For more than three decades, Jim Graber, MBA ’71, has shown that the value of an MBA extends far beyond profit margins and boardrooms. As a seasoned finance executive turned volunteer consultant, he has helped shape the nonprofit landscape through the Stanford Alumni Consulting Team, pairing expertise with a steady commitment to service. ACT matches nonprofits with GSB alumni who provide pro bono consulting on strategic, financial, and operational challenges. To date, over 1,750 GSB graduates have supported more than 1,000 social benefit organizations, delivering the equivalent of $70 million in services. Jim has personally led or contributed to 50 of ACT’s projects, and the Monterey Bay chapter he launched has completed dozens more.
With a long history of senior management roles in private and public companies, Jim first joined ACT in the early 1990s, bringing the same rigor, fiscal discipline, and executive insight he honed in corporate finance to the nonprofit world. His success stems from his willingness to propose straightforward, practical solutions and surface insights that others might overlook, explains Barb Bishop, ’75, MBA ’81, a project management consultant for ACT. “He doesn’t let his MBA get in the way of his common sense,” she says. Jake Rohrer, MBA ’71, describes Jim as a “guiding force” behind ACT, even after passing the baton to the next generation of GSB alumni in recent years.
Founded in 2005, ACT Monterey Bay was the program’s first expansion beyond the Bay Area, and under Jim’s leadership, it has cultivated a tight-knit, multigenerational alumni team rooted in purpose and community. Staffed by 15 consultants with an average of 30 years’ senior management experience, the chapter has assisted a wide range of community organizations, including Sunset Cultural Center in Carmel-by-the-Sea and Everyone’s Harvest in Monterey. Jim, along with Tony Ramsden, MBA ’70, received the Alison Elliott Exceptional Achievement Award in 2010, which recognizes volunteers whose sustained service has significantly advanced ACT’s mission. For Jake, the honor was the culmination of years of commitment: “Beloved by clients and teammates alike, Jim’s impact continues to inspire across Monterey Bay, ACT, and the GSB community.”
