Lisa Marrone is a member of the Yale College Class of 2010. The co-founder and CEO of Revel, she previously worked as an early-stage technology investor at August Capital, and prior to that, for Bain & Company as well as at the National Economic Council during the Obama Administration. In addition to receiving her undergraduate degree from Yale, she earned a JD/MBA from Harvard Business School and Harvard Law School.
She recently submitted to our questioning, reflecting on her time on campus, how a combination of her mom and math nerds drew her to New Haven, Yale’s commitment to public service, and more.
Why Yale?
My mom had been a paralegal for a lawyer who'd gone to Yale Law School. She thought the world of him, and of Yale by extension. When it came time to apply to college, my mom was adamant I apply early to Yale. I'd barely heard of Yale and hadn't visited! We drove up one rainy weekend from Virginia. I tried my best to be a surly teenager and dislike it because my mom liked it. But campus was stunning, my tour guide was a math major and a total nerd, and that pretty much sealed the deal.
What is your most enduring memory of your time at Yale?
The sunny, warm, and glorious days of reading period senior spring, mostly spent lying on blankets outside with Brady Bender, Erin Capistrano, and Tiffany Petrosino.
If you could relive your time at Yale, what would you do differently?
FOOT instead of Freshperson Conference.
What would you do exactly the same?
Live off campus in New Haven the summer after my freshman year. That, and the President's Public Service Fellowship allowed me to fall in love with New Haven as a city separate from Yale.
What is your favorite place in New Haven, past or present?
Miya's Sushi.
What is your favorite spot on campus?
The JE Dining hall during breakfast hours on weekdays.
What's your favorite pizza place in New Haven?
BAR Pizza.
