Aaron Schwartz’s Time With Berkeley Board Fellows

Alumni Spotlight: Aaron Schwartz, MBA 10, Co-founder and CEO of Modify Watches
Board Member at Larkin Street Youth Services

Aaron Schwartz, Berkeley Board Fellow 2008, Co-founder and CEO of Modify Watches

Aaron Schwartz, Berkeley Board Fellow 2008

In the Fall of 2008 I applied to be a Board Fellow as a first year MBA. Board Fellows sounded like an excellent way to see the inner-workings of a non-profit. I understood that setting a mission, raising funds, and executing were critical to any Board – but that was the extent of my knowledge and I certainly didn’t understand how any of that was done.

An Apprehensive Start

I was incredibly fortunate to be placed with the board of Larkin Street Youth Services in San Francisco. Larkin Street provides everything from housing and food to healthcare and counseling for at-risk and homeless youth. I was only a few years older than some of the youth in Larkin Street, and was extremely excited with the placement. I walked into the first meeting to meet the board members from Delloitte, Bain, First Republic and more. Needless to say, as an MBA candidate, I was intimidated by the group.

What I quickly learned is that the success of Larkin Street was not simply

Alameda Point Collaborative Combats Poverty and Homelessness with the Help of Haas MBAs

Community Partner Spotlight: Alameda Point Collaborative

Alameda Point Collaborative (apcollaborative.org) is a supportive housing community that was founded in 1999 to combat poverty and homelessness. Operating within the local community, APC began by transforming military housing on the former Alameda Naval Station into supportive housing communities. APC provides 500 formerly homeless residents, including more than 300 youth, safety and stability with a home to live. In addition to providing shelter, the organization focuses on providing job training skills and mental health counseling by trained professionals to encourage development. APC places a special focus on the youth of its community to ensure the future can overcome the drastic effects of poverty and homelessness. Emphasizing education as the core indicator of success, APC helps youth learn about health, nutrition, and horticulture.

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Photos courtesy of Alameda Point Collaborative’s Facebook page

Ever year, as a part of orientation week, first-year full-time Haas MBA students spend half a day providing community service at Alameda Point Collaborative.

Laura Callanan’s Step Forward in Social Impact

Faculty Spotlight: Laura Callanan, Haas Scholar in Residence and former consultant with McKinsey & Company

“It is clear to me that the approach to social innovation is different on the East Coast and the West Coast.  I’m excited to have a West Coast home at Haas for the next year to broaden my thinking about how to scale social change.”

We are pleased to welcome Laura Callanan to Haas as a Scholar in Residence at the Center for Nonprofit and Public Leadership. Most recently, Laura was a consultant in McKinsey & Company’s Social Innovation Practice based in New York. Laura is the lead author of

Haas Staff Volunteer at the Oakland Zoo

An outdoor laboratory used by the Oakland Zoo to teach students about habitats is much improved after Berkeley-Haas staffers swept through wielding clippers, shovels, and rakes to clear the area of brush along the Arroyo Viejo Creek restoration project. The Zoo’s animals reaped benefits as well from Haas staffers who created chimp enrichment packets and potted native grasses that will be used to enhance animal habitats and zoo landscaping.

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It was all part of the first-ever Haas Staff Volunteer Day, organized by the Center for Nonprofit and Public Leadership and Engage@Haas – 72 enthusiastic Haas staff members participated on June 4, 2013. The service day exemplified Haas’ staff commitment to going “Beyond Yourself.”

“It was invigorating to see my colleagues rallying together to accomplish what seemed at first to be an inconceivable feat.” –Brandon Gardiner, Haas Facilities Coordinator   

New Alumni Programming for Baby Boomers

Alumni Engagement:  New Social Impact Programs 

We are excited to pilot our Berkeley Board Fellows program for alumni this Fall.  Alumni will be joining student Fellows for eight months of Board service, training and coaching.

We are in the early planning stages of co-hosting a workshop with the Rest of Your Life Institute for alumni within five years of retirement; for alums contemplating their second/third act.  For the nearly 8 million Americans already retired and the increasing number of baby boomers reaching the turning point every year, figuring out what to do next after work can be difficult.  People live longer today and retirement as we once knew it has been upstaged by a new phase of life where contribution to society, meaning, and happiness are key ingredients to composing a great rest of your life.  Look for more information soon on this full day workshop to be held in January 2014.

For alumni programming, please contact Cathy Garza, Director of Alumni Engagement at cathy_garza@haas.berkeley.edu

Click here for more information

Two Berkeley-Haas Programs That Directly Benefit Community Organizations

Berkeley Board Fellows

Bay Area nonprofits are encouraged to apply for Berkeley Board Fellows. Leverage the skills of these highly trained and professional students on a strategic project for your organization.  Board Fellows are UC Berkeley graduate students from business, law, public policy, and public health who participate in board meetings and contribute to nonprofit boards from October to May.  Submit your application by August 16th.

In 2012, a record 93 fellows served on 50 Bay Area nonprofit boards.  Apply Today! 

Here’s what Terry Kramer, US Ambassador and member of Larkin Street Youth Services’ board of directors says about engaging board fellows:

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Social Sector Solutions

Work with Haas MBA students and consultants from McKinsey & Company on a 15-week strategy consultation to help your nonprofit achieve greater impact.  You will benefit from the latest academic and consulting thinking in strategy, marketing, finance and more.   The program begins January 2014 and continues through May.  Applications are due August 31, 2013!  Apply today or send questions to socailimpact@haas.berkeley.edu

“I was an Ernst & Young consultant. I would put [the students’] work up against the deliverables of the professional consultants any day. This is really good.” – Steve Janowsky, Wetherby Asset Management

Fall 2013 Events

 Upcoming Social Impact Events: Fall 2013

SOCAP13
September 3-6, 2013
San Francisco

This year’s Social Capital Markets Conference in San Francisco proves to be one of the best yet. SOCAP13 speakers are doing everything from educating India’s social entrepreneurs, bringing information access to Africa’s farmers, funding the world’s leading solutions and much more.  This year’s themes:  Health, Oceans, Communities, Meaning, Investing, Faith Art  Register today.

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Global Leadership for Social Impact with Farooq Kathwari, CEO of Ethan Allen
September 25, 2013
7:00 – 8:30pm
Haas School of Business – Wells Fargo Room

Mr. Farooq Kathwari, CEO of Ethan Allen, will  speak about the need for global leaders to identify their personal passion and engage with social issues.  His experience as a humanitarian and social advocate informs his discussion of the need for emerging cross-sector leaders to be active, conscious global citizens as well as “executives”.  Successful global leaders must address the ways in which their efforts affect local peoples and incorporate social efforts to have a positive impact in the world.  Register Today!

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Net Impact Conference 2013
October 24-26, 2013
San Jose, CA

Learn from 100+ sessions across 11 tracks – from Tech for Good to International Development – designed to take your inspiration, innovation, and impact to the next level. Engage with 350+ inspiring speakers from across sectors breaking new ground in social and environmental change, and discover how you can use your career for good.

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Social Impact Consulting Career Panel

November 13th, 2013
4:00-6:00 pm
Haas School of Business

Ever wonder what it is like to apply your analytical skills, passion and education to have a positive social impact? What does a career in nonprofit, public, or social enterprise consulting look like? How do you get started and what are the steps you need to take to be successful? These and other questions will be answered at the Social Impact Consulting Panel.  Panelists and Registration TBA

Laura Callanan – New Haas Scholar in Residence

The Center for Nonprofit and Public Leadership is pleased to welcome Laura Callanan, former McKinsey consultant, as our new Haas Scholar in Residence. Laura has vast experience as a consultant, author,

Scholar-in-residence Laura Callanan

and teacher in the field of social innovation. From 2008 to 2013, she was a Senior Expert in McKinsey’s New York office and a member of the Social Innovation Practice, where she led work on sustainable capitalism, social investing, foundation strategy and social innovation.

On March 6, 2013 Laura spoke at Haas about Social Impact Bonds and how they could work in the United States. Laura presented a McKinsey & Company report she co-authored called “From Potential to Action: Bringing Social Impact Bonds to the US,” the most comprehensive report to date on this new public-private approach to scaling social services. The event also featured Carla Javits, President of REDF, who discussed her organization’s proposal to implement a pay-for-success program in California.