Haas Names Inaugural Group of Social Impact Fellows

A top investor from the Omidyar Network, a world renowned restauranteur, the founding CEO of the Republic of Tea, and a faculty director at the University of San Francisco’s School of Management are among the inaugural group of Social Impact Fellows, chosen by the Institute for Business & Social Impact (IBSI) at Haas.The six fellows will spend time on campus throughout the year, serving as mentors to students, speaking on panels, attending special events, and providing their expertise to programs, centers, and the faculty. Their presence on campus will allow students to go beyond case studies to benefit directly from the fellows’ council — on successes and failures.

Haas Prof. and IBSI Director Laura Tyson, IBSI Associate Director Kristi Raube, Robert Strand, executive director of the Center for Responsible Business, and Ben Mangan, executive director of the Center for Nonprofit and Public Leadership, chose the inaugural group.

The fellows will also contribute to thought leadership of the Institute and its blog. The institute’s goal over time is to build an ecosystem that includes social impact fellows, students, alumni, and faculty — all tapped to continually improve how the institute trains leaders to achieve social impact.

“These fellows share one thing is common: they are changing the world with their deep and meaningful work connected to social impact and we are honored to welcome them to Haas,” Tyson says. “As the fellows become actively engaged on campus this year we expect that they will create great new conversations, and strengthen their relationships with the Institute and with Haas.”

Social Impact Fellows

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The fellows will be introduced at a March 18 event to be held at Gap headquarters in San Francisco.

Here is more on the fellows (l-r; top-bottom):
Jorge M. Calderon founded and currently serves as the managing director of Impact Strategy Advisors (ISA), an impact management and investment consulting firm. He is a lecturer at Berkeley-Haas, where he developed the Social Lean LaunchPad curriculum, and is the faculty director for the Global Social Venture Competition (GSVC).

Paula Goldman is the global head of impact investing at Omidyar Network, where she leads a team that seeks to advance the impact investing industry. She earned a PhD from Harvard University, a Master’s in Public Affairs from Princeton, and a BA with highest honors from UC Berkeley.

Claus Meyer is a world-renowned restaurateur and cookbook author. He co-founded Noma in Copenhagen, which holds two Michelin stars and has been named the world’s best restaurant for four out of the past five years. He is an associate professor in the Department of Food Science at the University of Copenhagen and adjunct professor at the Copenhagen Business School.

William B. Rosenzweig is co-founder/managing partner at Physic Ventures, the first venture capital firm dedicated to investing in keeping people healthy. He is founding CEO of The Republic of Tea, and an investor in, among others, Odwalla, Stonyfield Farms, LeapFrog, Revolution Foods, and Yummly. Rosenzweig has taught MBA courses at Berkeley-Haas since 1999.

Kat Taylor is CEO of Beneficial State Bank, a community development financial institution that brings banking to low-income communities in an economically and environmentally sustainable manner. She is the founding director of TomKat Ranch Educational Foundation (TKREF) dedicated to sustainable food production through ranching, tours, research, and school lunch and garden programs. Taylor graduated from Harvard College and earned a JD/MBA from Stanford.

Jennifer Walske is the faculty director of the Master in Global Entrepreneurial Management at the University of San Francisco’s School of Management. She is on the advisory board for Better Ventures, Haas Impact Investing Network, and the Global Social Venture Competition. She holds a doctorate in business administration from Boston University, an MBA from Santa Clara University, and a BA from UC Santa Barbara.

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