How to Turn Your Career into a Force for Good

EPISODE DESCRIPTION:

As we move forward through our careers, perhaps it’s time to consider some bigger aspirations beyond professional advancement—especially as we get older and ponder our legacy. How might we create a significant contribution to making a better world? In today’s episode, I talk with Emiliana Vegas, a Harvard professor and author of the recent book, “Let’s Change the World,” who has spent her career focusing on issues to improve the educational opportunities in the so-called Global South—Latin America, the Caribbean and other developing regions. Dr. Vegas offers a practical and encouraging guide for everyone, no matter their age, who wants to make a positive change through their professional life—from ensuring access to quality schools and clean water, to improving healthcare and creating safer communities. Finding global institutions on that path are often difficult to understand, hard to get into, and even harder to navigate. Dr. Vegas, who has 20 years of experience working in international development organizations, will not only describe her own personal and professional journey, but provide a compendium of insider tips, best practices, and targeted advice, offering a blueprint for all of us determined to be a force for good.

ABOUT THE GUEST: 

Emiliana Vegas is currently a professor of practice at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. With 20 years of experience working in international development organizations, Dr. Vegas has been a leading economist at the World Bank, division chief of education at the Inter-American Bank, and codirector of the Center for Universal Education at the Brookings Institution. She earned a Doctor of Education degree from Harvard, a Master of Public Policy degree from Duke University, and a Bachelor's degree in communications from the Andrés Bello Catholic University in Caracas, Venezuela. Her research focuses on issues affecting education systems in Latin America and the Caribbean and other developing regions. Born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela, Dr. Vegas now splits her time between Cambridge, Mass., Washington, D.C. and Naples, Fla. She enjoys spending time with her husband, W. David Lawson, and their large, blended family. Outside of work, she enjoys boating, water sports, running, practicing yoga, reading, traveling, and playing the piano.

Contact:  emiliana_vegas@gse.harvard.edu

Website: https://www.emilianavegas.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EmiVegasV

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emivegasv/

X: @EmiVegasv