Erika H. James’ Post

The students who pass through our campus never cease to amaze me. I will be proudly watching as FOUR members of The Wharton School community compete in this year’s Olympics… - Blake Broszus (W’24), Canada, fencing - Grace "Sunny" Choi (W’11), USA, breaking - Matt Fallon (ENG’25, W’25), USA, swimming - Sam Mattis (W’16), USA, track and field … not to mention nine others from the University of Pennsylvania. I am continuously impressed by the ways in which our students push boundaries for what can be accomplished both while here and particularly beyond. We’ll be cheering you on from all over the globe, Blake, Sunny, Matt, and Sam! #WhartonProud #Paris2024

A stellar example of "learning by doing," the The ESG Initiative at the Wharton School's Turner Impact Portfolio Challenge empowers students to design and manage real-world impact investing portfolios. I welcomed participants at this year's sixth annual event and was struck by the magnitude of the program, which hosted 175 students from 16 universities across the U.S. The event also serves as a model for collaboration between academia and industry, bridging theory and practice into alignment to ensure the work undertaken by our students and faculty has tangible applications to the business world. I witnessed that first-hand in the support of #WhartonGrad Bobby Turner (W’84, pictured with me here), whose vision and generosity fuels many of Wharton's social impact initiatives, and Bank of America, which sent 34 volunteers (wealth advisors, analysts, portfolio managers, and sustainability experts) to serve as coaches to the student teams. Special thanks to Witold Henisz, the Vice Dean of our ESG Initiative, and Joao Gomes, Senior Vice Dean of Research, Centers, and Academic Initiatives (also pictured with me) for their leadership in moving our programming forward in this space. I encourage you to learn more about the competition here: https://whr.tn/45Tm9Xn

When traveling abroad, I'm often reminded of a vital aspect of The Wharton School and University of Pennsylvania ethos – that global issues benefit from global perspectives. That was certainly the case as I joined President Jameson, Vijay Kumar and Kevin Mahoney on a trip to London this past weekend, with the enthusiasm of Penn’s alumni community and the expertise of Penn’s faculty on full display across the pond. We met with alumni leaders from the region, hosted a symposium on cutting-edge knowledge being created within the university ecosystem, and welcomed students from the incoming Class of 2028 along with their families. Nothing energizes me about the role Wharton can play in Penn’s future more than events exhibiting the collective impact made through our collaboration. My conversation with two seemingly distinct faculty members – Wharton’s Ethan Mollick and Frances Jensen of Penn Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Health System – showed how Penn’s innovative spirit spans the many interconnected areas of the university, as we explored AI’s impact on our lives, classrooms, workplaces, and brains. While I have emphasized Wharton's ability to leverage our expertise to provide solutions for society's most pressing needs, there is truly a “strength in numbers” effect that is best amplified when we work together across Penn. Thanks to my Penn colleagues for a wonderfully powerful event.

There is a saying that "behind every great man there is a great woman." And while this is often true, on this day – Father’s Day – I want to turn this quote on its head. Over the course of a 30-year career and an almost 25-year marriage (come this July), I can say unequivocally that whatever greatness I’ve experienced in my life can undeniably be traced back to the love and support of this great man. During a storied career at ExxonMobill, Jimmie James was the consummate professional and leader, rising from engineer to globe-trotting executive before retiring in 2018. And throughout his career, he has also been my “partner in parenting” as we’ve raised our two remarkable (now young adult) children. When I look at them, I see the best of him in the most amazing ways. Throughout my career, Jimmie has supported me and my professional goals without question or compromise, which for the majority of our marriage meant requiring him to commute home from various states in support of our family to allow me the space and time to be affiliated with some of the world’s best universities. Which is why today, on this Father’s Day, I’m thrilled to be able to make this all about him. Not only because of the holiday, but because this week I get the pleasure of supporting HIS dream. “Playing from the Rough” is Jimmie’s story – a rags to riches memoir juxtaposed against the backdrop of his remarkable, post-retirement journey to play the nation’s top 100 golf courses in a single year. The story is as much about his life as it is about a country that made his personal journey and golf quest possible. The book was a labor of love and learning that I’m so filled with pride watching my husband bring to life, and cannot wait for the world to enjoy: https://bit.ly/4co1r43 Happy Father's Day, Jimmie, and congrats on a job well done!

Leaving the #WhartonForum in São Paulo, Brazil incredibly proud of what The Wharton School community brought together these past three days. The final day’s sessions – on AI disruption, the intersection of technology and medicine, agribusiness, and more – provided a perfect snapshot of the invaluable, interdisciplinary knowledge the faculty, alumni and industry leaders in our network can share with the world. My closing discussion with Eric Bradlow and Gerrit Meier, months before the Philadelphia Eagles play the first-ever NFL game in Brazil, highlighted how brands like Wharton and the National Football League (NFL) have created such lasting connections with our global communities thanks to the right combination of data-informed decision-making, innovation, and strategic thinking. I’m especially grateful to the alumni team and the Wharton Club of Brazil for their dedication and efforts in all that was involved in hosting this wonderful event. #WhartonProud

The start of the 56th #WhartonForum serves as a reminder of the essence of The Wharton School: Bringing together members of our unparalleled network to discuss the business world’s most pressing topics. By coming together, we have the potential to advance not only our careers and ideas but also our industries and the global economy. As the entrepreneurial and financial capital of Latin America, São Paulo, Brazil is a fitting host for this convening of the brightest minds in business. I was privileged to take the stage on Day 1 for conversations with two of our preeminent alums in the region, Roberto Sallouti and Marcos Galperin (both W’94), on their personal and professional paths, their roles as leaders, and the Brazilian economy. From networking opportunities and cultural explorations around the city, to workshops and career advising, to two days of cutting-edge thought leadership, this event truly showcases all Wharton has to offer.

Excited to be en route to this week’s #WhartonForum in São Paulo, Brazil, which will cap off a year of global travel that’s provided me with several amazing opportunities to connect with alumni and business leaders while learning from the bright minds in The Wharton School community. This year's #WhartonImpact Tour stretched from New York City to Hong Kong as our faculty and alumni experts covered topics ranging from investing to the global economy to ESG to tech. Special thanks to the guest speakers who joined me on stage: Rekha Menon-Varma, David Hsu, Mike Sievert, Jeremy Siegel and Joao Gomes. Now we head south to one of Latin America’s most entrepreneurial cities for three days to explore São Paulo’s history, culture and economy, build further connections within the Wharton network, and hear from leading experts on the future of finance, agribusiness, AI, and more: whr.tn/saopaulo I’m looking forward to sharing the Global Forum experience with all those attending, and also encourage those not attending to follow along at home on Wharton’s social media channels. As a sneak peak inside the event, my conversation on expanding brands internationally with Eric Bradlow and Gerrit Meier will be livestreamed on The Wharton School LinkedIn, June 8 at 3:30 PM ET: whr.tn/3VbfXF1

Almost 20 years ago, The Wharton School started its work in analytics and data science during a time when no one fully appreciated the revolution to come. In March, I sat in on Wharton Executive Education's first-ever Generative AI program and saw first-hand both the level of expertise our faculty have to offer on this new phenomenon and the level of interest businesspeople have in working to understand it. That all led us here, to this week’s launch of the Wharton AI & Analytics Initiative (WAIAI). By boosting our investment in researching and teaching on this burgeoning topic, Wharton can further share our knowledge on our campuses and beyond, leading the way for current and future leaders to harness AI. I explained more about how WAIAI came to be, highlighted recent Wharton research in this space, and discussed the unique role business schools can - and should - play in shaping the future of AI during an interview on our SiriusXM show, Wharton Business Daily: https://whr.tn/458fw34

As the world grapples with how to effectively and responsibly harness AI’s limitless potential, The Wharton School stands ready to meet the moment. Yesterday, we announced the new Wharton AI & Analytics Initiative, a major investment to drastically scale our research and teaching capabilities in the areas of artificial intelligence and data science. This includes: - ChatGPT Enterprise licenses for each of our MBA students via a first-of-its-kind collaboration with OpenAI - Two new funds to enable our faculty to expand their AI-focused research and reimagine how they incorporate AI into our classrooms - Tailored AI educational experiences to extend our insights far beyond our campuses While this transformative technology may seem daunting, I’m incredibly excited to be leading Wharton during this time. Because by leveraging our broad scope of expertise and unmatched ability to make knowledge immediately applicable, I'm confident that no other school can do what we will do. So I hope you'll join us on this amazing journey to shape the future of AI – together. #WhartonAI