A love of learning and passion for winning: Jack Welch’s legacy at JWMI

Jack Welch, former chairman and CEO of General Electric and founder of the Jack Welch Management Institute, passed away in March, yet his legacy lives on through the 2,000 students, 2,000 alumni and 150 faculty and staff of the school he loved. 

Since its founding in 2012, JWMI has flourished under Jack’s leadership, becoming one of the fastest-growing and most highly ranked business schools in the country. The courses are infused with his principles and people management practices and reflect his love of people and passion for winning.

JWMI students and alumni of JWMI often say they feel personally connected to Jack, and that is by design. “JWMI was Jack’s passion—he loved meeting with students,” said Robert Silberman, executive chairman of Strategic Education, Inc., the school’s parent company. “He cheered the stories of raises, promotions and professional achievement. He challenged faculty and staff to treat students like customers, and put their success at the center of everything we do. He gave straight, candid feedback but always treated people with dignity. He wanted everyone to “win”—with our teams, in our personal lives and our communities. Jack loved JWMI, and it showed in everything he did.”

Danette Hilton, a manager at Intel and JWMI alumna, agrees: “Jack was more than a businessman, more than a teacher, a mentor or an adviser. My story is not far from many of the others that have come to JWMI and had Jack touch their lives and careers. The Jack Welch legacy will live on.”