“What can we do to minimize suffering?” This question drives the work of Jeff Walker, MBA ’81, and his colleagues to address global public health issues. A former full-time venture capitalist and private equity investor, Walker now spends some 95 percent of his time on global health efforts and the study of philanthropic and collaborative leadership. He is currently vice chair in the Office of the U.N. Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Health Finance and Malaria, focusing primarily on community health workers, and his book The Generosity Network is the basis for a Harvard Kennedy School course he helped establish.
The same question provided the impetus for Walker’s $500,000 gift to the Harvard Chan School, part of his Campaign gift to his alma mater, Harvard Business School. The gift created the Jeffrey C. Walker Fund for Public Health Leadership Development and is designed to promote collaboration between the Harvard Chan School and Harvard Kennedy School, especially in support of the work of Howard Koh, professor of the practice of public health leadership and director of the Leading Change Studio at the Harvard Chan School.
Walker believes that investing in leadership training programs is the most effective way to address big global health problems. Employing the skills of collaboration and networking honed throughout his business career, he has become a catalyst for bringing together people with a passion for public health and advancing serious programs to tackle the issues.