Elaine Eisenman

Dr. Elaine J. Eisenman is Dean of Executive Education at Babson College, the number one school in the world for entrepreneurship education. In this role, she is a member of the Babson President’s Cabinet, and is responsible for the strategy and growth of this Financial Times-top rated executive education division, as well as for the public sector educational and foundation partner programs in entrepreneurship. She also is responsible for the management of the top‐rated Babson Executive Conference Center.

Dr. Eisenman’s career includes experience as a business leader and general manager, HR executive, private and public Board member, and organizational consultant. Her areas of expertise include executive selection, transition, and succession, and the alignment of strategy, selection, compensation, and performance during periods of growth and transformation. Additionally, she has managed the human side of acquisition and integration through multiple acquisitions for three companies.

As both a board member and board consultant, she has extensive experience in corporate governance and is a frequent speaker on corporate governance issues, focusing on boardroom dynamics, CEO succession, and the role of the compensation committee. Recently she keynoted a governance session on the topic of "How Boards Can Avoid Being Blindsided."

Dr. Eisenman is a member of the Boards of Directors of DSW, Inc. and Active International. She is a faculty member for NACD’s Board Advisory Services. She is also on the advisory board of American Airlines Women’s Connection. For nine years, she served on the board of UST Inc. She also has served on a number of private and not‐for‐profit boards and advisory boards. She is a founding member and member of the boards of Women Corporate Directors and The Belizean Grove.

Dr. Eisenman has held senior executive positions at both public companies such as American Express, Enhance Financial Services Co., and The Children’s Place, and private companies such as PDI International, a global consulting firm, where she was general manager of the Northeast region, and Management & Capital Partners, a retained executive recruitment, management consulting, and venture capital firm, where she was chairman.

Dr. Eisenman is co‐author of, I Didn’t See It Coming: The Only Book You’ll Ever Need to Avoid Being Blindsided in Business, published by John Wiley and Sons. Her article, “Power in the Post‐Sarbanes Oxley Boardroom” was published in Directorship magazine. Her article, “Public Policy: Enabler or Inhibitor of Entrepreneurial Companies,” is included in the Praeger series on Entrepreneurship. Her article, “Why CEOs Become Blindsided,” was published in Chiefexecutive.net. She has been highlighted in interviews by WSJ, Agenda, Directorship, and Board Member.

Recently, Dr. Eisenman was interviewed on ABC’s 20/20 on the topic of failure as a foundation of entrepreneurial success. She has been a featured speaker at a number of conferences and workshops, radio and television shows on topics ranging from "How Businesses Can Avoid Being Blindsided" to "Successful Risk Taking" to "Managing through Uncertainty."

Dr. Eisenman earned a PhD in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from New York University, and an MS from Columbia University.​