As a former manager of the men’s basketball team and a current Fuqua student, Joshua Makaron is no stranger to the Duke brand.
Makaron would like to continue to be a part of the ongoing development of that brand as a graduate Young Trustee.
“I would love the opportunity to serve my peers to ensure that the graduate student perspective is conveyed as accurately as possible in the University’s decision-making process, with an eye towards building the brands of all of Duke’s programs in an increasingly competitive marketplace,” Makaron wrote in an e-mail Tuesday.
The second-year MBA candidate concentrating in social entrepreneurship and finance is one of three finalists in the race for the graduate Young Trustee position. A “double-Dukie,” Makaron also completed his undergraduate work at Duke, graduating with a degree in public policy studies in 2005.
Before entering business school, Makaron worked in the consulting and financial industries and studied at The Indian School of Business in Hyderabad, India. Makaron said he plans to leverage his financial background and international network to promote Duke’s premier academic status.
If elected Young Trustee, Makaron added that he would apply his interests in finance and entrepreneurship to promote a “culture of entrepreneurship” across disciplines, improve the Duke-Durham relationship, build Duke’s presence globally and create opportunities for students to work across schools.
Currently, Makaron is the co-chair of the Duke Conference on Sustainable Business and Social Impact, an event sponsored by the Net Impact Club, an organization which uses business skills to promote social and environmental sustainability.
As an undergraduate, Makaron served as a manager of the men’s basketball team—an experience that taught him a great deal about leadership.
“I believe I would bring an atypical, cross-disciplinary perspective to the Board...” he said. “I understand the challenges that are common to many Duke students, as well as the challenges faced by the University as a whole.”
Makaron’s commitment to extracurricular initiatives is indicative of his ability to better the community, said Ruth Tolman, an advisor to the Net Impact Club who has collaborated with Makaron.
“He has a great love for Duke... and has a great passion to do important things,” Tolman said. “In his current role as conference leader, he has gotten to manage a subset of his peers and keep them accountable and moving forward, sticking to a vision.”
Makaron’s peers cite his personable manner as an equally important attribute that distinguishes him from other candidates.
Daniel Vogel, also a second-year MBA candidate, said his work with Makaron as a first-year learning group teammate demonstrated Makaron’s leadership abilities. Vogel called Makaron “a good listener with a mediator-type personality,” adding that he is well-respected among his peers.
“Josh is one of the most thoughtful people I ever worked with at Duke,” Vogel said. “I’d say that for two reasons: the genuine concern he shows for his classmates and conversely he has the big picture in mind.... I can see him making a similar impact if he got the job.”
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