Newsletter

As the academic year 2023-2024 comes to a close, the Center for Impact is excited to share the milestones and success stories — from our student programs, numerous events and conferences, to the increasing number of academic courses offered to our MBA students. We invite you to reflect with us on the achievements of our students, colleagues, and community!

2023-2024 Highlights

Energy Innovation Conference
^{February 2024}
Co-hosted by UCLA Anderson's Energy and Cleantech Association and Center for Impact, this annual conference explored the theme of Accelerating Cleantech Innovation. We brought together industry and public sector leaders to discuss practical plans for decarbonization and energy transition, through 2030 and beyond. Save the date for next year's conference on February 14, 2025!

High Impact Tea Speaker Series
^{February 2024}
Co-hosted by our Center and UCLA Anderson's Net Impact MBA Chapter, we delved into the sustainability of plant-based foods with Jaclyn Allen from Beyond Meat. Topics ranged from environmental sustainability and impact measurement to using life cycle assessments for product design. Special thanks to our faculty director, Maggie Delmas, for moderating.

High Impact Tea Speaker Series
^{April 2024}
Former Chief Sustainability Officer of Nike, Noel Kinder, shared his career journey and offered key lessons in sustainability: focus on controllable factors, practice patience as change takes time, and work within the system to create impact, especially in large organizations. Thanks to our executive director, Bhavna Sivanand, for moderating this inspiring conversation.

16th Annual ARCS Conference
^{June 2024}
Over 100 leading faculty and PhDs from around the world convened at the Alliance for Research on Corporate Sustainability (ARCS) conference, hosted by our team, at UCLA Anderson this year. The insightful discussions included entrepreneurship, venture capital, and climate storytelling - crucial sectors for driving sustainable innovation.

Students Creating Impact

New social impact MBA capstone projects prepare students for impact careers

Twenty-seven MBA students participated in the newly launched impact capstone programs at Anderson, giving them the opportunity to bridge classroom learnings with real-world applications and preparing them for impact careers.

(1) Impact Investing Capstone - focused on the frameworks and methodologies necessary for monitoring and reporting on the social impact and financial performance of an impact investment portfolio from the perspective of practitioners in the field, including asset owners, fund managers and intermediaries as well as investees. Students put theories into practice by developing a monitoring report for our Anderson Venture Impact Partners portfolio, with impact metrics and reporting as a key focus. Taught by Tina Castro ('05), Cofounder and Managing Partner, Avivar Capital.

(2) Global Social Impact Consulting Capstone - focused on social enterprises in East Africa, students learned to apply key impact frameworks, develop social impact consulting skills and model the values of cultural awareness, humility, curiosity and academic rigor, while providing tangible value to clients and communities. Taught by Gayle Northrop, UCLA Anderson Adjunct Assistant Professor and Senior Faculty Advisor, Center for Impact.

Students provide pro bono consulting to community nonprofits and social enterprises through short and long-term engagements

This academic year, 114 UCLA students (MBA, MSBA, MPH and MPP) worked together to serve 24 nonprofits and social enterprises through our 3-week Net Impact Consulting Challenge and 10-week Social Impact Consulting Corps programs. Students applied their business acumen in areas like strategic planning and financial analysis to help nonprofits tackle organizational challenges and accelerate their impact in the community and beyond.

In addition, the Center for Impact and Ziman Center for Real Estate awarded $5,000 grants to nonprofits to support the implementation of student teams' recommendations through the course of the Social Impact Consulting Corps program. Congratulations to the following award recipients:

Anderson Venture Impact Partners experiential learning program teaches students the ins and outs of sourcing, evaluating, and structuring impact investments

Now in its 7th year, the Center for Impact's Anderson Venture Impact Partners (AVIP) impact investing program and fund provided 25 students with critical hands-on experience investing in mission-driven companies along five verticals: education and workforce development; healthcare; financial inclusion; clean energy; and sustainability. Under the guidance and mentorship of faculty, alumni and industry practitioners, AVIP members drove the full investment lifecycle from deal sourcing and structuring to portfolio monitoring and impact measurement.

Navin Kheth ('25), incoming co-president of AVIP, reflects on his experience in AVIP and representing UCLA Anderson at the Turner MIINT Competition at UPenn: "AVIP and Turner MIINT demonstrate that many people believe in using business to effect positive change in the world. Although the state of the world can sometimes be discouraging, these initiatives give me hope that there are incredibly intelligent individuals working towards creating a better future."

Celebrating the 2024 Haskamp Fellows

UCLA Anderson's Haskamp Fund, managed jointly by the Price Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation and Center for Impact, congratulates Brian Barr, Charles Liu, Cocoon Cao, Marlee Goldstein and Akshat Goenka for being named as the 2024 Haskamp Fellows. Fellowships are awarded each year to promising first-year students who are pursuing social impact summer internships and careers.

Next up

October 2024 Economic Outlook:
Climate Change & Sustainability

Save the date: October 2, 2024, at UCLA Anderson
Anderson Forecast & the Center for Impact join forces in an annual collaboration conference exploring the levers of economic growth while addressing climate change related risks. More info coming soon!

Greenhouse Gas Accounting:
Navigating Climate Disclosures
^{Industry-focused workshop}

Save the date: October 11, 2024, at UCLA Anderson
Hosted in collaboration with Accounting for Sustainability
Do you work in a sustainability-focused role within your organization? Join our industry-focused workshop on corporate GHG emissions, blending UCLA Anderson research and practical insights to navigate new regulations, emissions calculation, and disclosure complexities, and connect with peers in an open, off-the-record setting. Learn more here!

Tech + Society Conference

Save the date: October 25, 2024, at UCLA Anderson
Join us for this year's Tech+Society conference, hosted by the Easton Technology Management Center, where we'll explore the potential of tech-based innovations to enhance solutions in societal areas. Expert industry professionals will share their insights on topics ranging from climate tech to the responsible adoption of AI. Review last year's agenda here. 

Upcoming Fall Courses

Get Involved with the Center for Impact

The support of our impact community is crucial to the success and growth of the Center for Impact. We invite you to get involved in our initiatives to actively help the next generation lead with purpose and sense of their own impact on society and our planet. 

Here are several concrete ways to support us:

Congratulations to the Social Impact Specialization Graduates
and to the Class of 2024!

From the Center for Impact team, we want to especially thank and celebrate all the graduating students who have committed themselves to making a positive impact throughout their years here at Anderson and beyond.