Speakers
Thomas J. Tierney
Chairman and co-founder, Bridgespan Group
Thomas J. Tierney is chairman and co-founder of the Bridgespan Group, an independent, nonprofit organization designed to provide professional services to philanthropists, foundations, and other nonprofits. In 2000, he stepped down as Bain & Company’s CEO to concentrate on Bridgespan-related activities. In 2003, he led the development of Bridgestar, an initiative of the Bridgespan Group dedicated to enhancing and increasing leadership talent for the nonprofit sector. Mr. Tierney is the co-author of the 2011 book Give Smart: Philanthropy That Gets Results, which Adam Meyerson has called “the best short book ever written about effectiveness in philanthropic giving.” He frequently speaks and writes on a variety of topics related to nonprofit leadership and philanthropy. He lectures at Harvard Business School and the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, and chairs the Harvard Business School Initiative on Social Enterprise. He contributed chapters to Leader of the Future and Taking Philanthropy Seriously and has been featured in articles on philanthropy in the New York Times and the Financial Times. He also co-authored a popular book about organization and strategy titled, Aligning the Stars. In 2009, Mr. Tierney was named as one of the Nonprofit Times “Power and Influence Top 50.” He is a director of eBay and also serves on a number of nonprofit boards and advisory groups, including the Nature Conservancy, the Hoover Institution, and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. He received his B.A. in economics from the University of California at Davis and his MBA from Harvard Business School.
