MBA transformers: Lisa Henke

Once: Philanthropy Director, The Nature Conservancy

Now: Vendor Management, Amazon.com

Experiencing the fragile natural splendor of Ecuador and Costa Rica during her college years, Lisa Henke (MBA 2010) couldn’t help but become an environmental advocate.

She joined the Nature Conservancy’s Latin American programs, initially handling marketing, fundraising and business development. Eventually, Henke rose to associate director of philanthropy, forging relationships with wealthy individuals and corporations with a conscience.

“I was inspired by the people I met on the advisory board,” Henke says. “I began to see the power of combining business and environmental management.”

She came to Foster to learn how to harness the market to do good. She says her classes and classmates really helped.

And now that free-market education continues at Amazon, where Henke began as a senior product manager on the books team and now oversees vendor management on the home improvement team.

“I’ve learned so much here, working with smart people from so many different backgrounds,” she says. “It’s like an extension of the Foster School.”

Henke also remains active on the board of EarthCorps, a Seattle-based organization she first served through the Foster Board Fellows Program. “That’s how I get my environmental fix,” she says.

Find out about the other alumni who transformed their careers via the MBA Program.