#  Michael Fenlon 

Executive Director, VPAL

 

 

 



 person 

 location\_on Office of the Vice Provost for Advances in Learning 114 Mount Auburn Street, Room 322 Cambridge, MA 02138 

 



 

 **Michael Fenlon, Ph.D.** recently joined Harvard University and serves as Executive Director of Advances in Learning, which includes Harvard Online and other major Harvard initiatives that drive innovation, access and excellence in online, residential and classroom learning within the university and with learners across the world. Mike leads the development of tools, technology and platforms to scale educational access and to shape the future of learning in the Office of the Vice Provost for Advances in Learning (VPAL).

 Mike is an accomplished senior leader with extensive experience in leading talent and workforce strategies tailored to the digital economy. He advises Fortune 500 and higher education leaders on the future of work and learning, leadership and skill development, and digital and workforce transformation.

 Mike has a track record of strategic innovation, inclusive leadership, and delivering sustained human capital and business outcomes in US, global, and C-suite leadership roles at PwC, one of the largest professional services firms in the world, with a network comprised of 370,000+ employees across 149 countries with $55.4B+ in network revenue in 2024.

 Mike served as Chief People Officer of PwC US, and drove improvements in employee experience and engagement, digital transformation, employee reskilling and leadership development, financial and operational outcomes, and employer brand, with PwC being recognized among top employers, including the Great Place to Work Institute and Fortune magazine, Time Best Companies for Future Leaders, and Linked-In Top Companies. As the Chief Future of Work Officer, Mike drove initiatives on the impact of AI on workforce strategy, skills and learning, talent management, and led executive leadership development initiatives. Earlier, as Global Talent Leader, he drove business and people outcomes via network strategies on technology, people processes and experience, learning and development, talent acquisition, and brand.

 Prior to joining PwC, Mike was a faculty member on the Columbia Business School executive education team that was ranked by The Financial Times as #1 in the world. As Associate Dean, he led top-ranked executive MBA degree programs in New York, EMBA Global with the London Business School, a partnership EMBA program with UC Berkeley Haas, and he taught a popular course on Executive Leadership.

 His perspectives and thought leadership have been featured in the Harvard Business Review, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Fortune, Fox Business News and other media outlets.

 Mike earned a Ph.D. and three master’s degrees from Columbia University. He serves on the board of the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee foundation, where he completed his BA. Mike and his family foster Labrador Retrievers for Guiding Eyes for the Blind. He enjoys running and is a loyal owner of the Green Bay Packers.



 

 

 





 

 

- ## Person type
    
     [VPAL Leadership](/person-type/vpal-leadership)