Donald R. Lessard

Donald R. Lessard is the Epoch Foundation Professor of International Management at the MIT Sloan School of Management. His research interests are on project management and global strategic management, with an emphasis on managing in the face of uncertainty and risk. He currently teaches courses on global strategy and organization and strategic opportunities in the energy sector.

Lessard has been at MIT since 1973, and from 1998 to 2004 served as Deputy Dean with responsibilities for research, international programs, and executive education. At MIT he is co-chair of the Energy Education Task Force and is faculty director of the BP Projects and Engineering Academy, a major executive education program for major project leaders that spans management and engineering; From 1998-2003, he also led the MIT-Merrill Lynch Partnership, MIT’s first large-scale collaboration with a financial services firm. 

A leader in international management education, Lessard is a past president of the Academy of International Business and Dean of the Fellows of the Academy. He is a Senior Advisor to the Brattle Group and has led major consulting assignments with firms, banks, and government agencies throughout the world.


Curriculum Vitae