Before joining mbaMission, Helen Summers served as the director of MBA programs at Management Leadership for Tomorrow—a national nonprofit that guides underrepresented minorities through the business school application process—where she developed curriculum and programming for nearly 1,000 fellows. Helen’s passion for business school admissions began when she was earning her MBA from Harvard Business School (HBS). In recognition of her significant involvement in admissions efforts and outreach, Helen received the HBS Student Association Award and the Bert King Fellowship. Before attending business school, Helen was a senior financial analyst with Johnson & Johnson (J&J)—during which time she earned her CPA—and began her five years with the company as part of the Financial Leadership Development Program (FLDP). She gained valuable experience through rotations in finance and accounting, managing Motrin Franchise marketing expenses and analyzing the financial impact of new initiatives in the production process of cardiac catheters and stents. As a graduate of FLDP, Helen returned to J&J’s corporate headquarters, where she helped develop a new financial reporting system and managed the $160M budgets of the company’s CEO and CFO. She is a former Division I scholarship tennis player and has completed two Chicago marathons in recent years. Helen now enjoys exploring vegetarian and vegan cooking.
Quick Facts:
Received MBA from: Harvard Business School
Undergraduate field of study: Accounting
Fields worked in before mbaMission: Nonprofit, prior to that (and B-school), pharma/health care at J&J
Working style: I’m a friendly cheerleader that gives tough love when needed.
What Past Clients Are Saying:
“Helen is fantastic!! I literally cannot say enough positive things about her. All in all, I had a very positive experience with mbaMission and Helen Summers and would recommend both highly.”
“I know that your help was invaluable in this process, so here’s a special thanks to you and mbaMission for helping me make my MBA plans a reality! Working on the essays was by far the most enriching process in my entire MBA application adventure!”
“Helen, thank you so much for all of your help throughout the application process. From brainstorming, to refining my story and getting it on paper (within word limits!), to getting me prepared for my interviews… you relentlessly did your part. You are amazing at what you do.”