Dennis “DJ” DiDonna has dedicated his career to commercializing social science research to create organizations which positively impact the world. 

He is a Senior Lecturer in the Entrepreneurial Management Unit at Harvard Business School where he teaches the required first year course: The Entrepreneurial Manager. 

In 2019, DJ founded The Sabbatical Project to define, explore, and research sabbaticals. He is currently writing a popular press book that explores the role of extended leave in a thriving economy and healthy society. DJ’s work on sabbaticals has appeared in The Atlantic, Time Magazine, Fast Company, the Wall Street Journal, CNBC, Quartz, Fortune and at TEDx in Silicon Valley. DiDonna has designed sabbatical policies for dozens of organizations, from nonprofits to Fortune 50 companies, both in the United States and around the world.

DiDonna previously cofounded EFL Global, a fintech for-profit social enterprise which enabled over $2B in capital to underbanked businesses and individuals across 20+ countries before being acquired in 2018. DJ is the protagonist in two HBS cases based on his work at EFL, which focus on creating a vibrant company culture and operating and scaling internationally.

On his sabbatical, DJ walked 900 miles on pilgrimage in Shikoku, Japan and ran a poverty research lab (LEO) at his alma mater Notre Dame. Outside of work, you can find him plotting how to be in Big Outdoors. DJ received his MBA from Harvard Business School.