Megan Christenson

Strategy and Leadership, Baumhart Scholars MBA

Megan has spent over a decade working with early-stage ventures across sectors, industries, and legal structures to develop scalable processes for growth and social impact. She launched The Lean Jane, a lean innovation and impact investment strategy firm, in 2017 to expand her work beyond the startup world. Through the Lean Jane, Megan has teamed up with leading innovation and social impact groups including Acumen, REDF, the Experience Institute, SMALLIFY, and Moves the Needle.

Prior to the Lean Jane, Megan was the Sr. Director of the Civic Accelerator (Acquired by Acumen Fund in 2019), where she oversaw startup recruitment and selection, program design, curriculum delivery, and venture development. Megan holds an MBA and MA in International Environmental Policy from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, and an undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She lives in Chicago, where you can often find her teaching a yoga class or leading a Pizza Tour on the weekends. She is also fluent in Spanish.