[Navigating the Grey] Entrepreneurship and Social Impact Panel Discussion

Entrepreneurship and Social Impact

How can entrepreneurs affect positive social change? What frameworks do those investing in and supporting entrepreneurs use to assess their social impact? During this time of uncertainty and opportunity in both our economy and society, join us for a panel discussion on entrepreneurship and social impact co-sponsored by the Rustandy Center for Social Sector Innovation, the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and Net Impact. The panelists are experts in the fields of impact investing and economic development, and include:

• Christy Vines, President & CEO of empathy accelerator Ideos and an expert in global peace-making and conflict transformation
• Malini Ram Moraghan ('06), Founder & Managing Director of Torana Group, an investment firm operating at the intersection of food and agriculture and impact investments
• Mark O'Halloran ('93), CFO & Director of Economic Development at Together Chicago, which creates collective impact to catalyze change in our local community

The discussion will be moderated by Alyssa Berman-Cutler, Executive Director of Community Development at the University of Chicago.

More from the Navigating the Grey Series

We would love to host you for our entire Navigating the Grey Series! Events are taking place from Tuesday Apr 6th - Friday Apr 9th. Our series includes:

• Wed, Apr 7 - "What Will People Think" | Lawrence Adjah, Community Builder, Executive Advisor, Pastor & Host

• Thu, Apr 8 - "A Wealthy Girl" | Charisse Conanan Johnson (MBA '10), Creator of Charisse Says and Managing Partner at Next Street

• Fri, Apr 9 - "Living Life on Purpose" | Barry Rowan, EVP and CFO at Gogo

Further Event Details

• Co-sponsored by the Rustandy Center for Social Sector Innovation, the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and Net Impact.

• The event will be held virtually.

About Christy Vines

A lifelong social entrepreneur, Christy Vines is the President and CEO of Ideos - a venture that engages strategic empathy in spaces of division and polarization, and in areas where inclusive and sustainable solutions remain elusive. She is a published writer and international speaker with expertise in religion and conflict transformation, peace-making and global women’s leadership. 
 
Christy has been an advisor to faith, corporate and public leaders, and government agencies in and outside of the U.S. From 2012 to 2013 she served as interim director of the RAND African First Ladies Initiative; and in 2015 as advisor to President Jimmy Carter’s efforts on women, peace and security and the University of San Diego's Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice on countering violent extremism. She lives in the Los Angeles area with her husband, Anthony.

About Malini Ram Moraghan ('06)
 

Malini Ram Moraghan is Founder and Managing Director of Torana Group, an investment firm offering alternative capital for responsible growth and equitable exits. Malini has spent years balancing margin and mission, working at the intersection of food & agriculture, ownership innovation and “impact investments.” She has spent the last 7 years advising family offices, national foundations, food & ag investors and USDA leaders. Her work has directly deployed over $50 million in capital towards more resilient food and improved nutrition. She has worked with a variety of businesses, across a range of investor types and has focused on enterprises where impact is a measurable driver of value creation. 
 
Before she owned farm-grade rubber boots, Malini spent a decade in the private sector. She was an engagement manager with McKinsey & Co., served her community as an AmeriCorps VISTA, and cut her teeth as an investment banker at JPMorgan in New York. She has an MBA from University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, a BS in Chemical Engineering from Cooper Union and she has passed Level I of the CFA Exam.
 
Malini has been nationally recognized for her expertise in food & agriculture and impact investment, speaking at the White House Rural Council ROI Summits, USDA’s AgOutlook and myriad industry conferences.  Malini serves on the Joint Federal Reserve-USDA Publication Advisory Committee.  She has served on the Boards of The Common Market, as well as a Feeding America member food bank and was a founding Board member of Red Hills Small Farm Alliance. She is based in Chicago.

About Mark O'Halloran ('93)

Mark O’Halloran is a manufacturing entrepreneur with 25 years’ experience starting and running engineering-centric businesses. As CEO, Mark created shareholder value by reinventing factory floors to achieve productivity gains of 400% – 600%, building world-class teams, securing intellectual property, and then bringing those competitive advantages to global customers.

Mark got his start at Griffith Foods where he was mentored by the CEO and financial team to study new markets, develop business plans, and allocate capital for their dozen international subsidiaries.

He speaks Spanish, German, and French, and holds an MBA from the University of Chicago. He and his wife of 33 years have 6 adopted adult children.

About Navigating the Grey

Navigating the Grey is an annual, student-led ethics conference at Booth, born out of the Great Recession by members of the Christians in Business student club in recognition of our responsibilities as future leaders. Each year, we invite prominent representatives of the private and social sectors so that they can share valuable lessons learned with us.

Our goal is to inspire audience members to define their own compass of values, and think consciously about how they will live out those values in the face of inevitable "grey areas" in our personal and professional lives. How will we not just survive these grey areas, but thrive in them?

Christians in Business (FT) | Website | View More Events
Co-hosted with: Net Impact (FT)

Contact the organizers