Ranch Kimball Named Babson College's New Chief Operating Officer

As COO, Kimball will focus on creating opportunities and profile for Babson in the Boston innovation community and beyond     

BABSON PARK, Mass., July 16, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Babson College today named Ranch Kimball its new Chief Operating Officer (COO).  As COO, Mr. Kimball will direct important revenue and profile-generating efforts by helping to cultivate new relationships and opportunities that support Babson's business growth goals.  Mr. Kimball will focus on raising Babson's profile in the Boston innovation community and regionally as he oversees externally-facing functions of the College, including Alumni & Friends, Development and Marketing as well as certain outreach efforts of Babson Global and Babson Executive Education. Mr. Kimball will assume the role of COO as of August 1, 2013. 

"I am thrilled that Ranch Kimball is bringing his talents, business expertise and growth-oriented vision to Babson," said Babson President Kerry Healey.  "As I continue to grow Babson's profile domestically and internationally, Ranch is ideally suited to build on Babson's efforts to create new opportunities that will extend the College's unique methodology and perspective to individuals, businesses and organizations here in Boston and throughout the region."

Mr. Kimball is a highly regarded business leader with a broad portfolio of experience, including his notable roles leading large, complex organizations. Most recently, he has served as President and CEO of CIC Partners, the arm of the Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC) responsible for operations of Innovation Centers outside the Boston-Cambridge region.  CIC is the world's largest Innovation Center, with over 530 start-ups that have received over $1.8 billion in venture capital.  Previously, he served as President and CEO of the Joslin Diabetes Center, one of the Harvard teaching hospitals.  Prior to running the Joslin, he served as the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Economic Development Secretary with overall responsibility for the state's economy and management of 22 state agencies and 2,350 employees.   In 2001, he co-founded the Washington D.C. -based Kissinger McLarty Capital Group, a private equity firm in partnership with former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and former White House Chief of Staff and Fortune 500 CEO Thomas "Mack" McLarty. He began his business career at the Boston Consulting Group, where he was a long-time partner with leadership in Boston, London, Tokyo, and Hong Kong.

A Trustee of Wheelock College for eight years, Mr. Kimball has served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Wheelock since 2010.  He has extensive Board of Director and Trustee experience working with organizations including MassDevelopment, Massachusetts Business Roundtable, Massachusetts Port Authority, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Museum of Science, Boston, and WGBH. He also has served on Boards of companies, ranging from start-ups   to those with $100 million valuations.

"Whether creating new innovation centers through the CIC or directing the Commonwealth's economic policies and efforts, I've spent the better part of my career working to support and grow the entrepreneurial landscape in this region," said Ranch Kimball.  "There is no better way for me to take this work to the next level than to join the recognized No. 1 school for entrepreneurship and further extend entrepreneurship of all kinds to spur on innovation, economic development and social change in Boston and throughout the region."

About Babson College

Babson College is the educator, convener, and thought leader for Entrepreneurship of All Kinds™.  The College is a dynamic living and learning laboratory, where students, faculty, and staff work together to address the real-world problems of business and society—while at the same time evolving our methods and advancing our programs.  We shape the leaders our world needs most: those with strong functional knowledge and the skills and vision to navigate change, accommodate ambiguity, surmount complexity, and motivate teams in a common purpose to create economic and social value.  As we have for nearly a half-century, Babson continues to advance Entrepreneurial Thought and Action^® as the most positive force on the planet for generating sustainable economic and social value. For information, visit www.babson.edu.

SOURCE Babson College