From day-to-day fund operations and investment decisions to scouting and diligence activities, Chicago Booth MBA students bring their collective experiences and classroom learnings to lead a world-class impact fund investing in companies with the potential to help solve some of the pressing challenges of our time. The team is guided and mentored by leading practitioners, investors, and academics.
Tarrson Fund Tarrson Fund Team
Student Investment Committee
As the founding leadership team for the Tarrson Fund, the Student Investment Committee drives day-to-day operations and investment decisions for the Tarrson Fund. This diverse group includes students from across Booth MBA programs with experience as entrepreneurs, investors, and operators in sectors as wide-ranging as software development, executive leadership, diplomacy, nonprofits, workforce development, wealth management, early-stage investing, actuarial science, urban development, and consulting, making it one of the world’s most intellectually diverse student-led impact fund teams.
Nick Bourke
Rustandy Relations
Evening MBA Student
Daniel Buckman
Head of SIC
Full-Time MBA/MPP Student
Gaby Gonzalez
Co-Head of Sourcing & Diligence
Full-Time MBA Student
Young Kwak
Membership & Recruitment
Evening MBA Student
Jaya Sharma
Head of Fund Strategy & Operations
Full-Time MBA Student
Harriet Spears
Education & Career Development
Full-Time MBA Student
Kelly Thompson
Co-Head of Sourcing & Diligence
Full-Time MBA/MPP Student
Melinda Wang
Education & Career Development
Full-Time MBA/MPP Student
Michelle Zhang
Social Activities
Full-Time MBA Student
Fund Team Members
Tarrson Fund Members serve as scouts and associates, performing critical sourcing, diligence, and portfolio management functions. Team members hail from all sectors and receive foundational training in impact investing from our Impact Investor-in-Residence, Priya Parrish, when they join the Fund.
Nick Bourke
Rustandy Relations
Evening MBA Student
Young Kwak
Membership & Recruitment
Evening MBA Student
Harriet Spears
Education & Career Development
Full-Time MBA Student
Academic Advisors
Academic advisors provide strategic, tactical, and operational guidance to the Tarrson Fund. From leading Booth’s impact investing and social entrepreneurship courses to facilitating co-curricular training in impact investing, academic advisors empower students to translate investment theory into practice on the Fund and vice versa.
Robert H. Gertner
Joel F. Gemunder Professor of Strategy and Finance; John Edwardson Faculty Director Rustandy Center for Social Sector Innovation
Robert H. GertnerPriya Parrish
Adjunct Assistant Professor of Strategy
Priya ParrishWill Colegrove
Director, Edwardson Social Entrepreneurship Program
Will ColegroveGina Vairo
Associate Director, Edwardson Social Entrepreneurship Program
Gina VairoExternal Advisory Board
The Tarrson Fund External Advisory Board (EAB) supports student learning and development in multiple ways. Invited to join for their experiences in impact investing, EAB members may closely advise diligence teams, counsel portfolio support teams, and provide critical checks for the Student Investment Committee to ensure that the Tarrson Fund’s investment process and approach mirrors that of an independent fund.
Jim Casselberry, ’01 (XP-70)
Chief Investment Officer, 4S Bay Partners
Brittany Henry, ’17
Senior Associate, Impact America Fund
Ander Iruretagoyena, ’21
Senior Associate, Impact Engine
Renee Marongwe
Lead Philanthropic Advisor, Philanthropy Strategy & ESG at William Blair
Ronald Tarrson, ’72 (XP-31)
Managing Partner and Director, Santa Fe Aero Services