Harms, a graduate of Duke University's Fuqua School of Business, and Strong, who earned his MBA from The University of Arizona's Eller College of Management, were recipients of the 2009 Mita Business in Society Fellowship. It was the inaugural year for the fellowship, awarded annually to one or more young business leaders who hold an MBA and have made a demonstrated commitment to using the tools of business to better society.
In her new position, Harms will play a critical role in the Hitachi Community Action Partnership, a grant making and community engagement program that helps Hitachi companies throughout North America respond to local community needs and challenges. She will also be deeply involved in the new Yoshiyama Young Entrepreneurs Program, which will award up to $50,000 to young business leaders who are operating viable businesses that create jobs, supply goods or services, or use internal management practices that offer low-wealth individuals in America a leg up.
As Program Officer, Strong will play an integral part in the Foundation's Business and Work Program, which finds pioneering employers who are implementing business practices to help both the business and its employees succeed, and then disseminates transferable lessons. For Strong, this includes working directly on some of the Foundation's major initiatives, including Jobs to Careers and the National Fund for Workforce Solutions.
"During my time at the Foundation, it has become ever clearer to me that most business leaders want to have a positive impact on society, yet don't always understand the levers to push. It's exciting that what we are learning, uncovering, even catalyzing, is directly contributing to a stronger business-community partnership," Harms said.
"For the American economy to return to health, we need a new contract between businesses and employees, one that recognizes that mutual learning and commitment are necessary to succeed in a workplace that is quickly and dramatically shifting," added Strong. "The Hitachi Foundation is directly helping to forge that path."
