Austin M. Beutner

Austin M. Beutner serves as a Senior Lecturer at Harvard Business School, Harvard University. His career bridges business leadership, public service, and social innovation, including roles as former publisher/CEO of the Los Angeles Times and The San Diego Union-Tribune, founder of Evercore Partners, superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District (2018), and first deputy mayor of Los Angeles (2010). He currently holds board positions with The California Nature Conservancy, National Park Foundation, Pacific Council on International Relations, and US Ski and Snowboard Team Foundation.

Beutner's professional trajectory informs his academic focus on practical leadership challenges at the intersection of public policy and business. His founding of Vision to Learn—a nonprofit providing free eyeglasses to 180+ cities' low-income students—demonstrates applied commitment to educational equity and scalable social solutions, reflecting core interests in systemic reform and cross-sector collaboration.

Scientific Honors

• Fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences

While no graduate student advisement or research grants are documented in public sources, Beutner's operational leadership in large-scale initiatives like Vision to Learn and LAUSD administration exemplifies practice-based contributions to educational systems improvement.