By Tom LoBianco
Babak Mostaghimi, MPP 2010 and Gleitsman Leadership Fellow, is a longtime member of the Center for Public Leadership Alumni Council.
Mostaghimi sat down with the CPL Alumni Connect newsletter recently to discuss benefits of engaging with the CPL community and helping current and former fellows pursue the CPL mission of excellence in public leadership.
Mostaghimi is a longtime educator who has served in a number of leadership roles in the public education sector and is the founding partner of LearnerStudio.
What follows is a Q and A, lightly edited for clarity.
CPL: What was your area of focus while you were at CPL and why did you decide to get involved with the Alumni Council?
BABAK MOSTAGHIMI: When I came to CPL, I was a Gleitsman Fellow, and it was right as that fellowship was kicking off. What pulled me in is that I have a deep belief in the need for great public leadership, and I think that public leadership is in many ways similar, but also very different, than private leadership. So, I really wanted to be around people who would press me, support me, teach me how to be a better public leader, and provide public service in a way that was far better than what I could ever do on my own. I really appreciate the idea of being in a community with people who care deeply about making America and the world a wonderful place for everyone.
CPL: How long have you been on the Alumni Council?
BM: It's been a long time on and off. I was on the original Alumni Council for a very long time, and then I stepped off for a minute because my term was up, and then there was a partial term. It’s been over a decade. I'm like the last remnant of the original set. (Babak laughs.) It actually, by far, takes the cake on the one thing I've been most involved in on a volunteer basis over the last 20 years.
CPL: What are some projects that the Alumni Council is working on right now to engage alumni to make sure that they are continuing this mission of public service and leading and growing as leaders?
BM: A lot of what we focus and focus on falls in a couple different buckets. One bucket is around connecting and creating community. Oftentimes, when you're out there on the front lines of leadership, it can get really lonely. So, it's really great to have an authentic community to come back to and be with that not only inspires you, but drives you. So, we have a chunk of work around making sure that alumni are connected and are together in community.
We have a second bucket of work around making sure that alumni have the right resources and support. Especially these days, where there's a lot of uncertainty in the world, we are looking at supporting mentorships of existing fellows, but also of other alumni who are looking to change their careers or grow in some way. We're looking at providing professional learning experiences and opportunities that can help fellows navigate uncertain times.
And then the last bit of work is supporting the CPL mission and the current fellows. We make sure that we're available to them, and that the alumni community is tapped into as a resource for support, for mentorship, for facilitating connections. This way we can make sure we get more great public leaders out there into the world.
CPL: How have you helped with fellows recently, whether through informal or formal mentorships?
BM: Great question. So, I am regularly in touch with fellows on a variety of fronts. Sometimes it's as basic as just checking in on somebody to see how they're doing, because maybe their department just got cut or was affected, and you just want to reach out as a human being. Sometimes they're in my fellowship year, oftentimes they aren’t. Other times I find myself in really cool potential partnerships with fellows, where fellows are starting new ventures to better educate children across the US. And so, I love connecting with them that way and helping to connect them to resources and people.
I would say, almost every week, I run into at least one person who was from a fellowship at CPL, not necessarily my own. We connect on some ground to help each other out, to be a thought partner and be good together.
CPL: Is there anything else you'd like to mention on how alumni can stay involved or get involved?
BM: I think that we are in a world right now where people know and are starting to recognize the value of human connection. We are in a world where we're all out there doing the good work, fighting the good fight, trying to make things better for everyone across the world. It's really great to have a set of people who you can come back to and be with, who you're just able to be yourself with, where you're able to ask the hard questions and get real answers, not like the answer someone thinks you want to hear.
And so, for anyone who's been on the fence about getting involved, I think it's a really cool sort of low lift, high reward way to get back into community with people. Like connecting with one fellow, for example, to help them think about their sector or going further and being a mentor, or just showing up and being together in community with the other fellows. There are lots of different ways to get involved, and every single way is good.
Babak Mostaghimi, along with the rest of the CPL Alumni Council, is leading a virtual workshop for CPL alumni and fellows titled “Navigating Career Uncertainty: Strategies for Success in Unpredictable Times” on Monday, May 5 from 12-1PM (EST). The event will focus on building resilience and adaptability in today's unpredictable job market, diving into essential topics like transitioning between sectors, optimizing your LinkedIn profile, and building a robust network. CPL Alumni can register at this link to receive the event link.
To learn more about the Alumni Council and get involved, visit hks.harvard.edu/centers/cpl/our-community/alumni or email cpl_alumni@hks.harvard.edu