones Speaks to Packed Presidio Crowd
The new White House green jobs advisor Van Jones gave an inspiring talk to the Presidio community last month; close to 400 students and graduates attended. The well-timed speech was delivered the evening before Jones left for his new job with the Obama administration. Founding president of Green For All, a nonprofit promoting green-collar jobs and opportunities for the disadvantaged, Jones also co-founded the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, which advocates mainly for juvenile justice reform.

He called upon the Presidio community to be the leaders who take on the ecological, environmental and societal challenges our country faces. Jones said in his speech, "As bad as things look for the economy and the environment, the good news is there is a solution. The bad news.... you're it."

New Program Offering for Fall 2009: Master of Public Administration
To meet the growing demand for sustainability professionals in public service, Presidio has launched a Master of Public Administration (MPA). Starting Fall 2009, the new degree program develops professionals to lead and transform government, nonprofits and NGOs in a sustainable way. The two-year, full-time program is the first MPA in the country to fully integrate sustainability throughout every course. Presidio launched the new degree as a natural outgrowth of the successful MBA program, recognizing the need to drive change and prepare professionals for careers in the public sector.

The new MPA program will emphasize the ability to think systemically and create solutions that address our most pressing social, ecological and economic issues. The program emphasizes action-oriented learning with a requirement to complete multiple projects within public, civic or nonprofit institutions. Similar to the Presidio MBA, students collaborate on projects with high-caliber colleagues and will also have the opportunity to work with MBA students, thereby leveraging the extensive Presidio network.

Students also have the option to earn a dual MBA and MPA degree. This unique program prepares students for roles that straddle the blurring line between the public and private sector.

Applications are now being accepted for the inaugural Fall 2009 class, and an in-person interview is required prior to submitting an application. Click here for information on scheduling your interview. Early admissions deadline is May 29.

Jay Ogilvy Named New Academic Dean
Global Business Network (GBN) co-founder Jay Ogilvy was named Presidio's new Dean and Chief Academic Officer earlier this month. Ogilvy, who has been teaching in Presidio's MBA and Executive Certificate programs since 2006, brings a unique and well-seasoned blend of sustainable business and academic experience to the role. Prior to teaching at Presidio, he led strategic planning for Fortune 500 companies based on alternative scenarios and intelligence about the global social, economic and political environment. In addition to his corporate consulting, Jay has taught at Yale University, the University of Texas and Williams College.

"I'm thrilled to join the Presidio leadership team at this pivotal time in the School's growth," said Ogilvy. "There is an unprecedented opportunity and a need for highly skilled business and civic leaders who can think systemically and apply sustainable frameworks to solve our most pressing challenges. Presidio is among the educational leaders in this arena, and it's a privilege to help realize the School's vision."

Ogilvy has been involved with Presidio since serving on the Board of Directors when the School launched its MBA program in 2003 with 22 students. In other career highlights, he was a Senior Social Scientist at SRI International (formerly Stanford Research Institute) and Director of Research for SRI's Values and Lifestyles (VALS) Program. He holds a Ph.D and M.A. in philosophy from Yale University, and a B.A. from Williams College. Ogilvy has authored numerous articles, reviews and books, including Creating Better Futures, Living Without a Goal and China's Futures.

Presidio MBA Students Win Cornell Competition; Semi-Finalists in Wal-Mart Challenge
Teams of Presidio MBA students have recently come out on top in two high profile sustainable business competitions. One team won the second annual SustaInvest investment portfolio competition at Cornell University earlier this month. Their portfolio was selected over 50 other competitors representing business schools around the country. Brian Bishop, Natasha Tuck, Jen Cohn and Oliver Dameron, or team BANJO, were the Presidio students that beat semi-finalist teams from University of Virginia, Cornell University and Dickinson College. SustaInvest is a portfolio pitch competition that calls for students to propose and defend a mock portfolio of sustainable investments worth $100,000. The Presidio team developed an investment portfolio of publicly traded companies that utilized a counter intuitive approach to standard investment practices. Employing this paradigm shift, they assembled the strongest portfolio from both a financial and sustainability perspective.

Another Presidio team beat out MBAs from Stanford University and U.C. Berkeley’s Haas School of Business to win the Western Regional competition of Wal-Mart’s second annual Better Living Business Plan Challenge, started last year to give business students from around the world the opportunity to invent sustainable products and business solutions. Sandra Kwak, Kendall Laine and Elizabeth Stuart wrote a plan for an easy-to-use smart-energy product called the Powerzoa, a technology product that meters and controls energy use and connects to a Web site that displays energy use information. The team advanced as semi-finalists and presented their plan to Wal-Mart judges in Bentonville, Arkansas, this month.

Alumni Spotlight:
Edward West Zooms to Success with Mission Motors
As an early member of the Presidio MBA program, Edward West is no stranger to start-ups with a mission. Now, he is leading one of his own that appears to be on the pathway to big success. Aptly named Mission Motors, the company is aiming to produce the fastest electric motorcycle in the world. Edward, who serves as the president, started on the venture mid-course through his MBA. A former Yale classmate drafted him during the summer break, and then Edward began using the Presidio coursework to develop the idea. With the help of teammates, he crafted a marketing plan, financial analysis plan and, ultimately, a full-fledged business plan in the final semester's Capstone course.

After graduating in June 2007, Edward and his team (then named Hum Cycles) won 2nd place in the transportation category at the California Clean Tech Open. The competition was the next step to help them further hone their business plan. "We were able to take the ideas developed while in school," West says, "and then package them for the VC crowd." Mission Motors received their first round of funding in January 2008. Earlier this month, the company unveiled their 2010 model at the TED Conference, creating media buzz in the New York Times, Fast Company, Forbes and other major outlets.

When deciding on graduate schools, Edward says he chose Presidio because of the MBA program's unique framework. He said it afforded him the flexibility to work on projects that most interested him as well as provided a research laboratory to explore his ideas. "When I graduated," West said. "I didn't just have a degree. I had a degree and a solid business plan." His advice to other budding entrepreneurs? "Be willing to take risks. Be open to business partners. And be willing to think broadly enough about your ideas...because we need these big problems solved."

Interested in Applying to Presidio? Schedule Your Interview Now!
Admissions deadlines for the Presidio MBA, Executive Certificate and new MPA program are fast approaching. The first step in applying to the MBA or MPA programs is to schedule an in-person interview or a phone appointment for the Executive program. Visit the Presidio website for details and application deadline dates for each program. To learn more about Presidio and our program offerings, join us for an Information Session on Thursday, May 7, 6-8pm, at San Francisco's Fort Mason Center. RSVP for the May 7th event here.

Fritjof Capra, Bob Willard and Others Join Presidio Faculty
Presidio is pleased to welcome the following new faculty to our Executive and MBA programs:

Executive Program
Fritjof Capra - Physicist and systems theorist, founding director of the Center for Ecoliteracy
Bob Willard - Sustainability expert and author, The Sustainability Advantage and The Next Sustainability Wave

MBA Program
Gary Merrill, M.S. - Culture, Values and Ethics
Anke Schwittay, Ph.D. - Business, Government & Civil Society

Presidio in the News
Joey Feinstein, MBA '06, appears on NBC Chicago TV on behalf of his nonprofit, Climate Cycle

Presidio faculty member & MBA grad Nathan Shedroff debuts sustainable design book

Eco-living expert and Presidio MBA grad Simran Sethi makes 3rd guest appearance on Oprah

Calendar of Events
Stay up-to-date on Presidio application deadlines, events, classes and conferences we're attending in the coming months ahead.

May 7: Information Session, 6-8pm, Fort Mason Center, RSVP here
May 8-10: Executive Program classes in session
May 14-16: MBA classes in session - Class Visit Opportunity
May 15: Final Application Deadline for Fall '09 MBA Program
May 21-23: Hunter Lovins keynotes BALLE Conference
May 28: Presidio MBA Graduation
May 29: Early Application Deadline for Fall '09 MPA Program
May 31-June 4: Presidio at Sustainable Brands Conference
June 5-7: Executive Program classes in session
June 19: Final Application Deadline for Fall '09 Executive Program
June 30: Final Application Deadline for Fall '09 MPA Program

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