Change Over Time in Post-Colonial Africa and the Business World

As a West Point cadet in 1964, Tom Barron was selected to participate in Operation Crossroads Africa, a cultural immersion program. Spending a summer in Malawi, he taught English and helped build a school. Following graduation from USMA in 1965, two combat tours in Vietnam, and Harvard Business School, he took a position in Tanzania with the international consulting firm McKinsey & Company, and later worked for several corporations, including Dun & Bradstreet. In this interview, he discusses his experiences in Africa, his thoughts on the continent's future, and the lessons he learned during his diverse business career.