Elizabeth Neils has seen poverty at home and abroad, has watched people struggle to make a living with little education, little government support, and an economy that was going no where. Most recently, she was in rural Bolivia with the Carmen Pampa Fund working with educators who provide job skills training. Neils has invested her personal and professional time to programs that create opportunities to end the cycle of poverty.

What she didn’t realize when she started down this path, was that an MBA could give her more leverage to make a difference. Neils, who entered the Carlson MBA program this year, had an epiphany after completing a master’s degree in public policy. While studying economic development and globalization, she learned that the private sector offered the greatest opportunity to make a difference. “The private sector has fewer restrictions and more resources,” Neils said.

“I learned a lot about developing good public policy. But I had already been exposed to the private sector in my previous career. I had an instinct that with my skill set I could do more good if I stayed in that environment, rather than work in the public or non-profit sector.” Because she has focused her graduate studies on trade policy, international development has always been front-of-mind for her. “As a business leader, I want to help find the solutions and be able to make money doing it.”

Neils, who worked as a public relations consultant at Kohnstamm Communications for four years before returning to school, represents a new breed of business school students who are more conscious of how their leadership roles may impact society. A recent article in Minneapolis/St Paul Magazine discusses socially conscious MBA programs and how they are attracting students who aspire to leadership roles where they can make a positive impact on pressing social problems. Neils fits this profile to a “T”.

One of the Carlson School attributes that attracted Neils when she researched MBA programs was the Center for Integrative Leadership. The new center, jointly operated by the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs and the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota, aims to develop a better understanding of how collective action across sectors (business, government, nonprofits, media, academia) and geographic boundaries can solve some of the world’s most pressing and complex societal problems. Neils had earned her master’s degree in public policy from the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute, so she was familiar with its connection to the new research center. But, there are many reasons she chose the Carlson School.

“One of the most appealing aspects of the Carlson School is its Consulting Enterprise program,” says Neils. “The Consulting Enterprise program provides this hands-on opportunity through its unique blend of academics and real-world experience.” She also plans to take advantage of the Carlson School’s China seminar abroad. She wants to learn from foreign leaders in manufacturing and outsourcing what the imperative issues are for businesses and poverty alleviation around the globe.

The Twin Cities location of the Carlson School also influenced Neils because of the exceptional quality of life it has to offer. She describes herself as “woven into the community,” with an extensive array of contacts and commitments that keep her grounded. She is a big sister through the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program. These kinds of connections are hard to leave behind.

Together, over the past six years, Neils and her little sister opened a joint checking account, worked on countless math and spelling exercises, toured college campuses and even visited Washington, D.C.  Neils recently said to her little sister in passing, “You can learn that if you go to college.” She smiled and said, “Elizabeth, don’t you mean when I go to college?”

“My little sister and I talk about work, money, success and college,” said Neils. “I tell her it is okay for women to have making money as one of their top priorities, and I’ve taken her to offices so she can see what it is like.

Because of her extensive volunteerism and work to help young girls find constructive paths to independence, she was awarded a Forté Fellowship. The Carlson School became a supporting business school member of the Forté Foundation in 2005. The foundation’s mission is to substantially increase the number of women business leaders by increasing the flow of women into key educational gateways and business networks. The Carlson School provides scholarship funding for the Forte fellowships in order to support that mission. To date, six Carlson School women have been awarded these fellowships. “Being a Forté fellow is an enriching experience. I get to connect with other women on the same path as me and network with Forté alumnae.”

When she graduates, Neils intends to transfer her experience, her MBA, and her skills, into strategy and business development with a multinational organization.