132. Bonni (Grant) Theriault, Supporting 130K Adult Learners into Employment
Release Date: 05/19/2025
157. Noah Feldman, American Legal Scholar, Academic, and Author
The 92 Report
Show Notes: Noah Feldman, Harvard Law professor, author, and ethical advisor talks about his career in constitutional law and his experiences in Iraq and Tunisia, sharing stories from his time guiding, and in some cases, establishing, the law of countries in turmoil or collapse. He also talks about the themes explored in his books and current pursuits. Real World Projects in Constitutional Law Noah describes his academic journey, starting from his early love for school and his decision to pursue academia full-time, with brief interruptions for real-world projects. He shares his...
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156. Ted Caplow, Life at the Intersection of Society and Technology
The 92 Report
Show Notes Ted Caplow graduated with a degree in social science and has had a career in engineering and entrepreneurship. He describes his initial interest in science and his experience with physics at Harvard, which he found challenging. Ted shares his interest in humanities, particularly theater, and his involvement in various theater activities at Harvard. He discusses his consideration of theater conservatory programs and urban planning after graduation. Joining the Peace Corps and Sailing across the Atlantic Ted recounts his application to the Peace Corps and the unexpected...
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155. Lloyd Lee, A Blessed Life and Real Estate Private Equity
The 92 Report
Show Notes: Lloyd opens the conversation by talking about the infinite opportunities at Harvard and encourages incoming freshmen to make the most of their time there. Lloyd shares his initial plan to study pre-med but also pursued fine arts, specifically architecture, and theater work. He mentions meeting Professor James Stilgoe at the Graduate School of Design, which opened his eyes to opportunities beyond STEM. From Cornell to New York City Lloyd discusses his decision to attend Cornell and his subsequent move to New York City. He had two job offers: working at Disney or a consulting firm,...
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154. Trisha Pérez Kennealy, Culinary Arts & Community Building
The 92 Report
Show Notes: Trisha Pérez Kennealy describes her initial stint in New York in commercial banking, followed by investment banking and studying to become a chef at Le Cordon Bleu in London, where she lived for three years. She moved back to the United States, settling in Lexington. She has three children and while they were little, she was active in town meetings, became a town official, and advocated for public education. In 2010, Trisha bought a property near the Battle Green in Lexington and converted it into a luxury hotel with 22 guest rooms and a restaurant. It opened in 2014...
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153. Rana Dershowitz, A Career Driven by Passion from Sports Law and Public Policy
The 92 Report
Rana Dershowitz went straight to Harvard Law School after graduating in 1992, partly due to the economy and her love for learning. She describes her experience at Harvard Law School, including her role as a law school "old timer" in Cambridge. After law school, Rana moved back to New York and started working on Wall Street, initially hating the big law environment but appreciating the people she worked with. Entertainment Law at Madison Square Garden and onto Sports Law Rana discusses her career counselor's advice to explore sports law, which she had overlooked despite her involvement in...
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152. Eugene Kim, Pediatric Surgeon and Wine Connoisseur
The 92 Report
Show Notes: Eugene Kim shares his post-graduation journey staying in Boston to finish research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute which was part of his thesis and also laid down the groundwork for his own cancer research which he has conducted over the years. He credits his understanding of science to his time at Harvard. He also worked at the now-closed Love the Border Cafe. Eugene reflects on the valuable lessons learned from working at the cafe and describes the unique subculture of the cafe's staff, including the Brazilian kitchen staff and the diverse backgrounds of the waiters and...
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151. Jonathan Hughes, Consulting at the Intersection of Strategy & Conflict Management
The 92 Report
Show Notes: Jonathan Hughes talks about his career in consulting, starting with an economic consulting firm, Putnam Hayes and Bartlett, in Los Angeles. He mentions his connection back to Harvard through CMI (Conflict Management Inc.) founded by Roger Fisher and Bruce Patton, and his subsequent roles at Vantage Partners and BDO. The Career Path As a Consultant Jonathan describes his role at CMI, focusing on complex negotiations and business partnerships, and his role in helping to start the boutique firm, Vantage Partners where he spent around 25 years as a partner. He later moved over to BDO,...
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150. Steve Petersen, From Improv to Philosophy of AI
The 92 Report
Show Notes: Steve recounts his senior year at Harvard, and how he was torn between pursuing acting and philosophy. He graduated with a dual degree in philosophy and math but also found time to act in theater and participated in 20 shows. A Love of Theater and a Move to London Steve explains why the lack of a theater major at Harvard allowed him to explore acting more than a university with a theater major. He touches on his parents' concerns about his career prospects if he pursued acting, and his decision to apply to both acting and philosophy graduate schools. Steve discusses his...
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149. P.J. Karafiol, Chicago Public High School Principal
The 92 Report
Show Notes: P.J. shares the backstory of his name and how he became a high school principal. He studied simultaneously in law school for a JD and in the Philosophy department for a PhD at the University of Chicago. After realizing he didn't enjoy law or philosophy, he taught math at Phillips Andover and later in Chicago. He helped start a new public school, Walter Payton College Prep, and has been a principal at Lake View High School for the past 10 years. Teaching Chaos Theory and Math P.J. describes his experience teaching at Phillips Andover, including teaching chaos theory. He found the...
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148. Scott Cole, 50+ Jobs Worked Since Harvard
The 92 Report
Show Notes: Scott Cole describes his initial struggles at Harvard, dropping out after freshman year, and returning multiple times before finally graduating in 2012. He shares his first dropout experience, including a brief stint in California and a return to Harvard for sophomore year. He details his various jobs and adventures, including working at a car wash, landscaping, and a research assistant position at Harvard Forest. Working on a Ranch in Wyoming Scott thinks back to his days working at a ranch in Wyoming, where he learned cowboy skills and participated in cattle drives. He...
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Bonni Theriault initially went to business school and worked as a business analyst at McKinsey for a few years, where she worked with consumer products for companies and marketing. After working at Pepperidge Farm for a couple of years, she decided to build her own company and joined forces with a woman who was the head of advertising at Campbell Soup, and together they launched a brand strategy company where they worked for companies like Cadbury Schweppes, Johnson and Johnson, and Stryker.
From Marketing to Coaching to Global Emergency Care
After 13 years at the company, Bonni found herself tired of constantly pitching to employers and sought coaching roles. She had previously worked closely with the McKinsey assessment team, coaching candidates and helping them improve their interview skills. And so, with the experience under her belt, she returned to McKinsey as a professional development manager. When her oldest son turned 14, she took two years off to spend more time with her children and also volunteered with Global Emergency Care, an organization that trains emergency medicine nurses in Uganda. She worked with Global Emergency Care's marketing and fundraising for two years on a volunteer basis.
The Role of Chief Partnerships Officer at Generation
When Bonni decided to return to work, she wanted to stay in the social sector but was offered a position at McKinsey. She worked there until an opportunity at Generation was presented. Generation is an independent non-profit that works with unemployed individuals. Bonni has now worked there for seven years. Bonni explains that her responsibility as chief partnerships officer includes global fundraising and employer partnerships for Generation, a company operating in 17 countries worldwide. They train across 40 different professions, based on labor dynamics in each country. They conduct extensive research before starting a training program to identify job vacancies and bring learners from historically underrepresented groups, and they focus on employment in five different industries: tech, green jobs, customer service and sales, skilled trades, and healthcare. They also teach behavioral skills and the importance of having a growth mindset.
The Impact of AI in Job Forecasting and Training
AI has been a topic of interest for Generation, as it impacts the skills needed to train learners in specific roles. Bonni explains that they have analyzed various roles, including entry-level roles, which may go away entirely or be significantly impacted by AI, and roles that might have a different set of skills. Jobs such as solar panel installation or healthcare, are likely to be more resilient over time in the face of AI. They are also considering more jobs in the data center technician category, where tech roles are more hands-on and dealing with equipment than providing coding or IT support.
How Generation Is Using AI
The organization is using AI to deliver training to learners and alumni, ensuring they have the necessary skills for their jobs. They have created AI modules for learners and alumni to help them upskill and remain relevant in their work. AI is also used to help develop the curriculum, with chat bots helping learners answer first-line questions and focusing on more complex material. This helps streamline the curriculum creation process, as it often involves research and talking to subject matter experts. Operational efficiencies are also being used to improve efficiency and effectiveness.
Working as a Professional Development Manager
The conversation turns back to Bonni’s as a professional development manager at McKinsey. She mentions that a lot of time was spent negotiating with partners and consultants to find the right balance between professional growth and client needs. She built relationships of trust between consultants and partners to influence decisions in a way that was best for everyone involved. She also focused on performance evaluation, helping people understand their strengths and areas for improvement, and helping them find ways to build skills through studies, formalized training, coaching, or mentorship.
Marketing Goldfish and Chocolate
Bonni shares her experience working on marketing Goldfish, a product that was initially marketed as a snack for adults drinking beer in bars but later was marketed to moms as an appealing snack for children. She also discusses her experience working with Cadbury, a chocolate brand that had over 150 chocolate brands worldwide. She worked on a brand architecture project to help consolidate these brands and increase their advertising dollars. She was sent boxes of chocolate bars from around the world to analyze packaging and brand identity and helped create seven mega brands for Cadbury, which led to a significant increase in their chocolate market share.
Influential Harvard Courses and Professors
Bonni mentions a course taught by Professor Dominguez where he focused on critical thinking. He presented different perspectives on events, presenting different sides as the truth. This skill has been passed down through her life and has become essential in today's world. Bonni wishes more classes would take this approach, as it helps students analyze and think critically about various situations and perspectives. Bonni’s experiences with Professor Dominguez's course and her critical thinking skills have shaped her life and career.
Timestamps:
02:29: Transition to Coaching and McKinsey
05:41: Role at Generation and Impact on Workforce
09:43: Impact of AI on Training and Roles
15:02: Learners vs. Students and Personal Time Management
20:55: Professional Development at McKinsey
22:59: Goldfish Marketing Strategy and Cadbury Brand Architecture
28:29: Travel Experiences and Language Skills
32:06: Influence of Harvard Courses and Critical Thinking
Links:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bonni-theriault-710b79/
Website: www.generation.org
Featured Non-profit:
The featured non-profit of this week’s episode of The 92 Report is recommended by Juliana Koo who reports:
“Hi. I'm Juliana Koo, class of 1992. The featured nonprofit of this episode of The 92 report is Kaya Press. Kaya is a publisher of Asian diasporic literature, and I was the managing editor for nearly a decade in the 1990s and now serve on the board. You can learn more about Kaya's work at WWW dot k, a, y, adotcom, and now here's Will Bachman with this week's episode.”
To learn more about their work, visit: www.kaya.com.