Meet Our Guest:

Dr. Marisa Porges is Head of School of The Baldwin School, a private school for girls with 500 students. Dr. Porges was a Fellow in the Obama White House, a visiting fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School and the Council on Foreign Relations, and served in the U.S. Navy as a naval flight officer. She is the author of What Girls Need: How to Raise Bold, Courageous, and Resilient Women. She received her B.A. from Harvard University, an M.Sc. from the London School of Economics, and a doctorate from King’s College London.

Key Insights:

Dr. Marisa Porges left Harvard to fly jets in the U.S. Navy during a time when there were few women in naval aviation. She shares real-life stories and leadership lessons gained from her time as a Navy pilot. As part of a research project, Dr. Porges interviewed Al-Qaeda military personnel in the field and discusses the risks involved and the leadership profile for a Jewish-American woman in that situation.

• Flying Jets. Leadership lessons are inherent from her aviation career in the U.S. Navy including with small teams, big teams in moments of true physician risk, emotional risk and under lots of pressure. (13:19)
• Cultivating Competitive Spirit. Sports nurture a competitive drive that transfers into professional careers. By the end of high school, two-thirds of girls will have stopped playing sports because of social norms and peer pressure. (36:45)
• Collaborative Problem-Solving. Studies show that girls have an edge. We should figure out how to make this core skill a competitive advantage. (37:57)
• Adaptability. Adaptability is a skill, a talent and a superpower that should be routinely practiced. (46:47)