From international development to data analytics, Ali Schmidt-Fellner has built a career translating across disciplines
Even before joining Fletcher’s Master of International Business (MIB) program, Ali Schmidt-Fellner, F17, was drawn to an interdisciplinary approach to problem solving.
As an undergraduate studying international affairs, she worked with nonprofits and developed a passion for mission-driven work. After graduating Fletcher, she began exploring how these experiences converged across her roles at the World Bank, Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, and, most recently, JPMorganChase.
“I was curious about how I could bring the energy, innovation, and risk tolerance of the private and technology sectors to the issue areas I cared about—like workforce development and financial inclusion,” Schmidt-Fellner said.
Where Business Education Meets Global Context
As Schmidt-Fellner searched for graduate programs, it was that blend of creativity and cross-sector curiosity that ultimately led her to Fletcher.
“Fletcher’s MIB was the only program I found where I could get a core curriculum of business classes and also get the opportunity to focus on how business intersected with geopolitics and international development,” she said.
Fletcher’s MIB program combines the rigors of an MBA education with the breadth of global affairs. That balance—between practical business skills and big picture, contextual knowledge—helped Schmidt-Fellner develop a practice of questioning assumptions and recognizing bias.
During the program, Schmidt-Fellner found herself again working at the intersection of business and social impact with Andela, a company co-founded by a Fletcher alum that connects software developers in Africa with top technology firms around the world.
“I had three things: business fundamentals, a grounding in global context, and this skill set in questioning assumptions and interdisciplinary thinking,” Schmidt-Fellner said. “It unlocked a very fulfilling career for me, aligned with my goals.”
Charting an Expansive Path in Global Business
After graduating from Fletcher, Schmidt-Fellner built a career spanning the public, private, and social impact sectors. She worked with the World Bank’s disruptive technology and development group, exploring how technologies could improve development outcomes and scale them, before joining the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, where she focused on how digital economies could become more inclusive.
Her work even led to a collaboration with Fletcher faculty, Bhaskar Chakravorti and Ravi Shankar Chaturvedi, at Digital Planet. Now, Schmidt-Fellner works for the economic intelligence team at JPMorganChase.
“I’m not as interested in a traditional linear job progression,” Schmidt-Fellner said. “I want to work across sectors and in between disciplines. That, I think, is the most interesting way—for me—to create a path forward.”
The Value of Diplomacy Across Sectors
At JPMorganChase, Schmidt-Fellner uses data to better understand how consumers and small businesses are experiencing financial health across the United States.
“I’m taking a break from the international affairs side of the house, but I'm still working in a market-by-market context,” she explained. “I’ve moved from how to use catalytic philanthropic capital and corporate assets for good to understanding how to use data for good.”
Even in this new context, Schmidt-Fellner has found the Fletcher experience essential.
“Diplomacy, to me, is not a sector specific skill,” she said. “Diplomacy can mean translating between cultures, but also between sectors. I'm interested in how you can speak the language of the private sector and the language of the public sector and bring them together to create something transformative.”
While cross-sector diplomacy has been a defining thread in Schmidt-Fellner’s career, it’s the Fletcher community, she said, that has meant the most.
“The community at Fletcher changed my life,” Schmidt-Fellner shared. “All my best friends are from Fletcher, and they are my personal and professional support system. My network has been able to support Fletcher people, and their network has been able to support me. It just becomes more effortless and more valuable over time.”
Read more about Fletcher’s Master of International Business degree program.