Description / Biography

When invited to return to Beloit College in 2021 as an Executive-in-Residence, I did not hesitate: it was the fastest yes of my career. Beloit’s transformative, liberal arts education made my post-Beloit successes possible. At Beloit, I learned foundational skills: how to think critically, problem-solve, communicate, and collaborate effectively across disciplines and contexts. (You can read more specifics here.)

After graduating from Beloit College (’89) and Yale Law School (’92), I began my career as a corporate lawyer. In 1999, I joined Amazon as one of its first lawyers, helping launch its international websites and build its operations worldwide, before moving to Luxembourg to run international legal and then to London to become the business leader of the global launch of Prime Video. After 20 years with Amazon, I became a media-tech CEO and then a consultant and board member to a range of companies and nonprofits.

I first joined Beloit as an Executive in Residence, teaching and mentoring students, working on career readiness programming, fundraising, and facilitating the development of a strategic plan for the college. I then moved to the role of Executive Director of Impact Beloit and Vice President of Career Development, leading the launch of the college’s initiative to bring together all of our career-readiness programs to ensure graduates find fulfilling careers. The primary programs that we we were launched as part of Impact Beloit were (i) Schools, aligning our curriculum to solidify students’ paths to future employment or graduate school, (ii) Community Connections, which offers high-impact learning experiences to Beloit students across disciplines by bringing the college and community together to advance community-based learning, civic engagement, and career readiness, (iii) Career Works, in which students gain the professional skills they need to get internships and job placements, (iv) Alumni Connections, through which students find alumni mentors, internships, and jobs, and (v) the Impact Beloit Fellowship and Concierge Internship programs, in which students are placed in year-long placements in Beloit-area businesses and organizations, developing career skills and build a sense of community.

I now am the Vice President for Finance, Strategy & Operations, responsible for finance and accounting, strategic planning, human resources, facilities, IT, and legal affairs. 

During all this time, I have had the honor and pleasure of teaching a course I created called, The Art of Leading (PRAX 304), in which students learn how to lead in any context. We focus on building self-awareness, understanding context, and how to find, communicate, and implement creative solutions. The students practice these skills in class and here on campus. I run the class like I’d run a company: every student is a leader and owner, expected to make the class better. Students discover who they are as a person and leader and how to solve real-world problems, bringing to life their skills and vision to make the world better. The goal of the class is give students a toolkit for success in any career and in life.

Talk to Tim about: anything, but I especially enjoy talking about movies and TV shows. I love film (especially in a movie theater) and ambitious TV shows, particularly great acting and writing. My favorite movies of 2024 were The Holdovers, American Fiction, and A Real Pain. If you did not see After Sun in 2023, fantastic. We’ve got an excellent theater in Beloit, Classic Cinemas. Check it out. Lots of great TV out there. A few of my favorites in 2024 were Shrinking, The Agency, and Slow Horses. I’m full of recommendations. Just ask me at lesliejt@beloit.edu. I’d love to meet and talk film, TV, career, and life.

Education

• B.A., Economics from Beloit College
• J.D. from Yale University