Laura Lee has been named Chief of Staff of the Dean’s Office for Columbia Business School, effective October 24.
As Chief of Staff, Lee will handle a variety of strategic, administrative, and operational matters with the School’s faculty, staff, students, alumni, senior University administrators, and government and community leaders.
Lee first joined Columbia University as director of employer and alumni relations at the Center for Career Education in 2003. She came to the Business School two years later as associate director of the Eugene Lang Entrepreneurship Center and, in 2010, was promoted to senior administrative director of the center.
Lee led the Lang Center’s media program, launching the Columbia Community Business Program, the Crain’s New York Business Perfect Pitch Competition, and the Entrepreneurial Career Summer Program.
More recently, Lee worked with SheSpeaks, a social media marketing company specializing in word-of-mouth marketing, brand advocacy, and insight programs for consumer brands. As a member of the organization’s senior leadership team, she was responsible for designing and launching programs for PepsiCo, Johnson & Johnson, and L’Oréal, among many other brands.
Prior to coming to Columbia, Lee worked in strategic planning, marketing, operations, and financial planning, primarily in the financial services industry, but also at a publicly traded Internet services company. She spent 11 years at American Express, including more than three years in the Small Business Division as a vice president of marketing.
Lee received a bachelor’s degree in history from Yale College and an MBA in finance from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
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