Bill Meehan

Bio

William F. Meehan III is the Lafayette Partners Lecturer in Strategic Management at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business and a Director Emeritus of McKinsey & Company. He is a sought-after writer, speaker, teacher and advisor on strategy, leadership, governance, and per­formance measurement for non-profit organizations and philanthropists. He is co-author, with Kim Starkey Jonker, of a forthcoming book from Stanford University Press on those topics.

At Stanford, he also is a founding member of the Advisory Council of the Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society, a faculty member of the Public Management Program and the Center for Social Innovation, and a member of the Arts Advisory Council. He developed and teaches a pioneering course in frontier markets private equity and helped launch and shape the Stanford Institute for Innovation in Developing Economies (SEED). He is a regular contributor to the Stanford Social Innovation Review. In addition, he is an active mentor to students, nonprofit leaders and others. He has advised the University’s Board of Trustees and several other areas of the University.

He serves on the Board of GiveDirectly, and the North American Council of Ashoka. A committed supporter of the arts and advisor to arts organizations, he is also a long-serving board member of the San Francisco Symphony and a member of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival Endowment Board. He is a Special Advisor to King Philanthropies, Equal Opportunity Schools, the San Francisco Opera, and, formerly, Embrace.

He is former Chair of the United Way of the Bay Area, Chairman Emeritus of Guidestar, a former member of the board of Fordham Prep, the National Academy of Sciences’ Board on Science, Technology and Economic Policy (STEP), and the California Roundtable.

Meehan retired from McKinsey & Company in December 2008 after a career of over 30 years. His focus at McKinsey was working with chief executives in technology, private equity, and other industries on topics of top management strategy, organization, and leadership. During his tenure, he mentored more than a dozen new CEOs and helped them shape their agendas. In addition to his service to clients, he held many leadership roles within the Firm. As a member of the Shareholders’ Council (McKinsey’s board), he was Chair of the Client Committee and of the McKinsey Investment Office, which oversees more than $8 billion in investments. He was also Vice-Chair of the Directors Review Committee; founder and leader of the Private Equity Practice; Chair of the West Coast Practice; and Managing Director of the San Francisco Office.

Meehan is a Director for Big Switch and a former Director of Juniper Networks and Westward Leaning.

Academic Degrees

• MBA, Stanford University, 1978
• BA, Columbia University

Academic Appointments

• At Stanford University since 1998

Professional Experience

• Director, McKinsey & Company, Inc., 1978-2008

Awards and Honors

• Lafayette Partners Lecturer for 2013-present

Teaching

Degree Courses

2017-18

STRAMGT 328: Startup Garage: Social Ventures Funding Readiness

Social Ventures Funding Readiness is designed as a follow on to the two quarters of the Startup Garage or Entrepreneurial Design for Extreme Affordability experiential learning courses or for Venture Studio residents and is specifically designed...

STRAMGT 368: Strategic Management of Nonprofit Organizations and Social Ventures

This course seeks to provide a survey of the strategic, governance, and management issues facing a wide range of nonprofit organizations and their executive and board leaders, in the era of venture philanthropy and social entrepreneurship. The...

2016-17

FINANCE 381: Private Equity in Frontier Markets: Creating a New Investible Asset Class

In 2001, Jim O''Neil of Goldman Sachs wrote a research note which underscored the importance of so-called Emerging Markets to a well-balanced investment portfolio. Still today, most investors have little or no investment exposure beyond North...

STRAMGT 328: Social Ventures Practicum

The Social Ventures Practicum is an experiential learning course for student teams actively working to launch a social venture (nonprofit or for-profit or tbd).n nDesigned as a follow-on to ideation courses such as STRAMGT 356: Startup Garage or...

STRAMGT 368: Strategic Management of Nonprofit Organizations and Social Ventures

This course seeks to provide a survey of the strategic, governance, and management issues facing a wide range of nonprofit organizations and their executive and board leaders, in the era of venture philanthropy and social entrepreneurship. The...

In the Media

Philanthropist Encourages Wealthy to Help United Way

San Francisco Chronicle, 12 8, 2000

Insights by Stanford Business

writtenFour Ways Nonprofits Can Increase Their Impact

November 1, 2017

Researchers examine the $1.7 trillion philanthropy sector to find the fissures.

writtenImpact: The Recommended List

February 1, 2016

Stanford GSB professors share their reading list for topics related to impact.

writtenHow to Be a Better Nonprofit Board Member

July 10, 2015

Apply the fundamentals of corporate governance to charitable work.

writtenDavid Larcker: Nonprofit Boards Fall Short

April 22, 2015

A new survey shows many lack skills, engagement to effectively oversee organizations.

writtenDale Miller: Choosing a Board Seat, Advice from the Pros

March 20, 2014

Experienced board members from the Stanford community share their advice for choosing a first time board.