Elizabeth Thornton

Special Assistant to the President for External Affairs,
Lecturer in Entrepreneurship, Babson College

Elizabeth Thornton is an adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship and Babson’s First Chief Diversity Officer.  In this new role, Thornton is a member of the President’s Cabinet and lead efforts to create and sustain an inclusive multicultural environment that attracts, educates, empowers and retains underrepresented students, faculty, and staff.

Thornton also teaches entrepreneurship in the graduate and undergraduate programs at Babson.  She has developed a new course called the Principle of Objectivity which she teaches at the graduate school and also at Babson’s Executive Education Center. This course teaches people about objectivity, a mindset that will help people react appropriately to changing dynamics, make sound decisions and improve their relationships with others for a more happy and successful life.  The principle of objectivity is also used as an underlying framework for collaborative, “no shame-no blame” conversations about diversity and inclusion. 

Thornton was founder and CEO of the training and consulting firm, Entrepreneurship Advantage, Inc., which helped 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.