Debora Spar

Debora L. Spar is recognized for her expertise at the intersection of business, technology, and society. Spar serves as the Jaime and Josefina Chua Tiampo Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School and as Senior Associate Dean for Business and Global Society. She graduated magna cum laude from the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and earned a doctorate in government from Harvard University. Following her doctoral studies, Spar joined the faculty at Harvard, where she held roles including senior associate dean and chair of the Committee on Human Rights.

Spar's leadership experience includes serving as president of Barnard College and as president and CEO of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. At Barnard, she led initiatives focused on women's leadership and advancement, such as the creation of the Athena Center for Leadership Studies and the development of the Global Symposium series. Spar later returned to Harvard, where she became senior associate dean of Harvard Business School Online and continued her work as a professor of business administration.

Spar is the author of several books, including "Ruling the Waves: Cycles of Discovery, Chaos, and Wealth from the Compass to the Internet," "The Baby Business," and "Wonder Women: Sex, Power, and the Quest for Perfection." Her book "The Baby Business: How Money, Science and Politics Drive the Commerce of Conception" contributed to research on the economics of alternative fertility and examined fertility through a business lens. In "Work Mate Marry Love: How Machines Shape Our Human Destiny," Spar explores the relationship between technological change and social structures. "Work Mate Marry Love" appeared on the New York Times bestseller list. Spar's research addresses topics such as artificial intelligence, the economy of intangible goods, and the impact of technology on business and society.

At Harvard Business School, Spar developed the required MBA course "The Purpose of the Firm" and is the founding faculty chair of the Institute for Business in Global Society. Her curriculum work addresses how corporations can respond to societal challenges, including climate change, economic mobility, and inequality. Spar is a member of the Academy of Arts and Sciences, serves as a director of Value Retail LLC and Thermo Fisher Scientific, and is a trustee of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Bentley University. She has also served on the boards of Goldman Sachs and the Wallace and Markle Foundations.