Dollars And Change Podcast

Wharton’s Katherine Klein talks to Corey Rosen, founder of the National Center for Employee Ownership, about how employee ownership plans are structured and why they yield great financial benefits for companies and workers alike. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Wharton’s Katherine Klein talks to Julienne Oyler, co-founder and CEO of the African Entrepreneur Collective, which helps micro, small, and medium businesses across East Africa. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jean Case is a business leader, philanthropist, and author who served as a senior executive at AOL before launching The Case Foundation in 1997. She is also creator of “For What It's Worth,” a weekly newsletter to demystify impact investing, and the author of Be Fearless: 5 Principles for a Life of Breakthroughs and Purpose. On this Dollars and Change episode, Jean talks with Wharton’s Katherine Klein about finding purpose and reaching beyond your bubble. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Vit Henisz, the Deloitte & Touche Professor of Management at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, discusses ESG investing today – the increasingly popular practice of considering companies’ environmental, social, and governance performance and practices when deciding whether and where to invest. Measuring ESG well is difficult and many ESG investment products don’t live up to the hype. What will it take for investors to realize the financial benefits and impact of ESG investing? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Liesel Pritzker Simmons, Co-Founder and Principal of Blue Haven Initiative, joins host and Vice Dean of the Wharton Social Impact Initiative Katherine Klein to discuss the work and strategy of her single-family office that focuses on impact investing and ESG. She also talks about why theater is the best major for a career in business, and dives into why she advocates for a wealth tax.Transcript. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Roma McCaig, Senior Vice President of Impact & Communications at Clif Bar, joins host and Vice Dean of the Wharton Social Impact Initiative Katherine Klein to discuss how Clif Bar’s business model produces a virtuous cycle where productive growth delivers positive impact. McCaig outlines the company’s plans to cut carbon emissions, discusses their support of organic food science research, and talks about ways to create a restorative food system. Compostable packaging and plant-based pet treats are just a few of the company’s upcoming sustainability innovations.Transcript. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Michael Brown, Head of Research at Wharton Social Impact Initiative, joins host and Vice Dean Katherine Klein to discuss the complexities around impact measurement. Most impact investors report meeting or exceeding their impact performance metrics. But is this truly the case? Brown collaborated with Wharton PhD candidate Lauren Kaufmann on research that uncovers how it is common practice for impact investors to report impact metrics primarily to market, or publicize, their success – rather than to evaluate and understand where their impact may fall short. While the reality of impact measurement may not meet the rhetoric, Brown believes this is due to the challenges of measuring impact rigorously while simultaneously running an investment fund. He offers recommendations for measuring impact, and also explains why the field needs to get more comfortable with impact underperformance in order to learn and grow.Transcript. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Cheryl Dorsey, President of Echoing Green, joins host and Vice Dean of the Wharton Social Impact Initiative Katherine Klein to discuss Echoing Green’s work as an early-stage funder of emerging social entrepreneurs. Supporting these extraordinary leaders is Echoing Green’s core strategy to drive positive social change across the globe. Dorsey also discusses racial and gender disparities in funding entrepreneurs and their ventures. Through a new partnership with Goldman Sachs One Million Black Women, Echoing Green will invest in Black women social entrepreneurs whose ventures are addressing critical needs in their communities, such as housing, education, healthcare, financial literacy, climate justice, and more. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Davis Smith, Founder and CEO of Cotopaxi, joins host and Vice Dean of the Wharton Social Impact Initiative Katherine Klein to discuss how the outdoor gear brand prioritizes impact in every aspect of the business—the supply chain, charitable giving, employment culture, and more. While many fashion-industry brands focus their impact efforts on the environment, Smith believes there’s “no way to save the planet if you're not saving humanity at the same time” and shares why the brand prioritizes a people-focused mission in addition to its sustainable practices. And what if your business doesn’t have an obvious connection to impact? Smith shares examples of how any business, regardless of industry or size, can “do good”—he’s even transforming a pool table company into an impact company. Transcript. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Mary Ellen Iskenderian, President and CEO of Women’s World Banking, joins host and Vice Dean of the Wharton Social Impact Initiative Katherine Klein to discuss the need to increase women’s financial inclusion – access to bank accounts, insurance, mobile money apps, and even cell phones. Increasing women’s financial inclusion will increase economic stability, prosperity, and equality for women. Iskenderian describes Women’s World Banking’s advisory role, policy advocacy, and impact investing.Transcript. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Bart Houlahan, Co-Founder of B Lab, joins host and Vice Dean of the Wharton Social Impact Initiative Katherine Klein to discuss the origins, work, and community of B Lab, the nonprofit behind the well-known B Corps certification. Houlahan describes how B Lab is building a global movement of corporations that meet the highest standards of social and environmental performance, and how these corporations are legally accountable to balance profit and purpose. Houlahan says we’re at the tipping point in creating a stakeholder economy. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Sonal Shah, President of The Asian American Foundation, joins host and Vice Dean of the Wharton Social Impact Initiative Katherine Klein to discuss the state of the AAPI community in the U.S. today. Listen and learn how this new foundation is working to achieve belonging and prosperity — free from discrimination, slander, and violence — for all Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Shah shares facts and statistics about the growing AAPI community, and discusses the Foundation’s focus areas: anti-hate, research, and education. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Katy Kappler, Co-Founder and CEO of InScribe, joins host Sandi Hunt, Managing Director of the Wharton Social Impact Initiative, to discuss how the virtual community platform aims to help any student (regardless of their background or their modality of learning) access the resources they need to be successful in their program. Kappler also discusses the emotional challenges of learning remotely, and why creating opportunities for connection and collaboration is important for addressing isolation and loneliness. InScribe was the company that won the winning presentation in the 2021 Turner MIINT competition. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

John Rogers, Chairman, Co-CEO, and CIO of Ariel Investments, joins host and Vice Dean of the Wharton Social Impact Initiative Katherine Klein to discuss the racial wealth gap in the United States and strategies to overcome it. Systemic racism has prevented many African Americans from participating in key sectors of the economy in which wealth is created — financial services, professional services, and technology. Rogers argues that education and business diversity (not supplier diversity) are key approaches to solving long-lasting disparities. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Bobby Turner, Principal and CEO of Turner Impact Capital, joins host and Vice Dean of the Wharton Social Impact Initiative Katherine Klein to discuss his impact investing work in affordable workforce housing. He also shares his perspective on the responsibility of business leaders to employ socially responsible practices—especially during a global pandemic, an economic crisis, and a civil rights movement. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Dave Gilboa, Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Warby Parker, joins host and Vice Dean of the Wharton Social Impact Initiative Katherine Klein to discuss how the company prioritizes its values when making key strategy decisions. Like many businesses, Warby Parker had to make significant changes because of COVID. Gilboa discusses how the company’s pivots kept employees safe while creating a positive impact for the broader community. Gilboa also talks about the company’s data-driven strategy to achieve racial equity in representation, belonging, and career advancement. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Stefanie Thomas, Founding Member & Early Stage Investor at Impact America Fund, joins host and Vice Dean of the Wharton Social Impact Initiative Katherine Klein to discuss the fund’s investments in businesses delivering strong financial returns and economic opportunity for communities of color. Impact America Fund works with entrepreneurs who have direct knowledge of the communities, systems, and problems that the fund aims to address. Thomas also discusses a broader mission to set a new standard for venture capital—one where racial equity investing becomes standard. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

David Thomas, President of Morehouse College, and Robin Ely, Professor at Harvard Business School, join host and Vice Dean of the Wharton Social Impact Initiative Katherine Klein to discuss the “business case” for diversity – the idea that the more racial and/or gender diversity you have in your organization, the better it will perform financially. This idea sounds good, but it’s simplistic and not backed by research evidence, Thomas and Ely explain. Even worse, it lets leaders off the hook in creating the conditions within their organizations for all employees to thrive. Getting serious about diversity requires committed leadership from the top of the organization and alignment with the organization’s values and practices. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Brigitte Hoyer Gosselink, Director of Product Impact at Google.org, joins host and Vice Dean of the Wharton Social Impact Initiative Katherine Klein to discuss what’s distinctive about Google.org in the world of corporate philanthropy. Through Google’s focus on technology and innovation, the company aims to bring their expertise to organizations that are working on pressing social and environment challenges. Gosselink discusses the Google.org Fellowship (where Google employees apply to work full-time pro bono for a nonprofit for up to six months), their AI Impact Challenge, and Google.org’s work with Give Directly, an organization that gives cash to low income families. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Shawn Cole, Professor at Harvard Business School, and Robert Gertner, Professor at Chicago Booth, join host and Vice Dean of the Wharton Social Impact Initiative Katherine Klein to discuss the Impact Finance Database—a joint effort of HBS, Booth, and Wharton to dramatically increase the pace and scope of academic research on impact investing. Cole, Gertner, and Klein discuss the data they are collecting and the insights they hope to create. As researchers, they discuss the importance of being “honest brokers” to communicate what claims are or are not true in the field of impact investing. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.