Recognizing that a lack of role models in corporate America was discouraging students from diverse communities from pursuing careers in business, executives at McNeil Pharmaceutical launched LEAD at The Wharton School in 1980.

Their agenda: Create an innovative and intensive summer business program that would serve as the foundation for lifelong partnerships between outstanding students and the nation’s leading corporations and business schools.

Today, LEAD boasts more than 7,000 alumni. 65 percent of LEAD alumni are currently pursuing careers in business; 50 percent of these alumni have received or are pursuing an MBA from a top 25-business school.   Each year, LEAD receives over 1,200 applications for just 370 seats in its Summer Business Institutes (SBIs).  

How LEAD Works

Identify academically strong high-school students through aggressive outreach, marketing, and recruitment in diverse communities.

Select the most outstanding students for attendance in one of LEAD’s three to four week residential Summer Business Institutes (SBIs) through a rigorous evaluation process that considers criteria such as test scores, grade point average, and proven leadership.

Encourage students to pursue business careers by developing intensive SBI programs at top universities where students interact with leading executives and are introduced to both business principals and career opportunities in a variety of disciplines.

Cultivate long-term relationships between LEAD alumni, corporate partners, and participating business schools that open the door to admissions, internships, mentoring, and permanent employment.

Enrich corporate America by providing a constantly expanding talent pool of high-quality, ethnically diverse leaders that are uniquely qualified to meet the challenges of today’s marketplace.