Intrapreneur in Residence Gifford Pinchot III and President Jill Bamburg

Pinchot, a university for the common good, a pioneer in sustainable business and leadership education, announced today a revitalization of its leadership. Beginning in April 2014, the Bainbridge Graduate Institute (BGI), Organizational Systems Renewal (OSR) and the Center for Inclusive Entrepreneurship (CIE) launched Pinchot. To meet its expanded mission, Pinchot has created a new position for one of its founders and made changes at top leadership positions.

With the enthusiastic blessing of Co-founders Gifford and Libba Pinchot and a unanimous vote of the board, BGI Co-founder Jill Bamburg has been named president. Founding President Gifford Pinchot III will transition to a new emeritus role as Intrapreneur in Residence. This position change will allow Bamburg to take on a wider range of administrative responsibilities as Gifford Pinchot III continues his legacy through strategic organizational innovation.

“I’m thrilled that Jill has agreed to be our next leader,” said Co-founder Gifford Pinchot III. “She is a long-time colleague and dear friend. With JIll’s leadership we will become even more effective in educating students to solve humanity’s biggest challenges through business and transformational leadership.”

Current MBA program Associate Dean and longtime faculty member Mary Kay Chess, Ph.D., will serve as Pinchot Dean of Academic Affairs, overseeing BGI at Pinchot’s graduate studies in sustainable business, OSR at Pinchot’s graduate studies in transformational leadership and the new Pinchot Edge school for professional and personal development.

Current Dean and Provost John Gardner, Ph.D. will shift his time to pursue long-held interests in the land grant university system. He has filled one of the leadership roles in the recently awarded FAA Center of Excellence on Alternative Jet Fuels and the Environment. He also will assume the leadership of the WSU Foundation later this summer, as CEO of the Foundation and Vice President for Development at Washington State University.

"Gifford Pinchot is a mentor and friend and graciously lent his name to the institution after leading it for more than a decade,” said John Gardner. “Having Jill Bamburg as a co-founder and founding dean assume the presidency not only assures an appreciation for our history, but is fitting for our future. She will be an outstanding leader and I know she’ll continue to graduate leaders who’ll have a powerful, positive impact on the Northwest and the world.”

“It’s been a privilege to work with Gifford and his wife, Libba, to build this organization over the last 12 years,” said incoming President Jill Bamburg. “I am honored to build on their legacy, and the 30-year history of OSR, to take the school to the next level. As our graduates continue to fight the pressing social and economic issues of our time, I feel a tremendous sense of urgency around the need to move this institution forward.”

The school’s expansion into Pinchot will provide future students with a new variety of educational choices to address a wider range of issues. Pinchot offers MBAs in Sustainable Business and Sustainable Systems through BGI, as well as a Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership through OSR. Non-degree-seeking students will also have access to courses and seminars through Pinchot Edge for professional development, personal mastery and trade-specific, skill-building opportunities.

Pinchot offers a unique structure and curriculum that focuses on utilizing students’ passion for powerful change and giving them the tools to see it in action. Students study from home, work in close-knit cohorts, and can structure their classes at night, or attend monthly weekend long intensives. Students absorb guided independent knowledge and collectively utilize Pinchot as an incubator to work for the common good. Pinchot’s structure is designed to take students well beyond the conceptual level to drive the change they hope to see in the world.

Pinchot, a university for the common good, is a pioneer in sustainable business and transformational leadership. Pinchot includes both the Bainbridge Graduate Institute and Organizational Systems Renewal schools, as well as the Pinchot Edge school of professional development and Center for Inclusive Entrepreneurship.

A recognized leader in building collaborative learning environments, Pinchot offers hybrid format programs with robust digital learning and campuses in Seattle and Bainbridge Island, WA. Pinchot builds on the intellectual capacity of its home region to shape change agents, from startup entrepreneurs to leaders of the world’s largest organizations, who drive a conversation committed to the common good. pinchot.edu

Bainbridge Graduate Institute

Bainbridge Graduate Institute

BGI was born when co-Founder and President, Gifford Pinchot, a renowned business consultant, realized the nation's graduate business schools were churning out one-dimensional MBA graduates with solid short-term profit-maximization skills, but lacking a deep understanding of how to integrate social and environmental issues into business decisions.

The Institute's pioneering MBA and certificate programs prepare a diverse group of leaders to build enterprises that are economically successful, socially responsible and environmentally sustainable. The innovative curriculum preserves the rigor of a traditional MBA program, while infusing sustainability - including both environmental and social responsibility - throughout every course.

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