For Nadia Tareen ’11, creating opportunities for others has been a guiding principle throughout her career. Whether working on global health initiatives, expanding access to education, or helping individuals launch healthcare careers, she has consistently focused on one goal: increasing opportunity and improving lives.

 

Today, Nadia serves as Chief of Staff at Stepful, a New York-based education startup addressing one of the nation's most pressing challenges: the healthcare workforce shortage. Through affordable, digitally delivered training programs, Stepful helps students prepare for careers as medical assistants, pharmacy technicians, surgical technologists, and other healthcare professionals.

 

As Chief of Staff, Nadia leads strategic initiatives that help the company grow, manages relationships with investors and the board, and works across teams to ensure the organization remains focused on its mission. One project she is particularly excited about involves expanding partnerships with hospitals and healthcare systems that can directly fund employee training.

 

“Even though our direct-to-consumer programs are much more affordable than other options and we offer scholarships and financial aid, the program cost still comes out of students’ pockets,” she explains. “We are scaling our programs where hospitals and health systems pay directly for employees’ healthcare training.”

 

The work combines two things Nadia values deeply: innovation and social impact. Her path to this role has taken her across sectors and continents. After graduating from Baldwin, she earned degrees in economics and international studies through the Huntsman Program at the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton School. She began her career in management consulting at EY-Parthenon before joining the Gates Foundation, where she worked on global health initiatives, including polio eradication efforts in Pakistan, which is a project that held special significance because of her family’s roots there.

 

She later worked in the startup ecosystem in Mexico and in impact investing before earning a joint MBA from Harvard Business School and a Master of Public Administration in International Development from Harvard Kennedy School in 2024.

 

Looking back, Nadia believes one of the most important lessons she learned early in her career is that every experience can help build valuable skills. “Your first job doesn’t need to check every box,” she says. “A role that isn’t a perfect fit can still help you build the foundational skills that will empower you to succeed in a future job that is more directly tied to your interests.” That perspective has helped her navigate a career focused on solving complex social challenges.

 

Nadia traces her passion for social impact directly back to her years at Baldwin. As an Upper School student, she founded Baldwin’s chapter of Girls Learn International, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing global women’s education. Through partnerships with schools in Pakistan and curriculum focused on human rights, she gained her first exposure to social impact work.

 

Just as importantly, Baldwin helped her find her voice. “When I first came to Baldwin in Kindergarten, I was very quiet and hesitant to speak up in the classroom,” she recalls. “The Baldwin environment and encouragement of my teachers helped me build confidence in sharing my thoughts and opinions.” By Upper School, that confidence had grown into leadership roles in Senate and Girls Learn International, even leading to an opportunity to speak at a United Nations conference during her junior year.

 

Throughout her career, Nadia has learned the importance of celebrating progress, especially when working on challenges that can feel overwhelming. During her time at the Gates Foundation, she saw firsthand how difficult global health issues can be to solve. “I learned how important it is to recognize every win,” she says. “Those small wins compound and keep us motivated through the long arc of a really hard problem.”

 

Today, what excites her most is the opportunity to work alongside talented colleagues, solve meaningful problems, and remain connected to a mission she believes in. Combined with a balanced life filled with family, friends, teaching barre classes, and participating in the Baldwin Class of 2011 Book Club, she has found a formula for both personal and professional fulfillment.