Hobart and William Smith Colleges

3 November 2016 Horn 83: HWS Leader in Residence

With extensive knowledge of entrepreneurship and digital communications, Sabrina Horn 83 returned to Hobart and William Smith as this years Centennial Center for Leaderships (CCL) Leader in Residence.

Horn, who is an expert in technology consulting with more than 25 years of management experience as a president and CEO, provided leadership and entrepreneurial guidance to students, faculty and community members during her Oct. 20 and 21 campus visit.

As the Leader in Residence, Horn attended two classes, Social Innovation and Foundations of Entrepreneurial Leadership, and spoke one-on-one with students to offer advice about careers in public relations and communications, as well as in startups. She also gave a talk, sharing her professional experiences in public relations, communications and technology.

Horn founded Horn Group in 1991 and for more than 25 years built the agency, working in technology markets, employment practices and interactive services to transform the brands of clients ranging from Adobe, Dow Jones, McKinsey & Company, The New York Times, Yammer and Buddy Media (acquired by Salesforce), to many startups and fast-growth companies. After Horn Group joined Finn Partners in 2015, Horn became a managing partner and Technology Practice Leader, counseling clients across all technology sectors.

She has shaped so many new ventures and strengthened existing organizations during her career, says Associate Director of the CCL Amy Forbes.With many students working to design products, services and organizations, her insights were relevant and useful.

A strong advocate for women in entrepreneurship, Horn has worked with Illuminate Ventures, a venture capital firm run by women who fund women to launch new companies. She is also a frequent speaker at technology and marketing industry conferences around the country, and has been recognized by New York Business Journal as a Women of Influence, and by Paramount Public Relations as a Top Woman in PR. She serves on the advisory boards of The Jordan Edmiston Group, and AirPR.

This year, Horn was the featured alum speaker at HWS IdeaLab, a program in which 18 selected applicants will develop products, services or organizations through a semester of refining and workshopping an idea. Horns talk focused onBuilding a Brand to help IdeaLab students with their early stage approach to marketing and brand development.

Last year, Horn served as a judge for the Stu Lieblein 90 Pitch Contest. As part of her residency at HWS this year, she also spoke on a panel at a Pitch interest session alongside past years finalists, to talk about why participating in the contest can be a significant educational experience, and especially helpful when launching a career.

Horn graduated from William Smith with a B.A. in American studies and a minor in dance, and went on to earn her M.S. in public relations at Boston University.