Berkeley-Haas Alumni Brainstorm for Great Oakland Public Schools

Jonathan Klein, MBA 06, GO Founder

Contributed by Katherine Murtha

How do Berkeley-Haas alumni reconnect, sharpen their strategy skills and support local nonprofits simultaneously? Seven alumni volunteers gathered this week to do just that at the Great Oakland Public School’s (“GO”) office at Jack London Square. The group’s task was to brainstorm replication strategies for the growing nonprofit.

Berkeley-Haas alum Jonathan Klein (MBA 06) founded Great Oakland Public Schools in 2008. It aims to activate communities to secure quality education for all of Oakland’s children.

[See Jonathan’s path to social impact in his November, 2013 presentation at Berkeley-Haas. Video below.]

Jonathan says GO’s impact has spurred people from around the country to call him “at least once a week,” asking for GO to help organize engaged parents and teachers in their school districts. With the board’s approval, GO is doing just that – and that’s where the alumni volunteers come in.

Alumni Spotlight – Dana Ledyard

Dana Ledyard, MBA 12, has always valued the importance of having a social impact. This value stems from three main influences in her life.

As the daughter of two Peace Corps volunteers, Dana grew up with the idea that service is both incredibly important and an expectation. Second, a generous undergraduate scholarship led her to explore ways to “pay it forward” for future generations. Third, the “Leave no Trace” philosophy has instilled in her the idea of leaving a place better than when you arrived.

“I see my career in the social sector as trying to achieve that philosophy, even if on a relatively small scale” says Dana. Her current role as Managing Director of Girls Who Code (GWC) touches on all these values.

Community Partner Spotlight – MOUSE Squad of California (MSCA)

MOUSE Squad of California (MSCA)
http://mousesquadca.org
Jan Half, Program Founder and Director
Dr. Crystal Jensen,  Program/School Relations Manager
Rebecca Levy, Grant Writer/Fund Development

Photo courtesy of MOUSE Squad

MOUSE Squad of California’s (MSCA)  mission is to empower under served youth to learn, lead and create with technology, preparing them with skills essential for their academic and career success. “We believe every child should be ‘connected,’ not just to technology, but to learning, innovation, self-esteem, job skills, life skills, community, and leadership opportunities,” says Jan Half, Founder and Program Director.  MSCA’s award-winning Student Tech Leadership program accomplishes this by training students to become the “tech experts” in their community. Students in grades 4-12 receive high-quality STEM education, project-based learning activities and confidence-building experiences designed to support their academic, personal and social development and improve their potential for future success.

Faculty Spotlight – Ben Mangan Shares his Career Inspired by the Power of Social Contracts

Faculty Spotlight: Ben Mangan, Haas Lecturer and CEO of EARN

Business students in Lecturer Ben Mangan’s Leading Non-Profit and Social Enterprises course get exposure to more than lectures; they receive a toolkit for launching social ventures and nonprofits – strategies Mangan, who Fast Company recognized as a Social Capitalist of the Year, has tested in the real world. As CEO of EARN, Mangan has a well of experiences to draw from as he advises young social entrepreneurs.

As a young man with self-described “humble beginnings,” Mangan took care to carve a career path – from working as a teacher straight out of college, to stints in management consulting and an early micro-currency tech company-that allowed him to be more “effective at advancing the kind of progress for people that changed the course of his own family’s history”.

New Executive Director sought by the Center for Nonprofit and Public Leadership

The Center for Nonprofit and Public Leadership seeks a new Executive Director to lead the strategy, programs, and fundraising of the Center. Hiring a new ED is part of a strategy to promote thought leadership for social impact and provide current leaders with the tools to succeed in their endeavors.

As part of this move, Nora Silver, our founder and current Director and Adjunct Professor at Berkeley-Haas, has been named the Center’s Faculty Director. In this role, she will guide our research, publications and course offerings.  Nora led the Center to become Haas’ highest ranked specialty and #4 in the nation in nonprofit programs in business school (US News & World Report 2014).

The Executive Director will lead the Center’s staff to deliver high-quality programs and initiatives. The ideal candidate has experience running a purpose-driven organization and is recognized as a leader in the field. He or she has demonstrated success in fundraising, building partnerships with social organizations and achieving impact at scale. Interested candidates must apply through the UC Berkeley Jobs website at http://jobs.berkeley.edu (search Job ID 17665). A more detailed job announcement is below.  Please share this exciting news with your networks and colleagues.

This expansion of our staff capacity ensures that we will continue our quality programing while providing valuable new resources for social sector leaders. We look forward to a successful Executive Director search and transition for the Center.

 

Berkeley Board Fellows Finale

Event: Berkeley Board Fellows Finale
Date: Thursday, May 1st
Location: Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley

The Berkeley Board Fellows end-of-year reception celebrated the achievements of Berkeley Board Fellows in the 2013-2014 school year. This year 60 organizations and 118 Fellows participated in the program.   To date, the program has contributed over 48,000 hours of board service completed by UC Berkeley and Haas students (including alumni) and helped create positive social impact in our community.

Fellows, staff and coaches came together in the Wells Fargo Room to share their experiences.  Board Fellows Coaches, Nora Silver and Paul Jansen wrapped up the

year, thanking students for their contributions to the boards and expressed their  hope that Students will continue to serve on boards throughout their careers.

Greg Guglielmo, Net Impact VP and Katie Benintende, Net Impact VP of Academics announced the 20 self-nominated awards and called Fellows up to share their experiences. Some

MCs Greg and Katie from Net Impact

Fellows took this story telling experience one step further, including Board Fellows Brandon Middleton, from Mural Music & Arts Project (MMAP) and Billy Blaustin from Diablo Theatre Company.  Brandon preformed a Berkeley Board Fellow inspired rap and Billy theatrically acted out his first board meeting.

The evening ended with The Berkeley Board Fellows award announcements. The Bay Area Hispano Institute for Advancement (BAHIA), nominated by Allison Domicone and Jason Siu, was awarded the Impact Project Award. The award for Outstanding Mentor was presented to three outstanding board members including Eugene Clark-Herrera from Mural Music and Arts Project, Anna Gilmore, Chair of the Emergency USA Board, and Amira Resnick, Board Member and Head of the Strategic Planning Committee of Emergency USA. The final award was presented to Berkeley Repertory Theatre for the most Dynamic Board.

Below are pictures from the event.

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