Fall 2021 Issue

“I’m a storyteller.” It’s the cliché that launched a thousand keynotes, elevator pitches, and social media bios, but there’s no denying the power of stories. They’re how we make sense of our experiences and express our hopes for the future. They let us explain ourselves to others and help us understand the world.

Stories are what brought me here. When I became editor of Stanford Business this spring, I had yet to lay eyes on the Change Wall or meet my new colleagues outside a Zoom screen. Yet even at a distance, it was clear that Stanford GSB was going to be a great place to look for meaningful stories.

The months since then haven’t disappointed. One of my first interviews was with George Jedenoff, MBA ’42, a 104-year-old with an enviable sense of perspective on his life. I’d soon learn that the optimism, curiosity, and sense of purpose he embodied are in abundance in the Stanford GSB community.

That spirit permeates this issue of Stanford Business. It’s in the stories of professors who are engaging head-on with life-and-death issues like vaccine distribution and kidney donation. It’s in the stories of the women of the Class of ’72 and in those of the students, alumni, and faculty members who are working to ensure that a wider range of stories are being heard. Because, as Professor Jeffrey Pfeffer sums it up “Everybody is telling a story.”

And that includes you. If you have an idea for a story you could imagine us telling in these pages, email us.

— Dave Gilson