The Haas School has named alumnus David Rochlin, BS 85, a social entrepreneur and innovation expert, as the new executive director of the Haas@Work Program.
Rochlin's immediate focus is on converting Haas@Work from a primarily not-for-credit experiential learning program into a more structured for-credit elective class with more classroom time and more coursework. The Haas@Work course will be one of the options MBA students may choose this spring to fulfill their experiential learning requirement that has been added as part of the Berkeley Innovative Leader Development (BILD) curriculum.
Haas@Work is the corporate innovation option that sends teams of students to global firms to research and develop solutions to real business challenges. A core team then implements the solution or solutions chosen by the firm’s executive team within 100 days.
Rochlin's background includes consumer-products marketing and consulting (with Nielsen, Del Monte, and Deloitte) and extensive tech industry executive and consulting experience. He most recently worked in the social sector as chief operating officer of TransFair USA, the only third-party certifier of Fair Trade products in the United States, and as the founder and CEO of ClimatePath, which provides a way for users to offset their carbon footprint.
Rochlin developed and taught the innovation and technology strategy class in the executive MBA program at St. Mary's College. He has published an MBA-level textbook on innovation and technology strategy called Hunter or Hunted: Technology, Innovation, and Competitive Strategy. He has an MBA from Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management and a BS from the Berkeley business school (now called Haas).
"I am excited to have Dave on board as we continue to expand and deepen Haas@Work as part of the BILD curriculum," says Michael Katz, director of the Haas School's Institute for Business Innovation. "His diverse experiences inside and outside the classroom will be a tremendous asset."
Katz also expressed his gratitude to Adam Berman, executive director of emerging initiatives at Haas, for founding Haas@Work in 2006 and building it into a highly successful program.