Impact Week

Impact in Action: Transformative Leadership for Societal Change

 
April 25-27, 2023
Impact Week is UCLA Anderson’s hallmark social impact conference and is a special event for our students, alumni, and the broader UCLA community. The 2023 theme “Impact In Action: Transformative Leadership for Societal Change” explored the role of business and leadership as forces for positive societal change and encompassed change-makers, emerging trends and budding innovations that are transforming a variety of sectors such as clean technology, corporate sustainability, social entrepreneurship, impact investing and social impact consulting.

Impact Week Highlight Reel
 

11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
UCLA Anderson Grand Salon
Social Impact Consulting: Accelerating Impact in the Nonprofit and For-profit Arenas

The panel discussed leveraging the tools of consulting, research and strategy to accelerate systematic change in the nonprofit and for-profit arenas. It explored consulting for nonprofits and social impact teams and projects within traditional consulting.

Speakers
Aviva Altmann ('13)
, Principal, The Bridgespan Group
Devon Dickau ('15), Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Offerings Leader, Senior Manager, Consulting, Deloitte
Jennifer Li Shen, Co-Founder and Senior Partner, Blue Garnet
Gayle Northrop ('96), Adjunct Assistant Professor, UCLA Anderson; President, Northrop Nonprofit Consulting (Moderator)

7:15 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
UCLA Anderson D301
Documentary Screening & Discussion: Breaking Boundaries, the Science of our Planet.

Screening of "Breaking Boundaries" a 2021 documentary narrated by David Attenborough on the climate crisis. It illustrates a revolutionary framework, outlined by the Swedish scientist and environmental science professor Johan Rockström, of nine planetary thresholds that determine the sustainability of life on Earth today. The event closed with an open discussion on the potential business implications of these boundaries.

Recording coming soon

11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
UCLA Anderson Grand Salon
Impact Investing: The New Face of Venture Capital

The percentage of VC funding going to underrepresented founders remains stubbornly and depressingly low. These panelists are here to change that. This event highlighted VC investors in Los Angeles using capital as a vehicle to make the startup ecosystem more inclusive and innovative.

Speakers
Laurel Mintz, Founder and General Partner, Fabric VC
Austin Clements, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Slauson & Co.
Alicia Hanf, Founder and Managing Partner, Dear Mama Ventures
Ahmed Mirza ('19) Investment Manager, Techstars (Moderator)

6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Reception; 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Panel
Location: BioscienceLA, Culver City, CA
Food Tech and Sustainability: Building Circular Food Systems

Agriculture is one of the most carbon-intensive industries, and new technologies are arising to reduce waste and improve agricultural practices. The panel discussed how it is imperative to move beyond the idea of “waste” and focus on building circular food systems while elevating food ingredients’ highest use potential.

Speakers
Dr. Lara Ramdin, Chief Innovation Officer, Upcycled Foods, Inc.; Former Chief Innovation Officer, Dole Sunshine Company
Kaitlin Mogentale, Founder and CEO, Pulp Pantry & Co.
Erik Haug, Founder and Chief Vision Officer, LIGHT CoCreative
Joy Nemerson, Marketing Manager, Programs and Events, Upcycled Food Association (Moderator)

9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
UCLA Anderson Grand Salon
The Intersection of Business and Purpose: A Fireside Chat with Tom Vozzo, CEO, Homeboy Industries

Homeboy Industries provides hope, training and support to formerly gang-involved and previously incarcerated men, women and youth allowing them to redirect their lives and become contributing members of the community. It explored how they focus on healing and job training through their 10 social enterprises and how their work has become a blueprint for over 350 organizations around the world.

Speakers
Tom Vozzo, CEO, Homeboy Industries
Elizabeth Heredia ('19), Capacity Building, REDF (Moderator)

11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
UCLA Anderson Grand Salon
Building a Better Organization: The Role of Impact, Culture, and Sustainability in Next-Gen Businesses

These panelists are change makers challenging organizations to rethink what it means to be successful. This event explored avenues to create change within organizations and scale impact across a variety of industries and functions. Attendees were equipped with the knowledge and tools to be transformative leaders for positive societal impact within their organizations and beyond.

Speakers
Natalie Byrne
, Founder, blank space
Timothy O'Connor, Specialist Leader, ESG Strategy and Transformation, Deloitte Consulting LLC
Sunny Sohrabian, Director of Sustainability, LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games
Magali Delmas, Professor of Management; Faculty Director, Center for Impact, UCLA Anderson (Moderator)

Presented By

 

  UCLA Center for Impact     Net Impact - UCLA Anderson School of Management    

Relive the Highlights of Past Impact Week Conferences

 

Impact Week 2022 focused on the future of Los Angeles by examining what our extraordinarily diverse city looks like right now. We considered the factors contributing to the life experience — and disparities — in L.A. and discussed how different sectors interconnect. We examined the built environment, inequitable food access, public green spaces, the mayor’s Sustainable City Plan , the burgeoning tech economy of Silicon Beach, improvements in public transit alongside skyrocketing real estate prices, growing numbers of unhoused people and soaring temperatures amid worsening drought.

In six years, the world will be watching when Los Angeles takes center stage as host of the 2028 Summer Olympics. Will the city present itself as a thriving and healthy metropolis? How will the city showcase its willingness to innovate and incorporate diverse thoughts to create social action? Which local corporations are seeding positive changes now that will sow benefits come 2028?

To attempt to answer those questions and inspire discussion, we heard from a range of panelists and keynote speakers from both the private and public sectors. We sought change-makers from the grassroots level to the heights of industry who recognize UCLA’s research, education and service missions as crucial to the future of our region. By examining different L.A. neighborhoods, Impact Week 2022 trained a lens on the business solutions best poised to improve the social determinants of health for Los Angelenos.

Experts and MBAs Design a Sustainable Future for L.A.

Shaping an Olympic Vision for Los Angeles

Social entrepreneurs pitched their social enterprises and ideas as part of Impactathon®, an interactive social impact workshop and hackathon.

More Center for Impact Events

UCLA Anderson designs mindful events to raise awareness and build enthusiasm across sustainable sectors and social responsibility.