Prof. Donald R Lessard

Professor Lessard's research interests are in global strategic management and project management, focused on the energy sector, with an emphasis on managing in the face of uncertainty and risk. He has published extensively on these topics in academic and professional journals, and is co-author of Strategic Management of Large Engineering Projects: Shaping Institutions, Risks, and Governance (MIT Press 2001 with Roger Miller). A member of the MIT faculty since 1973, Lessard has served as Deputy Dean of the Sloan School with responsibilities for research, international programs, and executive education; co-chair of the Energy Education Task Force that launched an Institute-wide undergraduate energy minor; and founding director of the MIT Executive MBA, the BP Projects and Engineering Academy, and the Li and Fung Executive Development Program. He also led the MIT-Merrill Lynch Partnership, MIT's first large-scale collaboration with a financial services firm. A leader in international management education, Lessard is a past President of the Academy of International Business and Dean of the Fellows of the Academy. He is a Senior Fellow of the Fung Global Institute, a think tank based in Hong Kong. A senior advisor to the Brattle Group, he has led major consulting assignments with firms, banks, and government agencies throughout the world.