By Susan A. Hughes
2025 JULIUS E. BABBITT MEMORIAL ALUMNI VOLUNTEER AWARD recipient Carol Finney MPP 1984 came to HKS to study poverty and housing so she could improve the lives of women. She recently retired from HKS having impacted the lives of hundreds of students worldwide.
“After I graduated, I worked as Graham Allison’s liaison to the community,” says Finney, who spent three years as the former dean’s executive assistant. She left HKS to start her family, and as her children started school, reconnected with HKS.
“Joseph Nye, the HKS dean at the time, was interested in a new master’s program, Master in Public Administration in International Development (MPA/ID),” she says. “I was talking with Joe McCarthy, then dean of students, about returning to HKS and I could see the light bulb switch on above his head: ‘I’ve got a new program; Carol wants a new job. Let’s stick these two together.’”
That was 25 years ago. Since then, the MPA/ID program has grown to be one of the premier programs in the world for advanced education in economic development. While running the program was her job, the devotion, care, and attention she gave to each student went way beyond the job description.
“I’ve enjoyed meeting people from all these countries (123 so far) and providing them with a safe space from which to learn and grow,” says Finney.
Last spring, many MPA/ID alums came back to campus to celebrate the program’s 25th anniversary—and many expressed their gratitude for Finney's kindness and leadership. Said Monica Melchor MPA/ID 2024, “We appreciate all your efforts in turning cohort after cohort into family.”
“I’ve enjoyed meeting people from all these countries (123 so far) and providing them with a safe space from which to learn and grow.”
From organizing icebreakers, off-campus activities, and grocery shopping trips; to sharing unique holidays, families, and cultures; to providing food, comfort, and care, Finney became a second mother, creating a home away from home for these students.
“We felt so cared for by you and that you always had an open door and an open ear for all our woes, big and small,” said Sasha Dichter MBA-MPA/ID 2002.
“The MPA/ID, a family that grows each year, owes you immense gratitude for keeping this community alive, helping us get through the difficult times during our program (especially during COVID-19), supporting our transition back to the labor market, preparing us to take full advantage of everything that HKS and the university could offer, and keeping alive so many traditions that make this program so unique. You’ve left an enormous impact on our lives,” said Daniel Perez Jaramillo MPA/ID 2022.
“You've always been like a surrogate aunt to everyone who's passed through the program and for our class. You helped kick off the tight community we became and the broader community we all belong to,” said Danny Newman MPA/ID 2012.
Finney never abandoned her original dream of addressing poverty. “More than 75% of our students today come from low- and middle-income countries,” says Finney. Many graduates, like Jessica Camacho MPA/ID 2013, have taken up that charge. “I’m currently focusing on policies that promote national growth, expand women’s income opportunities, and cultivate a new generation of public leaders,” says Camacho.
Spreading compassion is an added value Finney brought to the program. “Helping people work out their issues to be fully present in their education was important to me,” she says. “It is a simple act of kindness or care that people often take with them that can have the biggest impact in their work.”
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Portraits by Martha Stewart