Chae Initiative in Private Sector Leadership Prepares Business Leaders of the Future

Seeking to train dynamic business leaders capable of handling complex issues resulting from a rapidly changing world, Yale Law School announced the launch of the Michael S. and Alexa B. Chae Initiative in Private Sector Leadership.

The Chae Initiative, part of The Tsai Leadership Program at Yale Law School, provides focused educational and professional development to Yale Law School students who are interested in nontraditional careers and leadership roles in the private sector in areas such as business, finance, investing, management consulting, and entrepreneurship. The Chae Initiative is based on the notion that a Yale Law School degree is an all-purpose thinking and problem-solving degree and provides a crucial foundation that will prepare graduates for a variety of business leadership roles.

“The Chae Initiative will transform the way our students engage within a global business environment and light up the many pathways available to make an impact in the private sector,” said Heather K. Gerken, Dean and Sol & Lillian Goldman Professor of Law at Yale Law School. “We are incredibly grateful to Michael and Alexa Chae, both Class of 1997 graduates, for their vision and support. This initiative will have a lasting impact on the next generation of private sector leaders who will take the skills they learn to pursue bold, innovative work around the world.”

“The Chae Initiative will transform the way our students engage within a global business environment and light up the many pathways available to make an impact in the private sector.”
—Dean Heather K. Gerken

“A Yale law degree is a versatile thinking and problem-solving degree and represents a crucial foundation for so many business leadership roles,” said founder Michael S. Chae ’97, Senior Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer of Blackstone, the global investment firm. “The Chae Initiative provides students with a strong and practical grounding in business and financial skills and prepares them to engage in effective and ethical decision-making in a global business environment.”

The Chae Initiative’s core philosophy is to empower students to be professionally ready and capable of translating theory into practice, to obtain a firm grasp of business principles, to be nimble in the face of complex business issues and innovation, and to engage in ethical decision-making within a global business environment. Professor of Law John Morley ’06 will serve as Faculty Director for the Chae Initiative in Private Sector Leadership.

“Yale Law School has always been uniquely successful in preparing its graduates for careers in finance, business, and entrepreneurship,” said Morley. “The Chae Initiative in Private Sector Leadership will extend this tradition by helping to provide students with quantitative skills, mentorship, ethical judgment, and the powers of critical thinking.”

To learn more about Chae Initiative in Private Sector Leadership, visit law.yale.edu/chaeinitiative.