Interview with Jerome Vascellero, Vice Chancellor – Brown University; Partner and Chief Administrative Officer of TPG Capital, L.P.

BrownHEN Interviewed Jerome C. Vascellaro, Brown '74, Vice Chancellor – Brown University; Partner and Chief Administrative Officer of TPG Capital, L.P., San Francisco, CA.

1. Jerome, people must ask you this all the time, but would you tell us why a person would leave a senior job at probably the most respected consulting firm in the world?

After 28 years at McKinsey, I’ve done everything I could do there. It was serendipity that I was offered an opportunity to move to San Francisco, which my wife Mary (Brown ’74) and I did almost two years ago.

2. You have an equally senior position on the Brown Corporation as Vice Chancellor. How do you think Brown can best prepare undergraduates for careers as entrepreneurs, managers, and consultants?

I believe strongly in the openness of our curriculum, our philosophy toward education, and the quality of the people. I am not a believer that we should design structured programs and make students adhere to them. In some ways, a Brown education is the perfect match for the breadth of experience and the quality of people that a new grad encounters at McKinsey.

3. What drives you to make such a major commitment to supporting Brown?

I am crazy. (Laugh!) Mary and I we love the school. We feel privileged that Brown has given us an opportunity to make a great difference.

4. Was being part of the Brown network important to you when you were in New York? How can a graduate / an entrepreneur make best use of the network?

I didn’t really use the Brown network so much while I lived in New York. I lived in London until I came back to the States in 1991. I was asked to serve on a committee for my 20th reunion. Then Frasier Lang asked me to join the board and run for the BAA president. This is how I got more involved with Brown.

My recommendation is to take a wide aperture. People tend to cast a very narrow net.

5. What entrepreneurial opportunities have been created by globalization?

Globalization opened up markets and networks, and create more opportunities where talents flow more easily. I think globalization has created more entrepreneurial efforts than more opportunities. More trade barriers have come down so there is more transparency and fluidity, and entrepreneurs have a larger canvas upon which they can paint.

6. You’ve worked with and advised many talented individuals, including many Brown students and alumni. What are the top five qualities you would ascribe to a business leader?

• An ability to empathize with people
• An understanding that leadership is about people’s needs and not your own.
• An understanding of how to leverage resources and talent
• An ability to paint the vision of the future
• An ability to delve into the details and make things happen

7. As you know, the entrepreneur’s path is filled with trials and errors, and also failures. What’s a valuable insight for entrepreneurs to keep in mind when they’re experiencing setbacks?

That one can learn a lot from setbacks.

8. Do you give ideas to your son, Matthew ('07), for his comic strip?

(Laugh!) No, I don’t. He moved to LA and is now involved in the TV business.

•••••••••••••

 

© BrownHEN.org – 2008