Social Innovation Conferences and Events
The Rustandy Center for Social Sector Innovation holds social impact events globally, offering insights into how the sector operates and helping our community members prepare to solve complex problems.
Upcoming Events
Executives in Residence Office Hours
Audience: Open to Booth students
Whether you're working on social impact projects or are interested in social impact careers, you can turn to the Rustandy Center's executives in residence (EIRs) for guidance on sustainability, impact investing, civic impact, social entrepreneurship, ESG, and more.
Civic Trek to The Plant
Wednesday, February 18, noon - 2:00 p.m. CST, meet in Harper Center lobby
Audience: Open to Booth students, Harris students, and UChicago graduate students
The Plant is a research and production facility comprising a collaborative community of small food businesses reimaging waste as a resource. Join this site visit to learn how a repurposed industrial meatpacking facility became a laboratory for replicable models of circulating waste and energy to combat climate change.
Social Finance and Impact-First Investing with Tracy Palandjian
Wednesday, February 19, 11:45 a.m. – 1:15 p.m. CST at Harper Center C-09
Audience: Open to all UChicago students
Explore how impact investing and social finance are shaping solutions to social challenges in a Lunch & Learn with Tracy Palandjian, CEO and cofounder of Social Finance. Moderated by Robert H. Gertner, Booth professor of economics and strategy and John Edwardson Faculty Director of the Rustandy Center.
Social Impact Leadership Series: Lessons from Operations Management
Wednesday, February 25, 6 – 8:30 p.m. HKT at The Hong Kong Jockey Club University of Chicago Academic Complex
Audience: Open to all
Join Amy Ward, Wei Cai Faculty in Residence in Hong Kong, Rothman Family Professor of Operations Management, and Charles M. Harper Faculty Fellow at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, for an engaging evening of conversation with local industry leaders from Hong Kong Disneyland.
Philanthropy Spotlight: A Conversation with Daniel Ash, MPP ’94, Field Foundation President
Wednesday, February 25, 5:30 p.m. – 7 p.m. CST at Gleacher Center 422
Audience: Open to Booth students, Harris students, and Crown students
How does philanthropy strategize to build community power and lasting social impact? Join Daniel Ash, MPP ’94, president of the Field Foundation, and Julia Stasch, immediate past president of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and philanthropy executive in residence at the Rustandy Center, for a fireside chat about opportunities and challenges in scaling social impact across Chicago neighborhoods.
Virtual On Board: Opportunities and Challenges in Nonprofit M&A
Thursday, March 5, noon - 1 p.m. CST, virtual
Audience: Open to Booth alumni and nonprofit leaders
Sampriti Ganguli, founder of Ganguli Associates and former CEO of Arabella Advisors, draws on her experience advising nonprofits and leading one through its own M&A process. Ganguli will offer practical insights on what it takes to approach M&A thoughtfully, strategically, and with mission at the center.
