Joseph (Joe) B. Tompkins, Jr. MPP '75, longtime champion of case teaching at the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), passed away on April 15, 2022. We are grateful for his generous support over the years.
Joe graduated with a J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1974 and with a Master in Public Policy from HKS in 1975. He made several gifts to support case writing at HKS. “The Kennedy School was important to me when I was here as a student, and it has been important to me and to a lot of other people ever since then, including my son, Graves, and my daughter-in-law, Colleen, who met while they were in school here. By making this gift to expand the School's case-writing capacity, I hope to further enhance the Kennedy School's impact on the world,” he said. Cases developed with support from Joe's gifts are taught widely at HKS and in policy classrooms around the world.
Gifts from Joe's estate make it possible for the Case Program to develop the next generation of innovative and inclusive case materials.
"Whenever I’ve felt discouraged about this world’s scarcity of selfless idealism, the thought of Joe Tompkins has cheered me up. Joe enabled a renaissance of the HKS case program, and never asked for a thing in return. Not praise. Not influence. Not publicity. His motives were simple: Gratitude for his own experience with Kennedy School cases, and faith in the future of our mission. He was a magnificent man and I feel lucky to have known him." -- Jack Donahue, Case Program Faculty Advisor and Raymond Vernon Senior Lecturer in Public Policy at HKS.
See below for growing list of cases funded by the Joseph B. Tompkins, Jr. Fund for Case Study and Research.
Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards 2017-2025
Social Media and the Planned Parenthood/Susan G. Komen for the Cure Controversy
Shelley Metzenbaum and Improving Federal Government Performance
United States and Thailand: Diplomatic Wrangles in the War on Human Trafficking (Main Case) and (Sequel)
Shaping the Future of Solar Power: Climate Change, Free Trade, and Industrial Policy (Part A) and (Part B)
Women as Leaders: Lessons from Political Quotas in India
The Hormone Therapy Controversy: What Makes Reliable Evidence
The Geography of Poverty: Exploring the Role of Neighborhoods in the Lives of Urban, Adolescent Poor
Primary Education in Pakistan: Show Me the Evidence
Hero or Traitor? Edward Snowden and the NSA Spying Program
Divided We Stand: Gay Marriage Rulings and Official Disobedience
Expanding Health Insurance to Millions: Learning from the Oregon Health Insurance Experiment
In the Crossfire: Guns, Legislative Leadership and Recall Politics in Colorado
On Your Bike: Using Marketing Mix to Drive Successful Bicycle Sharing Programs in Europe
Reclaiming the American Dream: Thomas Perez and the Department of Labor
Setting the Standard in Free Trade: The Making of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership
A Delicate Balance: The International Criminal Court's Process for Identifying New Cases
Pricing Carbon: The Birth of British Columbia's Carbon Tax (Main Case) and (Sequel)
6 Minutes: Community Organizing in Amman, Jordan
Caño Martín Peña: Land Ownership and Politics Collide in Puerto Rico
Hacking Bureaucracy: Reimagining California's Food Stamp Program in the Digital Age
Trade Promotion Authority and the Trans-Pacific Partnership
A Sharper Look at Zero Tolerance: Reports of Sexual Assault Rock the United States Air Force Academy (Main Case) and (Sequel)
Cracking the Monolith: California's Child Welfare Services Disrupts Technology Procurement (Part A) and (Part B)
Building a Community Organizing Organization: Serbia on the Move
Values-Based Leadership Across Difference: The Life and Legacy of Nelson Mandela
Seeking Skills, Finding Barriers: Vocational Training in Punjab (Main Case) and (Sequel)
Aadhaar: India's Big Experiment with Unique Identification (Part A) and (Part B)
The Massport Model: Integrating Diversity and Inclusion into Public-Private Partnerships
Paying to Improve Girls' Education: India's First Development Impact Bond
Integrating Renewable Energy in Argentina
Nadine Vogel: Negotiating Work and Life
Untapped Potential: Renewable Energy in Argentina (Main Case) and (Sequel)
Evaluating the Impact of Solar Lamps in Uganda
Giving Peace a Chance: The 2006-2008 Negotiations to End the Conflict in Northern Uganda
The Quest for Achieving Financial Inclusion: M-Pesa versus UPI
Managing a Security Response to the Ebola Epidemic in Liberia (Part A), (Part B), and (Epilogue)
Solar Panels and Safeguards: Rising Tensions in the Global Trading System
Wir Schaffen Das: Angela Merkel and Germany's Response to the Refugee Crisis in Europe
Leading with Empathy: Tarana Burke and the Me Too Movement
Harvey Mudd College: Promoting Women in Computer Science through Inclusive Education
Nothing Can Prepare You for this Job: Germany's Health Minister Faces Tough Decisions During COVID-19
About Joe
Joe had a distinguished career at the law firm Sidley Austin, LLC, where he was partner. Between 1980 and 1982, he served as Deputy Chief of the Fraud Section of the Criminal Division of the United States Department of Justice. He is survived by his sons Graves and Forbes and their families.
Coverage of Joe's Gifts
HKS Announces New Case Study Fund
HKS Donation Will Double Number of Case Studies
HKS Giving Spotlight
Joe Tompkins and Dean David Ellwood as Joe signs case writing gift to HKS. In the background, left to right, Joe's sons Forbes and Graves, and HKS faculty Jack Donahue.
Photos by Martha Stewart.