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Jill Herriott, who completed the Public Leadership Credential (PLC) at Harvard Kennedy School (����vlog����) in 2025, has nearly forty years of experience under her belt. Her impressive work spans organizations such as Cigna and Transunion, and focuses on launching financial and healthcare business models, often in response to government policy changes. After almost four decades, she recently retired from the corporate world.

Despite retiring, though, Jill is by no means slowing down. Rather, she felt a calling to pivot her path and enter the nonprofit world, as well as to continue her professional development and education with the PLC. Her passion lies in advancing consumer empowerment, equipping others with the tools they need for financial resilience, which she now does full time as the Board Chair at Clarifi, an established non-profit that provides financial counseling, housing access, benefits guidance, and unconditional cash assistance to families.

She is also on the Board of Trustees for the Moore College of Art & Design, a private institution focused on career-oriented education amid the changing landscape of higher education, and also serves as a remote carer for her parents, immersing herself in the world of technology and services needed for independent living, which she describes as “a personal journey that further fuels my passion for consumer-focused innovation and policy.”

“I am driven to serve and find that in this new phase, I am able to spend time thinking about the problems to be solved, and networking to ensure that our programs and services continue to have support,” she said.

Pursuing this type of leadership comes with its fair share of challenges, though, which was one of her motivations to pursue further education through the PLC. “Through my experience, I have learned that designing and implementing solutions for complex societal challenges is incredibly difficult,” she said. “Achieving aligned political support often requires difficult trade-offs, and the organizations responsible for driving change may be unprepared or constrained by competing priorities. Motivated to make a meaningful impact, I pursued the Public Leadership Credential program, confident that it would provide me with the tools, strategies, and insights needed to navigate these challenges effectively.”

Once she began the program, she found that the PLC exceeded her expectations. The curriculum allowed her to address the specific challenges she was facing, in a format that worked well with her already busy schedule. “The PLC offers exceptional teaching, real-life case studies, and a global community that fosters collaboration and inspiration,” Jill said. “It provides the flexibility to learn from anywhere while engaging with practical challenges and solutions.”

In addition to the world-class academic offerings, the PLC also immersed her in a new network of fellow leaders from different sectors, all eager to influence their communities for the better.  “The program is intellectually rigorous with participants exploring pressing societal challenges, such as poverty alleviation in India, educational reform, healthcare trade-offs, and transportation policy, and initiatives that they are personally working on and passionate about,” she said. “Beyond academics, the PLC program offers a powerful network of support, including professors, teaching assistants, and fellow students, all committed to engaging across differences and driving meaningful change.”

As Jill continues to thrive in this new chapter of her life, she finds herself utilizing the PLC teachings as she makes high-stakes decisions for her organization. “The PLC provides a comprehensive toolkit and relatable examples that really help to expand thinking and guide effective action,” she said. “As Board Chair, I am heavily involved in the strategic planning process for Clarifi, and tools such as the Theory of Change and stakeholder map have already been useful to evaluate and design future strategic direction.”

Despite being retired from the corporate world she was so familiar with, Jill embraces the possibilities of uncharted waters, with the PLC as a jumping off point. “Post my corporate career, I am enjoying leaping into the unknown, and have the courage to try the new. I am considering applying for the MPA starting in Summer 2026 to deepen my learning and prepare me further for possible consulting roles,” she said. “In the meantime, there is much change happening in education, affordable housing, benefits, and ageing spaces to keep me motivated and proud to serve.”