Raised in Nashua, New Hampshire, Lynne Levesque knows her seasons. "I miss the mild climate of the Bay Area, but there's nothing like the colors of a New England fall," she says. "I love the fact that here in New England you get to renew your life at every quarter."

Renewal is a key theme for Levesque, who has been writing and consulting on creativity and leadership in business for the past several years. Her book, Breakthrough Creativity, explains how the eight basic ways that people make sense of the world can be used to enhance creative results in the workplace. The book draws on her 15 years in various aspects of management, first in San Francisco with Bank of America and then in Hartford, CT, with Shawmut Bank (which eventually merged with B of A). Currently, Levesque combines this experience with the knowledge gained from several years as a researcher at Harvard Business School to help her organizational clients become more effective, productive, and creative. Levesque has served as regional president of the Haas Alumni Network chapter, helping Berkeley graduates stay connected with each other and with the larger business community by planning local professional and social events. She sees the network as being particularly valuable in New England, which, she observes, is more of a closed society than California. "You need to work a bit harder to get into the business loop here."

Meet me on LinkedIn