April 4, 2024
Igniting Impact: Connecting, Collaborating and Celebrating Social Entrepreneurship
Presented by thePepperdineUniversity School of Public Policy and theMAin Social Entrepreneurship and Changeprogramwithin the GraduateSchool of Education and Psychology
April 4, 2024
PEPPERDINEGRADUATESCHOOL OF EDUCATIONANDPSYCHOLOGY
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 GREis 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
PEPPERDINESCHOOL OFPUBLICPOLICY
The Pepperdine School of Public Policy?s Master of Public Policy program is a top-ranked policy program by U.S. News&WorldReport 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.
AGENDA
PROGRAM
4 PM
Welcome
BreeJensen
Founder,The SocialImpact Firm
Non-alcoholic drinks available
4:05 PM
WelcomeTalk
Stephen Kirnon
Chair,MAinSocial EntrepreneurshipandChange Program,Pepperdine Graduate Schoolof Education andPsychology
"What Social Change Looks Like in 2024"
4:15 PM
Panel
Leadership Across Sectors: Insights from Diverse Perspectives Panelists share their unique leadership experiences in global health,diversity advocacy,and civic education.
Discussingthecommonalitiesanddifferencesin leadershipapproachesacrosssectors
PANELISTS
AlisonOliveiraWheeler
SeniorDirector,Unitedto Beat Malaria,UN Foundation
Cordell Carter, Esq.
Presidential Appointee,AspenInstitute,Festival of the Diaspora
Janet Tran
Director,CenterforCivics,Education,andOpportunity, RonaldReaganPresidential FoundationandInstitute
FACILITATOR
ErikaHanafinFeldhus
CEOof HeyMama
4:50 PM
Fireside/ Q&ACross-Sector Leadership Insights
LauraLucas Magnuson
EVPforGlobalPrograms,Obama Foundation
Student Q&A onbuildingsustainable programs and impactingcross-sectorchange
FACILITATOR
ErikaHanafinFeldhus
CEOof HeyMama
5:25 PM
Break
5:35 PM
Fast Pitch Student Business Plan Competition
Between the pitches: Organization Share
ACCION Presentation | www accion org
United Nations Foundation Presentation on Student Advocacy | https://shotatlife org/
6:50 PM
End Fast Pitch / Break
7:00 PM
Keynote/ FiresideChat
Jonathan Soros
CEO,JSCapital Management,LLC
FACILITATOR
DamarCatlett,Principal at The RabenGroup
7:40 PM
Networking Mixer and Awards
Bites and Non-Alcoholic Drinks
Jazz Trios
George WashingtonUniversity?sPremiere Student Jazz Ensemble
instagram.com/gwjazzorchestra
8:15 PM
AnnounceFast Pitch Winners
Future entrepreneurawards,alumni awards,and fast-pitchwinners
9 PM
End Event
SPEAKERS
FEATURED SPEAKER
Jonathan Soros
CEO| JSCapitalManagement,LLC
Jonathan Soros is animated by a foundational belief in every person?s equal right to dignity and opportunity A devoted spouse and father,he is married with three children and lives in New York City
Professionally,Jonathan is co-founder of Athletes Unlimited,a pioneering new approach to professional sports leagues. He is also founder and Chief Executive Officer of JSCapital Management LLC,a private family office,co-founder and partner at One Madison Group,a multi-family investment platform that evolved from his work building JSCapital Management,and a Director of the Jennifer and Jonathan Allan Soros Foundation
Together with his wife Jennifer,Jonathan is also co-founder of Give Lively LLC,a social enterprise to facilitate philanthropic giving,which she directs He is a Senior Fellow at the Roosevelt Institute,a think tank based in New York City and serves on the boards of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund,Inc ,America?s premier legal organization fighting for racial justice,and GivingTuesday,a global movement that unleashes the power of radical generosity
Prior to founding JSCapital,Jonathan spent nine years with Soros Fund Management LLC,serving as its President and Deputy Chairman from 2005 to 2011 Jonathan is a co-founder of Friends of Democracy PAC,the Fair Trial Initiative,and Victory 2021 He has also previously served as co-chair of the board of New America and held several board positions affiliated with the Open Society Foundations
Jonathan clerked for Judge Stephen F Williams of the United States Court of Appeals for the DCCircuit, and is a graduate of Harvard Law School and the John F Kennedy School of Government He received his BA from Wesleyan University
FEATURED SPEAKER
LauraLucas Magnuson
EVPGlobal Programs| The Obama Foundation
Laura Lucas Magnuson is the Executive Vice President for Global Programs at the Obama Foundation She previously was Vice President for Communications and Strategy at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and has led communications and media relations for the global law firm Morgan Lewis,the Obama Foundation,and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs
Laura was a Foreign Service Officer for more than amdecade,serving in Nepal and the Czech Republic and in policy and communications roles related to NATO,Afghanistan,and Pakistan She also served as a Special Assistant to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton From 2013 to 2014,Laura was a White House spokesperson and Director of Strategic Communications at the National Security Council,
responsible for Europe and Russia,NATO,South and Central Asia,cybersecurity,and international economic policy
Laura holds an Executive MBA from Northwestern University?s Kellogg School of Management She serves as a member of the Research Advisory Council for the Partnership for Public Service
PANELIST
Alison OliveiraWheeler
SeniorDirector,UnitedtoBeat Malaria | UnitedNationsFoundation
Alison is the Senior Director of the UN Foundation?s global health campaign,United to Beat Malaria,the world?s largest grassroots campaign to defeat malaria She co-leads the campaign,with specific oversite of resource mobilization,partnerships,communications, marketing,and the grant portfolio
Alison is committed to building better futures for children,women,and families around the globe Prior to joining the campaign,she led marketing, communications,and development teams at award-winning global non-profit organizations,SOS Children?s Villages,and Women for Women International
Prior to her work with global organizations,Alison held brand,marketing,and new product development roles with media and technology companies, domestically and internationally She received her Bachelor of Arts from UCLA and earned her MBA from the Haas School of Business at UCBerkeley Additionally,she studied at the University of Padova in Italy and Charles University in the Czech Republic She lives in Bethesda,Maryland, with her husband and two children
PANELIST
Cordell Carter, Esq
Presidential Appointee | Aspen Institute,Festival of the Diaspora
Cordell brings more than 20 years to his pursuit of a society and organizational cultures where everyone belongs and has equitable opportunities to thrive He is currently the executive director of the Aspen Institute Socrates Program,a global education forum and the founding director of the Aspen Institute?s Project on Belonging Finally,Cordell founded the Festival of the Diaspora, a Medellin,Colombia-based convener of diasporic communities across the Americas,and Expectant Advisory,LLC,a human capital advisory firm Before his current roles,Cordell held leadership roles with the TechTown Foundation,Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation,Seattle Public Schools,Business Roundtable,National Alliance for Public Charter Schools,and the IBM Corporation
For the Aspen Institute,he curates more than three dozen off the-record leadership seminars annually in capital cities around the world reaching more than 1,000 leaders each year He is also leading the Aspen Institute?s efforts to shift the national conversation on racial equity and inclusion from compliance to
belonging via an annual LATAM-based summit called the ?Festival of the Diaspora.?As the creator and lead facilitator of ?Becoming an Inclusive Republic" and producer of the documentary ?The Road Trip to Belonging?,he is a sought-after facilitator and speaker on belonging and inclusion,post-secondary success,and democratic ideals Over the last few years,he has delivered dozens of keynote speeches, facilitated roundtables and moderated panels all over the globe Through Expectant Advisory,Cordell advises leaders and boards of directors at various points on their enterprise-wide inclusion and belonging learning journeys
Cordell is a sought-after speaker on topics ranging from belonging and its connection to our civic faith A few of his most popular topics include: ?Becoming an Inclusive Republic?,?The Five Forces Impacting Liberal Democracy?and the ?Four Foundings?Over the last decade,he has spoken in 15 different countries and 20 USstates His leadership has been recognized all over the USA In June 2021,President Joseph R Biden appointed him as Commissioner,to the President?s Commission on White House Fellowships His other honors include: a designation as a 2023 Minority Executives Making Moves by the Minority Business Review, 2021 Distinguished Alumni Leadership Awardee by Cultural Vistas,an Eisenhower Fellowship to China;designation as a ?40 under 40?by business and civic organizations in Washington State and Tennessee;University of Notre Dame Law School alumni of the year awardee; selections as a Robert Bosch Foundation Fellow for Young American Leaders and a Broad Foundation Resident in Urban Education and being feted by the Obama Administration as a 2016 Champion of Change for Computer Science Education
Finally,he advises a leading upskiller,SkillStorm,on creating technology training academies in underserved communities across America via the Upskill Together Initiative Cordell also serves as a Board Director for Concordia,Orbit Capital,Oasis Fresh Markets,Redemption Holdings,and the International Advisory Committee of Danubius University (Galatz,Romania) Finally,he is a limited partner with the Fvlcrum Fund and Mendoza Ventures
Mr. Carter earned a J.D. from the University of Notre Dame Law School,a M Sc in Public Policy and Management Studies from Carnegie Mellon University,and a B A in Political Science from the University of Washington
PANELIST
Janet Tran
Director,CenterforCivics,Education, andOpportunity | The RonaldReagan Presidential FoundationandInstitute
Janet Tran serves as the the Director of the Center for Civics,Education,and Opportunity for the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute She joined the Foundation in 2010 to help design the Foundation's non-partisan civic learning portfolio,answering President Reagan?s call for an ?informed patriotism ?With the goal of cultivating the next generation of citizen leaders,the Reagan Foundation Education team delivers award-winning simulations,teacher curriculum,student programming,and grants over one million dollars in scholarships annually.
In 2015,she moved east to establish the Reagan Institute offices in Washington,DCwith the launch of Leadership and the American Presidency (LTAP),an experiential accredited leadership program for university students through the lens of the American Presidency Students spend a semester in Washington,DCinterning,learning,and growing as citizen leaders Most recently,Janet built the Reagan Institute?s Center for Civics,Education,and Opportunity (CCEO) which operates at the nexus of civics and education policy This work includes launching the inaugural Reagan Institute Summit on Education (RISE) at the 35th anniversary of the seminal report,A Nation at Risk The RISEinitiative now brings cross-sector,bipartisan leaders together to examine and elevate the national conversation around education in America
Janet serves on the Board of Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement (PACE),as a Senior Advisor to the Campus Election Engagement Project,the iCivics CivXNow Advisory Coucil,and the Advisory Board of the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE)
Janet?s civic mission began as a teacher-leader at John C. Fremont High School and Camino Nuevo Charter Academy in South Los Angeles Janet earned her BA from The University of California,Los Angeles, and her Masters of Education in Curriculum and Instruction at California State University,Northridge She earned her Doctorate in Education Learning Technologies at Pepperdine University
FACILITATOR
DamaraCatlett
Principal | The RabenGroup
Damara is a senior government and public affairs professional with over 15 years of experience working at the intersection of civil rights,technology,arts and culture,and advocacy Damara designs strategic communications,and public policy strategies and campaigns for tech and media companies and civil rights groups,with a focus on ethical AI,tech policy, voting rights,and social impact advocacy
Damara helped manage efforts for the Second Chance on Shoot First campaign,which brought national awareness to Stand Your Ground laws following the shooting of Trayvon Martin Damara led a multi-state civic engagement campaign focused on voter registration and engagement efforts for the National Urban League;the campaign brought together key stakeholders with state organizers and, in the end,reached over 350,000 African American voters Over the past decade,Damara?s work has focused on tech policy and civil rights,and she works with the civil rights and government affairs teams at Google,Warner Bros Discovery,and a host of other corporations and public interest tech groups
Damara is a board member of the Voter Participation Center,a member of the National Institue for Lobbying Ethics's AI Task Force,was a New Leaders Council Institute Fellow,and served on the inaugural Kennedy Center Culture Caucus,where she worked with afrofuturists forecasting emerging tech policy issues through the arts Damara holds a bachelor?s degree in Africana Studies and History from Franklin &Marshall College and is a native of Philadelphia
FACILITATOR
ErikaHanafin Feldhus
CEO| HeyMama
Erika is a mom to one and joined HeyMama,a membership community for working moms,in 2021 as the Chief Executive Officer Growing up in a family of successful CEOs,Erika was enriched with the intricate details of running a successful business through observation, higher education,and extensive experience She has spent the past 15 years growing small businesses and in a variety of industries through her efforts in business development,research and data,and operations and revenue management Throughout it all,she has discovered that a company?s culture defines its success. Both internally and externally,she is determined to build a healthy culture by compassionately raising women up through leadership,collaboration,philanthropy,and fundraising on a global level Erika is a Startup Advisor, Chairman of an arts &education non-profit board,and is a Certified Holistic Health Coach from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. As a sophisticated,intelligent,and supportive leader in business,Erika has been recognized for Excellence in Business by the National Association of Professional Women VIP Awards and holds President?s Club and Knights of the Roundtable awards
FACILITATOR
Stephen Kirnon Program Chair,Social Entrepreneurship andChange | Pepperdine Graduate Schoolof EducationandPsychology
Dr Kirnon has over 30 years of operational experience in biomedical and medical device organizations Dr Kirnon is currently Co-Founder and CEOof Shawshank Therapeutics,Inc
Since January 2009,he has served as the Co-founder and CEOof PharmaPlan LLCand Vitavis Laboratories Inc,which was sold to Nestle health Sciences in 2017 [Dr Kirnon was previously the President and Chief Executive Officer of Pepgen Corporation,a biopharmaceutical company based in Alameda,CA specializing in autoimmune diseases He was formerly the President and CEOof Target Protein Technologies, Inc ,a pharmaceutical company based in San Diego and specializing in the development of pharmaceutical compounds targeted to specific tissues and organs of the human body. Prior to TPT,he was the President and COOand a member of the Board of Yamanouchi Pharma Technologies,Inc (now Astellas),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 Previously,he was the President of the Drug Delivery Division of Cygnus,Inc ,successfully leading the Division into profitability and subsequently through sale of its business He also drove the successful commercialization of the glucometer device GlucoWatch® Dr Kirnon has also held various business development,sales,and marketing positions at Cygnus, Allergan,and SmithKline Beecham (now GSK) ] He sits on several industry and academic boards Dr Kirnon is also the Program Chair for Pepperdine University?s Social Entrepreneurship and Change Program
In addition to an AB degree in Biochemistry from Harvard University and an MBA from Pepperdine University,Dr Kirnon received his doctorate in organization change and transformational leadership from Pepperdine University
Dr 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
FACILITATOR
Zarik Boghossian
Adjunct Professor,EducationDivision| Pepperdine Graduate Schoolof EducationandPsychology
In the past 35 years,Zarik has been designing and developing and investing in advanced technologies and innovative solutions in On-Demand Services,Social Networking,E-Commerce Solutions, Solar Energy,Augmented Reality,Digital Media & Signage,AI & Web-3,and Aerospace Systems industries
Considering one of his career achievements,Zarik was responsible for the development of the mission-critical Electric Power System Flight Software for the International Space Station (ISS) for NASA This system was launched on November 20,1998,by NASA and has successfully been orbiting around the earth ever since with valuable research missions for the future of life on Earth
Zarik?s passion for innovation and game changing ideas is continuing at present with Wovenmedia, AUGmentecture,and Zema Group
As the Co-Founder and CTOof Wovenmedia,Zarik leads the design and development of a Digital Media Solution that is currently being used by Sam's Club,a Walmart company
As the Founder &Chairman of AUGmentecture,Zarik leads the development of a SaaSsolution for an augmented reality platform designed specifically for Architecture,Design,Civil Engineering,and Construction industries
As the Founder &Chairman of Zema Group,Zarik has one purpose in mind,and that is to create technology solutions in web and mobile applications that have meaning and potential to change the world
Zarik is the Inventor of multiple patents,and multiple Trademarks including ?Imagine AlwaysTM?,and ?Leadership as a ServiceTM? These trademarks have become the basis of his Public Speaking theme,where he promotes the role of ?Leadership?,?Kindness?,and ?Imagination?in all we do in our lives
As a Professor at Pepperdine University,Zarik has been teaching and mentoring Doctoral,MBA and undergraduate Business School students in Entrepreneurship,International Management,Venture Initiation,Managing the Philanthropic Enterprise,and Social Entrepreneurship courses for the past 15 years
Zarik holds a B S in Computer Science from the University of North Texas,MBA in Business Management from Pepperdine University,and Doctorate from Pepperdine,specializing in Organizational Development and Leadership Zarik?s thesis is published,and is titled, "An Investigation Into The Critical Success Factors of Software Development Process,Time,and Quality"
On July 23,2015,at the age of 55 and accompanied by his 18-year-old son,Zarik realized a lifelong dream of climbing the holy Mount Ararat,a National Treasure for all Armenians,reaching the peak at 16,854?at 0630 local time. Climbing Mount Ararat.
