Coffee & Conversation with Donaldson Fellow John Conley '85 MBA

Please join 2026 Donaldson Fellow recipient John Conley '85 MBA for an intimate conversation on Thursday, September 17th from 3:00-3:45 pm.

The Donaldson Fellows Program honors SOM alumni from all sectors and across the globe who share a dedication to solving complex problems and pursuing positive change in the world. It is the highest honor the school awards to alumni. 

John Conley is a Board Member and Investor at Boston’s Launchpad Venture Group, the largest angel investor group on the East Coast, and serves on the boards of its healthcare portfolio companies. He was a co-founder of the RNA-interference therapeutics company Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, where he held the position of Vice President, Strategy and Finance and CFO through to its successful 2004 IPO (NASD: ALNY). Over ten years at Biogen he served in several marketing, business development, sales, and finance positions, including Country Manager - United Kingdom and Ireland and Treasurer. He was a Manager at the strategy consulting firm Bain & Company.
He has been the Chief Operating Officer of Entrepreneurship for All (EforAll), a nonprofit accelerating economic and social impact through fostering entrepreneurship in under-resourced communities. He previously served as Board Chair of the Greater Boston YMCA. For over a dozen years has been a Director of the national YMCA of the USA and is currently its Chair Elect, slated to become its Board Chair in 2028.

John currently volunteers at Yale Ventures, Yale's Program on Entrepreneurship and Harvard's Innovation Labs. He graduated with a BS in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School and an MBA from the Yale School of Management. He was a 2014 Fellow in the Advanced Leadership Initiative at Harvard University.
 

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