Amber H. H. Porter (MBA ’19) admits her path into venture capital wasn’t exactly traditional—but she wouldn’t have it any other way.
As a theater major with experience working in the entertainment industry, Amber initially sought a director-level job with an arts organization. That led her to pursue an MBA in arts administration at WSB. As a grad student, she quickly became a leader in diversity, equity, and inclusion work at the school—something that gradually began to shift her career focus.
“As I got closer to graduating, I realized how much more impact I could have through my work by leveraging my business education for causes that felt really, really timely,” she says.
Now, as a senior venture capital associate with the American Family Insurance Institute for Corporate and Social Impact, Amber facilitates investments in companies aimed at closing equity gaps in America with a specific focus on economic opportunity and healthy youth development.
“Figuring out ways to really democratize access to capital is something that’s really important in our work,” she says.
Something else that’s important to Amber is being able to give back. Over the years, she’s been a mentor to numerous interns, and maintains her connection to the arts by serving on the board of Madison’s Forward Theater Company.