Reginald Van Lee, Nichols Award Winner

About Reginald Van Lee

Reginald Van Lee is a staunch supporter of the Stern School who personifies the qualities of integrity, enterprise and service that the Nichols award honors. In his dual role as senior vice president in the New York office of Booz Allen Hamilton and a leader in the Harlem Small Business Initiative, he has had an enormous influence on our students as a mentor and a role model.

Mr. Van Lee has been the catalyst of a successful pro-bono partnership that has drawn together The William J. Clinton Presidential Foundation, the National Association of Minorities in Communication, the National Black MBA Association, as well as Booz Allen Hamilton and the Stern School, to provide managerial assistance to small businesses in Harlem.

Teams led by Booz Allen consultants and staffed by our Stern MBA students have applied business theory and practice to help small, family-owned Harlem businesses better compete. The results speak for themselves – the initiative has funneled more than 44,000 pro-bono hours, worth about $8 million in professional services fees, into Harlem.

While the small businesses have benefited from new marketing plans, better inventory tracking systems, computerized customer databases and other such advice, students who have participated have gained priceless lessons in leadership, teamwork and problem-solving.

Mr. Van Lee's Remarks

“I am honored to receive this award, with its distinguished history, and I’m humbled to be in the same company as past honorees such as Jack Welch and Alan Greenspan.”

“While this award is noteworthy, the actions it recognizes – volunteering to help the community – shouldn’t be noteworthy.  The fact is, however, that so few people take action to help their community and the world, that the few stand out.”

“But I have been lucky – I’ve had a great deal of support along the way, beginning with my family and friends. I am also lucky to be part of a company, Booz Allen Hamilton, that has consistently given me the resources to help others, as part of its aggressive and broad-ranging program of community support.”

“In the case of the Harlem Small Business Initiative, I had another source of help and inspiration – the Stern students, some of whom are sitting in the audience today. Throughout the project, it was a delight to work with these bright, motivated students, who were eager to learn and to contribute.”

“HSBI was a long project – we worked with small businesses for over 22 months – and I don’t mind admitting that some of the client teams got fatigued by the effort. Every time that happened, though, the enthusiasm and energy of the students revived us, and helped turn our good intentions into a resounding success.”

“And together we’ve accomplished something that is truly special.  Harlem is a national treasure, and its small businesses have long served as the anchor of the local economy. Their contribution to Harlem’s unique culture is invaluable. They must and will be preserved for the future. We live in a time of great economic and social challenges, and this project gave us a unique opportunity to bring people together around a shared vision of community and opportunity.”

“Whenever I am thanked for helping people, I try to turn their thanks into a challenge – I tell them to go out and do the same, by helping others. There’s no shortage of worthy programs that make a difference in the world, and there is surely no shortage of people who need a helping hand.”

“So I’ll leave you with this challenge, and I will also wish you luck as you move forward to meet the future. Thank you for your help, and thank you for this magnificent award.”