Center for Impact

Our Mission: to inspire, educate and challenge the next generation of leaders to be change makers for positive societal impact.

 
The UCLA Anderson Center for Impact has three goals: (1) integrate social impact and sustainability into fundamental business education, (2) engage with UCLA faculty to formalize impact measurement and nudge corporate performance, and (3) help firms, consumers, investors and stakeholders make decisions that are better for people and the planet.
Center News and Events
 
Panel of Speakers at Energy Innovation Conference

Energy Cleantech Innovation Conference 2024

Co-hosted by UCLA Anderson's Energy and Cleantech Association and Center for Impact, the Energy Innovation Conference brought together industry professionals, professors, and students to discuss the sustainability implications of our evolving world. Panels delved into the role of hydrogen, microgrids, and more.

Upcoming Events

MAR

15
Center for Impact presents the Women Change-makers: Driving Positive Societal Impact” panel session during this signature conference with this year’s theme “EMPOWER."
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APR

3
The clients of our social impact consulting program will meet with their MBA teams to start their consulting projects and provide actionable help to address strategic challenges of these mission-driven nonprofits and social enterprises.
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APR

16
Center for Impact to host a conversation with Noel Kinder, formerly Chief Sustainability Officer at Nike, to discuss transformational leadership approach needed in charting an effective sustainability strategy for major brands.
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Upcoming Events

OCT
4
UCLA Anderson Forecast x Center for Impact 
Oct
27
Tech and Society Conference
Feb
16
Energy and Cleantech Conference

World-Class Faculty

 
The Center for Impact is proud to support globally renowned faculty who conduct research that has the power to change the way business is led. We invite you to explore their work via the UCLA Anderson Review, a window into crucial topics in business, the economy and the wider world of human existence.

How You Can Make an Impact

 
Be part of the dialogue — drive our centers ahead of the curve. Let us provide an avenue for you to remain connected to industry through UCLA Anderson. Your expertise and knowledge are invaluable in helping elevate the caliber of the school. Prepare our students to understand, succeed in and shape the complex world of global business.
Engage
Attend our events and conferences
Get Involved
Participate as a client in one of our events
Invest
Fund our students and their ideas

UCLA Anderson, and UCLA at large, share a long-standing mission to serve the communities to which we belong, as well as the world around us.

 
With a commitment to creating the next generation of leaders, UCLA Anderson is primed to achieve impact around the world. Whether impact is delivered through technology, health care innovation, climate and sustainability initiatives, educational infrastructure, private enterprise or policy changes, each of these contributions is amplified through managerial effectiveness and cutting-edge research.

Signature Events

 
Impact Week Conference
April 24-28, 2023
High Impact Tea
February 4, 2020 Scot Rank ('89), CEO Grupo Lala and former CEO of Walmart Mexico and Central America
Embracing Diversity Conference
November 14-18, 2022

What the Center for Impact Offers

 
MBA Specialization in Social Impact

A UCLA Anderson MBA specialization in Social Impact allows students to build in-depth expertise on a chosen career path, while customizing academic preparation to lead transformational social change in any sector.

 

Community Programs

UCLA Anderson offers students hands-on opportunities to apply theoretical concepts of business to real-world societal challenges and make a real impact, from providing pro bono consulting to addressing strategic challenges of local nonprofits and social enterprises to making tangible impact investments in early-stage social ventures.

 

Thought Leadership

UCLA Anderson’s faculty leads the charge on impactful research, cutting-edge course and innovative programming, focusing on how businesses can address the world’s greatest challenges.

Alumni Network

Students have access to a network of alumni who are leaders in their field with purpose-driven careers across sectors and functions that include technology, health care innovation, education, sustainability and public policy.



Impactful Alumni

 
Sarah Valdovinos ('01), Co-Founder of Walden Green Energy
Award-winning businesswoman Sarah Valdovinos (’01) wants to develop a greener pipeline to jobs in the lucrative renewables sector.
Hugh Chang ('90), Director of Maternal Newborn and Child Health for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Gates Foundation’s Hugh Chang ('90) Put Technology to Work for Social Change
Nike Irvin ('89), Founder, ZWN
Nike Irvin spoke to a UCLA Anderson Audience in conversation with Bhavna Sivanand (’14), director of the Center for Impact, and Julie Ortega (’19), Net Impact's director of engagement.
Management and Organizations

Green Initiatives — By Themselves — Won’t Boost Productivity

Environmentally conscious companies that also instill teamwork and quality enjoy higher output

Operations and Technology

Polluting Chinese Manufacturers: Do Their Misdeeds Drag Down Shares of Their Customer Companies Overseas?

Factories’ political connections — a boon in good times — turn into a liability when trouble hits

Operations and Technology

BRCA Mutation: New Model Quantifies How Surgeries Reduce Cancer Risk

Informed by personal experience, a researcher parses data to help those mulling mastectomy and gynecological surgeries

Management and Organizations

How to Make Sustainable Products More Appealing to Consumers

Magali Delmas proposes a “green bundle,” combining environmental good with product traits — quality, healthiness, performance, status — that have always sold