Tigist Belachew

Tigist Belachew is a learning and development leader with more than 15 years of experience in professional education and over a decade leading high-performing, cross-functional teams. As director of external education at Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM), she provides strategic leadership for the design, delivery, and growth of the School’s external education portfolio, including ADA CERP–approved continuing education, preceptorships, custom programs, and executive education.

Prior to joining HSDM, Tigist served as director of learning solutions at Emeritus and held program leadership roles at Harvard Business Publishing. Her expertise includes program strategy, revenue growth, faculty engagement, and cross-functional collaboration, with a strong track record of advancing quality, innovation, and measurable outcomes across global education initiatives.

Tigist holds a Master of Liberal Arts in business administration from Harvard University and a Bachelor of Arts from Salem College, where she triple-majored in business management, economics, and mathematics. She is committed to lifelong learning, inclusive leadership, and the thoughtful integration of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, into education.