Lindsey Cohen

When she was applying to graduate schools, Lindsey Cohen (Questrom’23) wasn’t quite sure what direction she wanted to take. She applied to 13 master’s programs, ranging from public health to geriatrics to environmental sustainability to social work. The one thing she knew for sure was that she wanted to do something purpose-driven.

“I wasn’t interested in business for business’s sake, but rather in how business could be used as a force for good,” Cohen says. She had done her research and discovered that Questrom was the first school in the world to launch a social-impact MBA program and one of only three in the United States to offer such a program. She ultimately selected Questrom’s Social Impact MBA program, which is designed for students who have a passion for creating positive change and using their leadership skills to tackle some of the world’s most urgent challenges.

Cohen joined the Social Impact & Nonprofit Club (SINC), a student-run organization that hosts networking and career development events and provides opportunities for MBA students to apply their business expertise in support of nonprofits, governmental organizations, and purpose-driven businesses.

Cohen became the president of SINC and has led several initiatives, one of which benefited the St. Francis House, New England’s largest daytime shelter for homeless individuals. Another community engagement event was SINC’s participation in a cleanup sponsored by the Charles River Watershed Association. 

“Having a networking event geared toward social impact across sectors provides a space and an opportunity for people to see that social impact can be embedded in any career, whether in the for-profit, non-profit, private, or public sector,” Cohen says. 

After graduation, Cohen is to join Takeda Pharmaceuticals, commercial leadership development program for recent MBA students, where she’ll have a chance to work in several positions that encourage health equity initiatives.