Mitchell B. Weiss

Mitch Weiss is the Richard L. Menschel Professor of Management Practice at the Harvard Business School and an Emma Bloomberg Professor. He created and teaches the school’s course on Public Entrepreneurship—on public leaders and private entrepreneurs who invent a difference in the world. He is the faculty chair of the first year of the MBA program, where for many years he taught The Entrepreneurial Manager. He created and leads the “Teaching with AI” seminar from HBP. He has twice been honored with the Apgar Award for Innovation in Teaching and is a Greenhill Award recipient. He helped build the Young American Leaders Program at Harvard Business School and is a senior advisor to the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative. Mitch’s work and the Public Entrepreneurship course has been referenced in The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, Politico, and other outlets. He is the author of “We the Possibility” from Harvard Business Review Press (2021) and the “Chief of Stuff” AI newsletter. Mitch has been named one of the 100 most influential academics in government.

Prior to joining HBS in 2014, Mitch was chief of staff and a partner to Boston’s Mayor Thomas Menino. Mitch helped shape New Urban Mechanics, Boston’s municipal innovation strategy, and make it a model for peer-produced government and change. He also championed Boston’s Innovation District as a regional platform for entrepreneurship and growth.

Mitch contributed to Boston’s educational reform agenda, including its District-Charter compact. He led speechwriting for the Mayor’s Inaugural and State of the City addresses. In April 2013, he guided the Mayor’s Office response to the Marathon Bombings and played a key role in starting One Fund Boston.

Mitch has presented on government innovation at 10 Downing Street and the World Bank. He was recognized by the Boston Business Journal as one of Boston’s “Top 40 under 40” and by the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce as one of Boston’s “Ten Outstanding Young Leaders.”

Prior to his roles in the public and social sectors, Mitch worked at Merrill Lynch & Co. where he focused primarily on mergers and acquisitions for many well-recognized food companies.

Mitch holds an A.B. with honors in economics from Harvard University and a Master in Business Administration from Harvard Business School, where he was a George Baker Scholar.