Babson College announces the appointment of Elizabeth Thornton, adjunct lecturer of entrepreneurship, as Babson’s first Chief Diversity Officer. 

In her new role, Thornton will be a member of the President’s Cabinet and lead efforts to create and sustain an inclusive multicultural environ-ment that attracts, educates, empowers and retains underrepresented students, faculty, and staff. 

Thornton has taught in the graduate and undergraduate programs at Babson and served as Faculty Director of the summer program, Babson Business Edge.  She also led the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) initiative, and is actively involved in the Center for Women’s Leadership and its “Accelerating the growth of businesses owned by women of color” partnership with the Center for Women’s Business Research.        

“Elizabeth is an energetic, passionate, and dedicated advocate for diversity and multiculturalism, and I look forward to her influence on students, faculty, and staff,” said Babson President Brian Barefoot.  “She will help us continue to build a culture in which all people are respected and valued, and where effective communication and collaboration take place.” 

Thornton is founder and CEO of the training and consulting firm, Entrepreneurship Advantage, Inc., which helps dislocated or downsized workers regain economic self-sufficiency by creating small businesses. She has assisted more than 85 businesses in Massachusetts and hundreds nationwide, and has consulted with the Pioneer Institute, the Center for Women and Enterprise, Inner City Entrepreneurs, the State of Massachusetts, and the City of Boston, to name a few.

She has 15+ years of corporate experience with institutions such as American Express and Bank One and 15+ years of entrepreneurial experience with clients such as the Presidential Inaugural Committee, Clinton ’92, The White House, and several small businesses.

In addition, last year Governor Deval Patrick appointed Thornton to the Massachusetts Workforce Investment Board (MWIB).

Thornton has a B.S.B.A. from Georgetown University, studied under the Oxford Center for Management Studies, and holds an MBA from New York University's Stern School of Business.