She speaks six languages, is a published author and frequent public speaker and works for one of the world's largest food companies. Laura Stein '83 is one among four candidates who will be nominated for an alumni trustee seat opening in June, offering a unique perspective as an executive of an $8 billion global conglomerate.
Stein, senior vice president and general counsel of the H.J. Heinz Company, maker of the famed tomato ketchup, oversees the company's compliance, ethics and policy matters. In an interview with The Dartmouth, Stein said her background in corporate governance would prove an asset to Dartmouth as a non-profit corporation.
"Trustees need to oversee critical areas, such as fiscal investment, operation matters, fair treatment, and transparency on diversity and other matters," Stein said. "Through working for a global company and through my service on public boards, I have the skills necessary to be entrusted in Dartmouth's future."
Stein graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Dartmouth in 1983, later receiving a J.D. from Harvard and returning to Dartmouth for an M.A. in 1994. She has remained involved in Dartmouth principally through alumni affairs, serving as an alumni interviewer, club speaker and member of the Dartmouth Lawyers Association.
In addition to her corporate work at Heinz, Stein is a director of the Heinz Foundation, which promotes family nutrition, diversity and quality of life and is president of Heinz's GOAL for Women program, promoting leadership, skill development and volunteerism. She also chairs the ABA Commission on Domestic Violence, and was recently named one of Pennsylvania's "50 Best Women in Business."
In her candidate statement, Stein writes that her vision for Dartmouth is that it "continue as one of the top liberal arts institutions in the world," while attracting and retaining scholarly professors that are "engaging teachers." According to Stein, Dartmouth must be a "role model in diversity" and train students with the skills "to think critically and be future leaders in the global world we live in," Stein said.
Stein, who has worked in corporate culture for much of her career, stresses open communication, budgetary discipline and an ethical and transparent culture as being of great importance for the College.
"Having a culture that avoids conflicts of interest is critically important to ensure the right decisions are made," Stein said.
She added that academic investment should be the College's top priority and that Dartmouth must remove unnecessary overhead and "other costs and clutter," making tough choices without compromising need-blind admissions.
"We must determine what's absolutely paramount and where to make investment. I would look at ensuring our commitment to need-blind admission and prioritize investment in academics. If we have world class teachers, it attracts the best students. From that everything flows."
Unlike the two other candidates proposed by the Alumni Council for the trustee seat, Stein is a businesswoman coming from a classic corporate environment. T.J. Rodgers '71, the sole petition candidate on the alumni ballot, leads a company he founded in Silicon Valley over 20 years ago. The two educators proposed by the Alumni Council, Bruce Duthu '80 and Daniel Papp '69, have touted their experience in education and administration as unique and of benefit to the Board and the College. Stein, whose husband and father are academics, said she has "perspectives from both worlds."
"I come from a family with educators. Coming from a personal environment that cares very much for the future of higher education, while working and knowing good oversight and the responsibilities of trustees from my work at a global company is of enormous benefit," Stein said.
Alumni voting for the four trustee candidates ceases at midnight on Saturday, May 8.
The official nominee will be formally elected to succeed outgoing trustee Peter Fahey '68 when the trustees meet in June.
