Recognizing that a lack of role models and institutional support has often discouraged talented and motivated students of color from pursuing careers in business, and with a desire to address the lack of diverse management in the corporate sector, executives at McNeil Pharmaceutical launched LEAD in 1980 with the support of The University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Business School.

 

 

For nearly three decades, LEAD Business and its partners have fostered the development of a talented, driven, and civic-minded pool of African American, Hispanic, underrepresented Asian American, and Native American high school students from across the country.

 

In 2008, LEAD launched LEAD Engineering, a multi-year program to expose sophomore or junior year high school students to the world of engineering.

Today, LEAD Business boasts more than 7,600 alumni; 65% of LEAD alumni are currently pursuing careers in business; 50% of those of graduate-school age have received or are pursuing an MBA from a top 25-business school.