James Hundt '07

Alumni Newsmaker: James Hundt '07

James Hundt '07 named presidential fellow

For James Hundt, the first Kellogg School graduate to earn a Presidential Management Fellowship, the honor was another step forward in a distinguished career of national service.

The Unites States Office of Personnel Management awards the Presidential Management Fellowship to encourage leaders to work for the U.S. government. Fellows work closely with one agency, then rotate to a related agency, bringing with them new knowledge and perspectives. "The idea is to spread you out so you really get a broader view of what's going on," said Hundt, a graduate of the Kellogg Part-Time MBA Program.

Hundt '07 enlisted in the military on his 17th birthday and was accepted at the U.S. Military Academy at 19. "It's just something I always wanted to do," said Hundt, who soon led a platoon of 32 soldiers but later left the Army on a medical discharge after being injured at combat demolition school. Since then, he has worked in counter-terrorism at the Department of Homeland Security.

Hundt was initially nervous about attending business school, where he expected "everyone to be an investment banker." His apprehensions vanished after his first accounting class, which he says left him thinking, "This stuff is awesome." Hundt graduated with a triple major in finance, international business and management operations.

Now, he'll put that knowledge to work in the Executive Office of the President at the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, where he will oversee the allocation of $60 billion in infrastructure construction worldwide.

Professor of Social Enterprise Donald Haider, who helped choose the Kellogg School's nominees for the fellowship, called Hundt "a remarkable young man in the finest tradition of being a true civil servant."