November 16, 2023
Cross-sector collaborations for flourishing communities Presented by the Pepperdine University School of Public Policy and the MA in Social Entrepreneurship and Change program within the Graduate School of Education and Psychology
November 16, 2023
PEPPERDINE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION AND PSYCHOLOGY The Pepperdine Graduate School of Education and Psychology is the first institution in the country to offer an MA in Social Entrepreneurship and Change. This top-ranked program is perfect for working professionals or full-time students and gives students the perspectives and tools to create sustainable change in the world. Focused on solving real-world problems without the requirements of a traditional business program, the MA in Social Entrepreneurship and Change is a hybrid program with bicoastal on-campus experiences in Los Angeles and Washington, DC. Completed in 20 months, students experience a two-week global immersion opportunity, a two-term capstone project, and a fast-pitch competition. No GRE is required. Apply for fall 2024 at gsep.pepperdine.edu/apply. Use code FALL24 to waive your application fee on the last page. Call 310.258.2850 if you have any questions.
PEPPERDINE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY The Pepperdine School of Public Policy’s Master of Public Policy program is a top-ranked policy program by U.S. News & World Report that provides students with a cross-sector leadership degree. With five specializations, graduates become leaders and policy makers equipped with tools to make effective change in government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and the private sector. Students experience a public policy internship, professional development, and a policy seminar (capstone) in the two-year program. The program is offered in the fall term with a robust scholarship offering—97 percent of admitted students receive awards based on academic, merit, and professional experiences. Apply for fall 2024 at publicpolicy.pepperdine.edu/apply.
November 16, 2023
10 am Welcome Brunch and Mixer
11:40 am Group Discussions
Catered by Homegirl Cafe
DISCUSSION FACILITATORS Group 1: Joanna Waterfall Group 2: Jarret Barrios Group 3: Krystyl Wright Group 4: Simone Price Group 5: Julie Stephens
10:30 am Welcome and Poem HOST Arielle Estoria
Poet, Speaker, Model
10:45 am Panel Cross-Sector Collaboration for Social Change How to work together across industries to make an impact. FACILITATOR Pete Peterson
Dean, Pepperdine School of Public Policy
12:10 pm Break and Musical Guest Sarah Emerson Singer, Songwriter
12:25 pm Fireside Chat FACILITATOR Stephen Kirnon
PANELISTS Tyron Hampton
Chair, MA in Social Entrepreneurship and Change Program, Pepperdine Graduate School of Education and Psychology
Jennifer Perkins
GUEST Thomas Vozzo
Councilman, City of Pasadena, California Chief Equity Officer, City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks
Lindsey Heisser
Manager, Philanthropy Programming, Snap Inc.
Dave Smith
CEO, California Volunteers Fund
CEO, Homeboy Industries
1:15 pm Closing Remarks
HOST Arielle Estoria
Poet, Speaker, Model
Born and raised in foggy Northern California and now residing in Los Angeles, Arielle Estoria ((she/her) is a poet, author, and actor. Her motto, “Words not for the ears but for the soul,” stems from her dedication to remind anyone who encounters her and her work that words are meant to be felt and experienced, not just heard—with a specific heart in empowering, encouraging, and making space for audiences of women to feel at home in their own bodies. Estoria has shared her work through custom spoken word pieces, workshops, and themed keynote talks with companies such as Google, Sofar Sounds, Lululemon, Dressember, TedX, the SKIMS campaign by Kim Kardashian, and more. She has consecutively emceed annual conferences and has led various writing, embodiment, and self-acceptance workshops in settings ranging from students to professional development spaces. Estoria is the coauthor of two self-published collections of poetry: Vagabonds and Zealots and Write Bloody Spill Pretty, both of which can be found on Amazon.com. In 2016 she released her EP of poetry and music, Symphony of a Lioness. Her latest book, THE UNFOLDING, was published in March 2023.
In 2020 Homeboy was awarded the prestigious Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize for its humanitarian impact. Vozzo has also launched a $15 million Homeboy Ventures and Jobs Fund, which will enable like-minded people a way to invest in businesses that produce quality jobs that lead to real economic impact for our society. In Vozzo’s first book, The Homeboy Way: A Radical Approach to Business and Life, he gives readers practical ways to address some of our most vexing social issues and provides a new path for personal and business leadership. Vozzo shares lessons learned both in secular business as well as faith-based pursuits to help readers from all walks of life thrive. It is Vozzo’s goal to work himself out of his current CEO role and get out of the way—to make room for the homeboys and homegirls to run Homeboy. He is confident they will lead the organization into a bright future.
FACILITATOR Pete Peterson
Dean, Pepperdine University School of Public Policy
KEYNOTE SPEAKER Thomas Vozzo
Pete Peterson is the dean and Braun Family Dean’s Chair of the Pepperdine School of Public Policy. Prior to this role, he was the executive director of the Davenport Institute for Public Engagement at the school, where he remains a senior fellow.
For much of his career, Thomas Vozzo was a global business executive with a proven track record, leading highly successful businesses in the service, retail, and distribution industries. He is well regarded for growing businesses and is known for his strong execution skills and for constantly exceeding earnings targets, even during challenging economic times. His last corporate role was as CEO of the $1.8 billion ARAMARK Uniform and Career Apparel Group.
Through the institute, Peterson’s work focuses on improving public policy processes at the local level and the use of technology to make municipalities more transparent and responsive. His training seminar, “Public Engagement: The Vital Leadership Skill,” focuses on the skills to facilitate public discussions on polarizing policy issues and has been attended by more than 4,000 municipal officials around the country.
CEO, Homeboy Industries
Vozzo’s definition of transformation changed dramatically with his introduction to Father Greg Boyle, the founder of Homeboy Industries. As he began working at the nonprofit organization, Vozzo himself noted, “The blind spot I had is typical for so many of us. Through no fault of our own, by just being in the mainstream of society, we stay isolated from those most unlike ourselves and outside our station in life.” In 2012 Vozzo started serving as the first CEO of Homeboy Industries, the largest and most successful gang rehabilitation and reentry program in the world. Vozzo, as a nonpaid employee, has brought his business expertise and vision to implement a strategic and mission-driven plan for the organization, resulting in a near tripling of the its size and increasing its impact. In helping Homeboy Industries thrive over the last several years, Vozzo says he has “gained knowledge and insight about my own spirituality and the plight of the underserved and marginalized in our society.”
Peterson helped launch the Ed Meese Institute at the policy school, which convenes scholars and policymakers to discuss and write about the application of America’s founding principles to today’s policy challenges. He serves on the board of the bipartisan political reform organization, California Forward, as well as the National Advisory Board for Civic Education hosted by the Ashbrook Center, and the advisory council for the Rumsfeld Graduate Fellows program. He recently joined the Scholars Council for the bipartisan dialogue organization, Braver Angels.
FACILITATOR Stephen Kirnon
Program Chair, Social Entrepreneurship and Change, Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology Stephen Kirnon has more than 30 years of operational experience in biomedical and medical device organizations. He is currently cofounder and CEO of Shawshank Therapeutics, Inc. Previously, Kirnon was the cofounder and CEO of Vitavis Laboratories Inc, which was sold to Nestle Health Sciences in 2017, and the president and CEO of Pepgen Corporation, a biopharmaceutical company specializing in autoimmune diseases. He is also the former president and CEO of Target Protein Technologies, Inc., a pharmaceutical company specializing in the development of pharmaceutical compounds targeted to specific tissues and organs of the human body. Prior to that role, Kirnon was the president and COO and a member of the board of Yamanouchi Pharma Technologies, Inc., which was responsible for developing and commercializing Yamanouchi’s proprietary drug delivery technologies as well as the US development and manufacture of Yamanouchi’s pharmaceuticals. He sits on several industry and academic boards. Kirnon is a firm believer in the idea that social entrepreneurship should be a part of every for-profit business model, and has long been involved in both education and transformational leadership development.
DISCUSSION FACILITATOR Simone Price
Senior Manager of Education and Impact, Dolby Institute
Simone Price is a senior manager of education and impact for the Dolby Institute, driving the company’s education commitment to the next generation of diverse creators. As an influential program designer, she leads the growth and expansion of Dolby’s investments in youth and early career education strategies, partners throughout the organization to ensure the company’s social impact and sustainability work is well integrated in the business, and leverages the company’s technologies, educational resources, and talent to increase impact. Prior to joining Dolby, Price grew her experience in fundraising and program design, working at large health-based nonprofits focused on research and public health. Contributing to national campaigns in support of a variety of community health and education programs, Price became an excellent facilitator, connector, and program designer. As an advisor in many corporate and education-focused communities, she is committed to supporting and leading the expansion of well-structured social impact strategies in the technology and entertainment industries to help the next generations of diverse creatives better prepare for their futures.
SPEAKER Tyron Hampton
Councilman, City of Pasadena A commitment to Pasadena residents to facilitate access to city resources and departments, build relationships, and amplify their voices is what councilmember Tyron Hampton pledged and delivers to the people of Pasadena. His promise to strengthen the first district, and in turn strengthen the city, is fueled by his personal connection to the city he has always called home. Since first being elected to the City Council in 2015, Hampton has continuously engaged with residents of the first district through neighborhood walks, community meetings (in person and virtual), and district events. He works tirelessly to ensure that the first district is the safest district to call home in the city of Pasadena. He encourages neighbors to communicate with him and with each other because consistent communication among neighbors strengthens neighborhoods. In addition to representing the first district on the City Council, Hampton chairs the Council’s Economic Development and Technology Committee and the Pasadena Center Operating Company. He also serves on a number of other committee and advisory boards. Hampton served as the city’s vice mayor from May 2019 to December 2020 and in March 2020, he was elected to represent the first district on the City Council for a second term. His public service career began in 2013 as a board member of the Pasadena Unified School District.
SPEAKER Jennifer Perkins
Chief Equity Officer, Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks Jennifer Perkins is the chief equity officer for the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks. She serves as a member of the Executive Leadership Team, partnering with management to develop and drive equity throughout the department and its programs and services. Formerly, she served the communities of Los Angeles through the Mayor’s Office for two years in the roles of director of neighborhood services, overseeing eight city departments that deliver neighborhood-level programs and services, and as the southwest area representative, leading and organizing community engagement events and connecting constituents to resources in South Los Angeles. Perkins also carries experience from the nonprofit sector where she was the community relations director and outreach director for Oasis Church, leading both local and global community efforts. She directed and fostered key community and government relationships and community engagement and outreach, which aided the church in supporting formerly incarcerated foster youth, and unhoused, and underserved communities. Perkins is a community advocate at her core, who has served and advocated for disadvantaged communities throughout Los Angeles for more than 12 years.
SPEAKER Dave Smith
CEO, California Volunteers Fund
DISCUSSION FACILITATOR Joanna Waterfall Founder, Yellow Co.
Dave Smith is the CEO of California Volunteers Fund where he builds public-private partnerships on behalf of California Volunteers, Office of the Governor. He also serves as CEO of X Sector Labs, a consultancy that advises executives to realize greater impact through the power of courage, connection, and community.
Joanna Waterfall helps audiences all over the world let go of perfectionism, embrace a spirit of play, and create their most meaningful work. As the founder of Yellow Co., podcast host, facilitator, and speaker, Waterfall believes that creativity, business, community, and social impact should never be separate from each other.
Smith has led at the intersection of business, government, and nonprofit, and authored Stanford Social Innovation Review’s publication on Cross Sector Leadership.
She and her work have been featured in publications such as Forbes, the Huffington Post, the Good Trade, Brit+Co, the Zoe Report, Darling Magazine, and more. Her speaking has brought her to places like Mattel, Lululemon, the University of Southern California, California Baptist University, and more. She’s motivated by the belief that women can change the world through stepping out of fear and into who they were created to be.
Smith served as founding director of Governor Newsom’s #CaliforniansForAll, mobilizing hundreds of thousands of volunteers and full-time service members to meet critical needs from administering COVID-19 vaccines to taking climate action, to keeping food banks open, serving more than one billion meals during the pandemic. He continues to serve as senior advisor supporting the development, launch, and implementation of #CaliforniansForAll College Corps, Climate Action Corps, Youth Jobs Corps, and Operation Feed California. Smith’s clients have included the World Economic Forum, Accelerator for America, Points of Light, NationSwell, Partnership for Public Service, California Forward, Hilinski’s Hope, and CalOZ on issues including national and community service, executive coaching, inclusive economic development, corporate citizenship, mental health innovation, and leveraging networks for impact. He has advised and served on boards for Bipartisan Policy Center, Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools, the Corps Network, Common Cause, and the United Way of the Bay Area.
SPEAKER Lindsey Heisser
Manager, Global Philanthropy, Snap Inc.
Lindsey Heisser is the manager of philanthropy programming at Snap Inc., where she oversees the company’s social impact and community relations. More specifically, Heisser and her team focus on initiatives that connect students from underserved communities to equitable access to education and career pathways. Prior to joining Snap, Heisser was the director of the L.A. Tech Talent Pipeline at Bixel Exchange, the Center for Innovation and Technology at the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, helping to connect high school and community college students to high-growth, high-wage careers in technology and entertainment. Heisser also serves as an Equitas Academy board member and an active advisor and mentor to women and entrepreneurs of color.
DISCUSSION FACILITATOR Julie Stephens
Vice President, Elevate Public Affairs
Julie Stephens is a vice president at Elevate Public Affairs, where she is responsible for leading teams on communications and community outreach strategy and execution for the organization’s clients. Stephens’ expertise spans public affairs, social impact strategy, media relations, social media, trade association management, community outreach, event planning, public-private partnership development, and strategic communications planning. Beginning her career in television news and transitioning to public relations, she has almost two decades of experience. She has developed and implemented campaigns for large-scale statewide social issues, consumer brands, and nonprofits for a variety of issues. Prior to joining Elevate, Stephens worked in development with Woodcraft Rangers, an afterschool provider that has served Los Angeles for more than 100 years.
DISCUSSION FACILITATOR Jarrett Barrios
Senior Vice President of Strategic Community and Programmatic Initiatives, California Community Foundation
Jarrett Barrios is the senior vice president of strategic community and programmatic initiatives for the California Community Foundation. At the foundation, he oversees organizational strategy and leads all programmatic initiatives, marketing, communications, policy, and advocacy. Previously Barrios served as CEO of American Red Cross of Los Angeles, the Massachusetts Red Cross, GLAAD, and the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation. From 1999 to 2007, he served in the Massachusetts legislature, first in the House of Representatives and then as the first Latino elected to the Massachusetts Senate. Barrios is a currently a board member of Covered California, the board of advisors of the Luskin School for Public Affairs at the University of California, Los Angeles, the Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles, and the Online Progressive Engagement Network in Barcelona, Spain. He is the immediate past president of the Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission and has previously served as vice chair of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund in New York.
DISCUSSION FACILITATOR Krystyl Wright Cofounder, LOT XI
Krystyl Wright is the cofounder of LOT XI, a community-conscious wellness brand originated in Compton, California. Drawing upon her extensive knowledge as a practicing clinical psychotherapist and her expertise in aromatherapies, Wright plays a vital role in cultivating wellness within the brand. With more than 12 years of dedicated experience, Wright has been instrumental in fostering creative wellness on a global scale by increasing access to mental health initiatives. Her unwavering commitment has led her to implement innovative approaches that empower individuals worldwide to prioritize their mental well-being.
MUSICAL GUEST Sarah Emerson Singer, Songwriter
Sarah Emerson is a singer/songwriter from Seattle, Washington, best known for her gospel song, “What Joy,” which has had more than one million streams on Spotify. She has written, coproduced, and released two albums independently and can be found on all streaming platforms.
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Pepperdine School of Public Policy
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