Chapman CBO Harold Hewitt Falls into Rewarding Higher Ed Career

Harold Hewitt serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Chapman University. After an academic career spanning philosophy, religious studies, and a clear path to professorship, Hewitt suffered a transformational ah-ha moment: “I discovered I didn’t like teaching.” But what does one do when so deeply invested in higher education, minus the drive to teach?

“I asked for help… and I was given the opportunity to interview the various administrators,” at the Claremont Colleges. “The path for me was on the operations side.” Hewitt’s experience illustrates one of so many paths into the CBO role. He entered the MBA program and “came out of that experience with a real focus and a real sense of how I wanted to contribute to higher education.”

This week on the show, Hewitt shares the arc of his career, including his rich experience at the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, and the lessons of performance that inform the CBO he is today.