The Rustandy Center for Social Sector Innovation is Chicago Booth’s destination for people tackling complex social and environmental problems.
Alumni and friends who donate generously at all levels help make our work possible.
Our Donors
Support the Rustandy Center
The generous support of our donors helps us advance knowledge and increase the impact of the social sector. We invite you to join them in supporting our work.
Meet Our Donors
Meet some of the generous alumni who have made cumulative commitments of more than $1 million since the launch of the Rustandy Center.
Tandean Rustandy, ’07 (AXP-6)
Tandean Rustandy’s $20 million gift in 2017 has provided a solid foundation for the future of social impact at Chicago Booth. In recognition of his gift, Booth named the Rustandy Center for Social Sector Innovation in his honor.
Rustandy leads Indonesia-based PT Arwana Citramulia Tbk, a publicly traded company on the Indonesian stock exchange that manufactures ceramic tiles and operates five plants. The company has been lauded repeatedly for its commitment to environmental sustainability and social responsibility, including for building schools, hospitals, and roads. Rustandy is a university trustee and graduate of Booth’s Executive MBA Program Asia.
John Edwardson, ’72
With a $5 million gift in 2013, John Edwardson, ’72, helped establish a place for social impact at Chicago Booth and provided the financial foundation for the Social New Venture Challenge startup competition, which was named the John Edwardson, ’72, Social New Venture Challenge in his honor. Three years later, Edwardson gave an additional $5 million gift to create the Edwardson Social Entrepreneurship Program at the Rustandy Center.
From 2001 to 2011, Edwardson was CEO and chairman of Vernon Hills, Illinois-based CDW, a computer equipment reseller. During his tenure at CDW, the company’s revenues grew from $3.8 billion to more than $10 billion. He also served as president of United Airlines from 1994 to 1998 and as president and COO from 1995 to 1998. He is a university trustee and previously chaired Booth’s alumni advisory board, known as the Council on Chicago Booth.
Golub Capital
Through a significant commitment from Golub Capital in 2022, the Golub Capital Social Impact Lab provides training and professional development to amplify the impact of leaders of high-potential nonprofits serving communities of color. IGNITE, a unique nine month leadership program for the executive leadership teams of organizations serving the Black community in Chicago, is the signature program of the Golub Capital Lab.
Golub Capital is a market-leading, award-winning direct lender and credit asset manager with more than 325 employees based in Chicago. The growing network of Golub Capital Social Impact Labs is designed to engage the next generation of business leaders and academics at leading business schools to accelerate progress across the nonprofit ecosystem. In 2019, Golub Capital established its first lab at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and in 2021, it announced the creation of a second lab at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Jerry W. Levin, ’68
Jerry W. Levin’s $1.5 million gift to the Rustandy Center established the Jerry W. and Carol L. Levin Fund for Excellence in Nonprofit and Social Sector Management. This support enables the Rustandy Center to conduct research on best practices in the management and administration of nonprofit and social sector organizations and underwrites education programs for executives of nonprofit organizations.
A founding partner at JW Levin Management Partners, Levin was most recently chairman and CEO of Wilton Brands, the largest arts and crafts company in the United States. Prior to Wilton, Levin was chairman and CEO of JW Levin Partners, a predecessor of JWLMP. He was also chairman and CEO at American Household (Sunbeam), Revlon, and the Coleman Company. During his tenure at the Pillsbury Company, he led Burger King and several other operating units.
Joseph Neubauer, ’65, and Jeanette Lerman-Neubauer
Launched in 2016 with support from the Neubauer Family Foundation, the Civic Scholars program offers full-tuition scholarships to a cohort of impact-driven nonprofit and government leaders in our full-time and part-time MBA programs. Neubauer Civic Scholars receive specialized programming facilitated by the Rustandy Center, dedicated faculty directors, and unique opportunities to engage with industry leaders in the civic space.
Joseph Neubauer is the former CEO of Aramark Corporation and is a university trustee. Jeanette Lerman-Neubauer founded the marketing and communications firm J.P. Lerman & Co. and is a former vice president of communications for Time Warner Inc.
Ron Tarrson, ’72 (XP-31)
In 2017, Ron Tarrson helped create the Tarrson Social Venture Fellowship at the Rustandy Center to provide runway funding and mentorship to graduating students or recent alumni of the University of Chicago working full time on their social enterprises. The fellowship received matching funds from John Edwardson, ’72. In 2019, Tarrson made a $1 million gift to establish the Steven Tarrson Impact Investment Fund—one of the largest student-managed impact investing funds in the country.
Tarrson, now managing partner and director of Santa Fe, New Mexico–based Santa Fe Aero Services, helped his father and uncle turn the John O. Butler Company, a small toothbrush manufacturer in Chicago, into a leading supplier of toothbrushes to dentists.
Geraldine Wong, ’97, and Richard Wong
In 2021, Gerri and Rich Wong committed $1.2 million to support joint research between the Inclusive Economy Lab and the Rustandy Center. Under the leadership of Professor Marianne Bertrand, who is faculty director of both centers, this joint initiative will work with private and public sector partners to identify approaches for more inclusive workplaces, test realistic changes to policies and practices, and create more accessible pathways to quality jobs across communities.
Gerri Wong has a long career as an executive recruiter for hi-tech and life sciences. Rich Wong joined Accel as a partner in 2006 and currently serves on the Boards of Atlassian (TEAM), UiPath (PATH), Checkr, Instabug, Pyn, Process St, Middesk, and Qwilt. They both bring a deep commitment to social impact through research.
2022-23 Social Impact Highlights
Learn more about the Rustandy Center's activity this past year, as well as our first decade of impact at Chicago Booth.
2022-23 Social Impact Highlights
