Malcolm McClain, M.B.A./M.P.P. ’23, has been named the first recipient of the Harvard Business School RISE (Recognizing Individuals Seeking Equity) Career Fellow, with his income supplemented for one year following graduation so he can work with, learn from, and make a difference in a growing business that is creating economic opportunity for marginalized communities in the United States. McClain, who also completed a master’s in public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, will serve as chief of staff at BrightUp, a seed-stage Boston-based fintech company focused on democratizing wealth building and well-being.
The fellowship’s unique model provides funding for one graduating student to join an organization dedicated to creating local financial and business opportunities. The RISE Career Fellow selects a company and partners with its leadership to design a one-year position that utilizes their MBA skills to bring significant value and capacity to both the business and its community.
Leading into his first year at HBS, McClain was a Summer Fellow with the Harlem Children’s Zone, an education nonprofit that aims to end intergenerational poverty in central Harlem and other historically distressed communities nationwide. He later served as an HBS Rock Center for Entrepreneurship Summer Fellow, working to address the labor shortage within the restaurant industry, developing service models to protect and empower restaurant workers, and providing the tools for restaurant owners to become better employers.
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