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Social Impact and Business

Chicago skyline

What’s the business of business?

In a fast-changing world, business and civic leaders play an increasingly important role in addressing systemic inequities and helping to solve some of our most intractable social and environmental problems.

The Rustandy Center for Social Sector Innovation is the destination for students and civic and corporate leaders looking for research-backed insights and industry experts in corporate social responsibility; environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG); civic leadership; and more.

Through our research, events, supported courses, and programs, we help companies, nonprofits, and others examine the social and financial consequences of their decisions to achieve meaningful change.

Social Impact Events

The Rustandy Center hosts social impact events around the world, offering insights into how the sector operates and helping community members prepare to solve complex problems. Beyond the Innovating for Social Equity Series, here’s a sampling of the center’s events on this topic: 

Meet Our Executives in Residence

Our executives in residence mentor Booth students who are interested in the field and offer an industry perspective on careers and opportunities. They also share lessons learned in the field during our events.

Brian Fabes

Brian Fabes, Civic Impact

Brian Fabes is managing director of the Corporate Coalition, a collaborative of over 30 Chicago companies committed to using their assets, capabilities, and employees to address economic inequities in the region. Previously, Fabes was CEO of the Civic Consulting Alliance, senior vice president at National Louis University, associate principal at McKinsey & Company, and associate professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Arizona.

Brian Fabes, Civic Impact
Sonny Garg

Sonny Garg, AB ’89, MBA ’00, Civic Impact

Prior to joining DNS Capital as phunhousian in chief, Sonny Garg spent 25 years as a senior executive in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. He led the energy division at Uptake Technologies, was a member of the executive committee at Exelon Corporation, and worked in the administrations of Chicago mayor Richard M. Daley and US president Bill Clinton. Garg serves on the boards of the Invisible Institute and the Institute for Nonviolence Chicago.

Sonny Garg, AB ’89, MBA ’00, Civic Impact
Daphne Mazarakis

Daphne Mazarakis, ’99, Sustainable Food and Entrepreneurship

Daphne Mazarakis is an independent food and sustainability consultant and a former consumer-packaged-goods executive. Her longest-standing clients include Grow Forward, a firm specializing in sustainable food investing, and LocalCoho, a sustainable seafood company where she also serves as a board director. Previously, Mazarakis was CEO of FairAcre Traders, a company she sold in 2017. Mazarakis also worked at Kraft Foods and Tula Foods.

Daphne Mazarakis, ’99, Sustainable Food and Entrepreneurship

Dive Deeper into Booth Resources in This Area

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