Alissa O.

Alissa O.

Stanford MBA Reapplicant Success l Expert in Nontraditional Paths

McDonough School of Business (Georgetown) Logo

Studied at McDonough School of Business (Georgetown)

You Should Smile More Productions Logo

Works at You Should Smile More Productions

Available Monday at 2:00 PM UTC

Questions? Start chatting with this coach before you get started.

Alissa's Coaching Offerings

Custom hourly · $185/hr

Get help with Recommendations, Application Strategy, and .

Alissa’s MBA Qualifications

10+ people coached for MBA

I’ve been on both sides of the MBA admissions process, including getting rejected one year and accepted the next, and that experience fundamentally shapes how I coach. I earned my MBA from Stanford GSB after initially being turned down, and I know firsthand that success isn’t about becoming “more impressive,” but about becoming clearer, more honest, and more intentional in how you tell your story. I especially enjoy working with nontraditional candidates who have taken risks, pursued unconventional paths, or are charting their own way forward. Before business school, I worked at McKinsey & Company and later led large-scale operations at Rocket Internet and Uber across multiple countries. Since then, I’ve founded and scaled mission-driven companies, including the country's largest worker cooperative, raised capital, served on boards, and won a Tony as a Broadway producer. I coach applicants to articulate not just what they’ve done, but why it matters, how they think, and who they are as leaders. My approach is candid, strategic, and deeply personal. I help you identify the through-line in your experiences, pressure-test your goals, and craft essays that sound like you, not a consultant-written version of you. I’m particularly well-suited to working with nontraditional candidates, reapplicants, and those navigating career pivots, because I’ve lived those paths myself.

Alissa can help with:

Recommendations

Application Strategy

General Exploration

Interviews

Supplementary Materials

View all of Alissa’s categories

Work Experience

You Should Smile More Productions Logo

Co-Founder

You Should Smile More Productions

November 2023 - Present

You Should Smile More Productions is a Tony and Drama Desk Award-winning production company that invests in culture-defining plays and musicals on Broadway while elevating underrepresented voices. Current: - Maybe Happy Ending (Tony Award Winner: Best Musical; New York Times Critic’s Pick) - Operation Mincemeat (Tony Nominee: Best Musical) - Chess - Commercial advisor to Theatr (peer-to-peer ticket resale platform) Upcoming: - GRIM! (La Jolla Playhouse, Fall 2026) Past: - The Queen of Versailles (New York Times Critic's Pick) - The Notebook (Grammy-nominated) - Communion (Cell Theatre, off-Broadway)

Camillus Partners Logo

Founder

Camillus Partners

September 2022 - January 2025

Ran search fund looking to buy, lead, and grow a human-centered care business.

The Drivers' Cooperative Logo

Co-Founder & Managing Director

The Drivers' Cooperative

August 2020 - December 2021

Built from scratch into the largest worker cooperative in the country. Specializes in transportation for Medicaid patients and people with disabilities.

Dynamo Advisors Logo

Founder & Managing Director

Dynamo Advisors

February 2017 - December 2018

Dynamo Advisors develops growth strategies, operational processes, and investor materials for early and growth stage tech companies operating across Africa.

Uber Logo

Head of Operations, East Africa

Uber

August 2016 - March 2017

Head the recruitment, onboarding, and support of tens of thousands of driver-partners across Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. Manage the launch of new products in East Africa and competition response across SSA.

Jumia Group Logo

Managing Director, Jumia Food, Rwanda

Jumia Group

August 2015 - July 2016

Manage Rwanda's largest e-commerce company, a mobile and online food delivery platform.

McKinsey & Company Logo

Business Analyst

McKinsey & Company

September 2013 - April 2015

Developed investment strategies for a leading private foundation, with a focus on agricultural development and primary health care financing in Ethiopia and Nigeria.

Education

McDonough School of Business (Georgetown) Logo

McDonough School of Business (Georgetown)

BSFS, Regional Studies, Africa

- Summa Cum Laude - Peer-elected commencement speaker for the School of Foreign Service

Stanford Graduate School of Business Logo

Stanford Graduate School of Business

Master of Business Administration - MBA

2018 - 2020

Alissa O.

Alissa O.

Sign in
Free events