Develop your skills and deliver business expertise to local entrepreneurs

Program outcomes as a student consultant:

• Develop and refine key consulting skills, including business communication and strategic planning
• Manage client relationships to grow local economies while participating in effecting teaming
• Discover innovative problem-solving techniques to deliver solutions with impact

Deliver business expertise to local entrepreneurs.

The Community Consulting Lab has had over 4,000 hours committed to service and learning each year. Students have partnered with small businesses in industries like health and nutrition, technology, graphic design, clothing and apparel, education, and social impact.

Past participating companies have included Black Girls Eat, Envision Creative A.R.T, Full Blast STEAM, CLLCTIVLY, Mindstand Technologies, and DIFFERENTREGARD.

Graduate students from all Johns Hopkins disciplines participate in the Community Consulting Lab.

Our student participants have come from:

Carey Business School |  JHU Krieger School of Arts & Sciences | JHU School of Medicine
JHU School of Nursing |  MICA | Bloomberg School of Public Health

Take part in corporate networking opportunities as part of the Student Final Showcase. Participating companies have included AT&T, KPMG, Deloitte, T. Rowe Price, and more.

Program Details:

All program advising led by Tracy Akinade, Associate Director, Community Engagement & Economic Impact.

"I had the opportunity to educate my business owner on expenses, profit, pricing, and revenue as well as identify a challenge and provide recommendations. My proudest moment was when my business owner began to speak in the language of numbers, projections, and use other business terminology."

Alea Marks, MBA '22

"When I first met my client, they seemed hesitant about the process. Once I saw my client get excited about the action plan and show up prepared to tackle our agenda for the day, it made me proud to have sparked that response."

Jessica Figuero, MBA '22

“I wanted to get a hands-on look at what it takes to be a consultant - and I was able to do that. I was able to learn that I enjoyed being a consultant. And I was then able to take the skills I learned in CCL and use them in my summer internship.”

Guy DeWeever II, MA/MBA ‘22

CCL Judging Employers

Questions about the Community Consulting Lab and how to apply?

Please contact Carey Partnerships at carey_partnerships@jhu.edu

Building a livable future for humanity and the planet

Build a career path that blends wealth and wellbeing. In CityLab, explore the challenges and opportunities of urbanization through the lens of livability. Reimagine business as a platform for reinventing cities for the 21^st century. As quality of life is threatened by pandemics, pollution, climate change, crime, failing infrastructure, civic discontent, and more, CityLab imagines intentional rebuilding for a livable future that transforms distressed neighborhoods into flourishing communities. Collaborate with communities on neighborhood revitalization projects fuel business innovation, inclusive wealth creation, economic democracy, and social impact investing in Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and other cities around the country. 

CityLab course structure

CityLab consists of two eight-week courses and is open to MBA and MS students. In the first course, CityLab Toolkit: Urban Immersion, work individually and in teams, immersing yourself in an intensive weekend urban experience as you learn and practice strategies, tools, and skills for rebuilding cities from within. In the second course, CityLab Practicum: Social Impact Project, students put your knowledge and skills to work on a social impact project sponsored by a neighborhood entrepreneur, business, or organization

CityLab Projects

Baltimore

Baltimore’s CityLab collaborates with community leaders and business accelerators that provide technical business skills, growth capital, and social networks focused on building a business ecosystem with low barriers to workforce entry and high potential for technology integration and scaling.

Washington, D.C.

Few U.S. cities have transformed as quickly as Washington, D.C., but rapid gentrification displaces those priced out of their communities. Partnering with CityLab is an opportunity to work with local leaders who are reimagining neighborhoods like Congress Heights, Trinidad, and the New York Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue gateways into thriving residential communities and commercial hubs.