About Us

Our Vision

Our members use business acumen to address social, economic, and environmental challenges.

Our Mission

The Social Enterprise Club is the home for all students at Columbia Business School who want to use business skills to create social, environmental, and economic value within the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. We:

• Connect students interested in social enterprise with each other, faculty, alumni, professionals, and organizations
• Enrich our members’ understanding of industries, ideas, and initiatives that create social impact
• Inspire students to become leaders who better the world.

The Social Enterprise Club collaborates with the Social Enterprise Program (SEP) and other clubs under the auspices of the SEP on advancing social enterprise initiatives at Columbia Business School.

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Social Enterprise Program Structure

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The Social Enterprise Club at Columbia Business School is a Net Impact chapter. It hosted the 2004 Net Impact Conference.

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SEC Officers

Co-Presidents
Sarah Kafka, Email: skafka12@gsb.columbia.edu
Luke Justice, Email: ljustice12@gsb.columbia.edu

Prospective Students
VP: Armando Llaza Corrales, Email: allazacorrales12@gsb.columbia.edu
AVP: Elmer Moore, Email: emoore13@gsb.columbia.edu

Large Events
VP: Esther Quintana, Email: equintana12@gsb.columbia.edu
AVP: Gwyn Welles, Email: gwelles13@gsb.columbia.edu

Finance and Membership
VP: Brieuc Corlay, Email: bcorlay12@gsb.columbia.edu
AVP: Samit Shah, Email: sshah13@gsb.columbia.edu

Marketing and Communications
VP: Emily Sweeney, Email: esweeney12@gsb.columbia.edu
AVP: Katie Webster, Email: kwebster13@gsb.columbia.edu

Global Social Venture Competition
VP: Kristen Keating, Email: kkeating12@gsb.columbia.edu
AVP: Donnel Baird, Email: dbaird13@gsb.columbia.edu

Peer to Peer Groups
VP: Neeta Boddapati, Email: nboddapati12@gsb.columbia.edu
AVP: Rajib Guha, Email: rguha13@gsb.columbia.edu

Careers
VP: Miranda Soffian, Email: msoffian12@gsb.columbia.edu
AVP: Jonathan Tarshis, Email: jtarshisneil13@gsb.columbia.edu
AVP: Courtney Catallo, Email: ccatallo13@gsb.columbia.edu

SEC Conference / Net Impact
VP: Christopher Reynolds, Email: creynolds12@gsb.columbia.edu
VP: Marin Kaleya, Email: mkaleya12@gsb.columbia.edu
AVP: Regina Lee, Email: rlee13@gsb.columbia.edu
AVP: Albert Lim, Email: alim13@gsb.columbia.edu

J-Term Rep
Allison Freeman, Email: afreeman12@gsb.columbia.edu

Alumni
VP: Kirsten Anderson, Email: kanderson12@gsb.columbia.edu
AVP: Dana Edelstein, Email: dedelstein13@gsb.columbia.edu

Social Enterprise Summer Fellowship
VP: Kirsten Anderson, Email: kanderson12@gsb.columbia.edu
VP: Marin Kaleya, Email: mkaleya12@gsb.columbia.edu
AVP: Beth Mitchell, Email: emitchell13@gsb.columbia.edu

SEC Officer Bios

Sarah Kafka ‘12 (co-president)

Where are you from? Jersey City, NJ

What industry were you in before coming to CBS? Project management and consulting for non-profits and cause-related initiatives

What industry do you want to work in after your MBA? I want to work for a mission-driven organization – could be in the public, private or non-profit sector

What clubs are you involved with at CBS? Co-president of the Social Enterprise Club, VP of Communications for the Jewish Business Student Association, Peer Advisor, Pangea

What is your favorite thing about the SEC/what was your favorite SEC event? My favorite thing about the SEC is getting to know all the great students who are members! The reason I wanted to join the board of the SEC was so that I could meet student leaders in the social enterprise space – there is do much to learn from each other and I have made a lot of great friends in the process.

 

Luke Justice ’12 (co-president)

Where are you from? Chicago, IL

What industry were you in before coming to CBS?  Financial Services (Insurance)

What industry do you want to work in after your MBA? Education

What clubs are you involved with at CBS? SEC, Wine Society

What is your favorite thing about the SEC/what was your favorite SEC event? The community of like minded people that want to do great things for the world.  Every year we hold an amazing conference and it is always the highlight of our events schedule.  Another great event this year was hearing from one of the founders of Guayaki Yerba Mate, a beverage company the sells sustainably grown, organic yerba mate.  Their story and business model are really inspiring and as a bonus it turns out that I love the product!  It has completely replaced coffee as my morning wake-up.

 

Armando Llaza Corrales ’12 (prospective students)

Where are you from? Arequipa, Peru

What industry were you in before coming to CBS? Marketing in CPG (Dannon)

What industry do you want to work in after your MBA? Consulting and later start my own company with a big socially responsible component

What clubs are you involved with at CBS? President of the Football (Soccer) Club, VP of Events Surf Club

What is your favorite thing about the SEC/what was your favorite SEC event? The richness of the background of its members.  My favorite SEC event is Summer Fellowship Week, specially the auctions and the creativity to raise funds

 

Elmer Moore ’13 (prospective students)

Where are you from? Baltimore MD – The home of Omar and The Wire

What industry were you in before coming to CBS? Higher Education- College admissions and multicultural recruitment

What industry do you want to work in after your MBA? Probably consulting for a little while then (eventually) politics

What clubs are you involved with at CBS? SEC, MCA, GMA, BBSA, Better Halves, FES (financial education society) Cluster Q

What is your favorite thing about the SEC/what was your favorite SEC event? Clearly it’s Luke. Aside from him, I love the energy that the wonderful people radiate. The Conference was also incredible.

 

Esther Quintana ’12 (large events)

Where are you from? Mayaguez, Puerto Rico

What industry were you in before coming to CBS? Corporate Strategy for a Media/Information Provider

What clubs are you involved with at CBS? Social Enterprise Club (VP Events), Hispanic Business Association (VP Events), Pangea (Team Leader), Women’s Touch Rugby, Small Business Consulting Program

What is your favorite thing about the SEC/what was your favorite SEC event? The people. Best event = Potluck at Brieuc’s place!

 

Gwyn Welles ’13 (large events)

Where are you from? NYC

What industry were you in before coming to CBS? Education and documentary film

What industry do you want to work in after your MBA? Philanthropy and film funding

What clubs are you involved with at CBS? Social Enterprise Club, Media Management Association, Innovation + Creativity in Business Society, Columbia Entrepreneurs Club, Arts and Culture Club, International Development Club, Healthy Living Club, Outdoor Adventure Club, International Development Club, Private Equity and Venture Capital Club, Tennis Club

What is your favorite thing about the SEC/what was your favorite SEC event? My favorite thing about the SEC is the amazing people – such rich and varied backgrounds, and all in the name of making the world a better place.

 

Brieuc Corlay ’12 (finance and membership)

Where are you from? France

What industry were you in before coming to CBS? I was commissioning water desalination plants in Oman (Middle East)

What industry do you want to work in after your MBA? General Management in Clean Technologies

What clubs are you involved with at CBS? International Student Advisory Board (co-chair), Better Halves Club (co-president), Green Business Club (VP careers), Peer Advising Group (VP International)

What is your favorite thing about the SEC/what was your favorite SEC event? Favorite thing: the spirit of the club and the quality of our board

 

Samit Shah ’13 (finance and membership)

Where are you from? Brookfield, Connecticut

What industry were you in before coming to CBS? I worked in Structured Finance for Deutsche Bank in London and Mumbai.

What industry do you want to work in after your MBA? I’m considering opportunities in consulting and private equity, both focused on emerging markets.

What clubs are you involved with at CBS? Social Enterprise Club, International Development Club, Politics and Business, I-Prep Mentorship Program, South Asian Business Association, Microbrew Society, Running Club

What is your favorite thing about the SEC/what was your favorite SEC event? I really enjoyed the Social Enterprise Conference this year.  The scale of the event – with almost 600 participants – was a surprise, and I enjoyed getting to meet practitioners and fellow students interested in a variety of social and economic issues.

 

Emily Romanelli ’12 (marketing and communications)

Where are you from? San Francisco

What industry were you in before coming to CBS? Non-profit management/fundraising

What industry do you want to work in after your MBA? Sustainable Food or marketing in green business

What clubs are you involved with at CBS? Other than SEC – Sustainable Food P2P Leader, Green Business Club, International Development Club, Healthy Living Club and Marketing Association

What is your favorite thing about the SEC/what was your favorite SEC event? Favorite thing – spending time with creative, passionate people with such a wide variety of backgrounds and interests.  Favorite event – The Social Enterprise Conference; planning a panel was such an amazing opportunity to get to know professionals who are in an industry I want to be in. I also really enjoyed traveling to the Net Impact conference with other board members.

 

Katie Webster ’13 (marketing and communications)

Where are you from? Corpus Christi, TX

What industry were you in before coming to CBS? Economic Development/Marketing

What industry do you want to work in after your MBA? Consulting/Economic Development

What clubs are you involved with at CBS? International Development Club, Pangea Advisors, Columbia Women in Business, Hermes, Texas Club, Wine Society

What is your favorite thing about the SEC/what was your favorite SEC event? Spending time with incredibly intelligent and dynamic people who want to make a positive impact on the world, and meeting industry leaders at the Social Enterprise Conference

 

Kristen Keating ’12 (global social venture competition)

Where are you from? Haverford, PA

What industry were you in before coming to CBS? Tech/Media (Google)

What industry do you want to work in after your MBA? Consulting

What clubs are you involved with at CBS? SEC, IDC, MCA, PEVC

What is your favorite thing about the SEC/what was your favorite SEC event? The diversity of interests among the club members, and the widely maintained optimism of club members that business and social good can go hand-in-hand. Favorite event: Social Enterprise Conference.

 

Donnel Baird ’13 (global social venture competition)

Where are you from? Brooklyn and Atlanta

What industry were you in before coming to CBS? Political Organizer/ Clean Energy

What industry do you want to work in after your MBA? Clean Energy

What clubs are you involved with at CBS? Green Business, Sanford Bernstein Leadership and Ethics, BBSA

What is your favorite thing about the SEC/what was your favorite SEC event? Boat racing.

 

Neeta Boddapati ’12 (peer to peer groups)

Where are you from? Chicago suburbs

What industry were you in before coming to CBS? Promotion marketing/internal strategy

What industry do you want to work in after your MBA? Education

What clubs are you involved with at CBS? I-Prep

What is your favorite thing about the SEC/what was your favorite SEC event? SEC provides a great professional and social outlet

 

Rajib Guha ’13 (peer to peer groups)

Where are you from? Grew up in Diamond Bar, CA. Lived in NYC for the past 12 years.

What industry were you in before coming to CBS? Education & Nonprofit

What industry do you want to work in after your MBA? Education or Consulting

What clubs are you involved with at CBS? In addition to SEC, I’m involved with the Small Business Consulting Program, Cluster Q, Hermes Society, and my cluster board.

What is your favorite thing about the SEC/what was your favorite SEC event? My thoughtful, engaging, and passionate colleagues

 

Miranda Soffian ’12 (careers)

Where are you from? Pleasantville, New York

What industry were you in before coming to CBS? Advertising/Marketing

What industry do you want to work in after your MBA? Strategy

What clubs are you involved with at CBS? SEC, MCA, CWIB, I+CBS

What is your favorite thing about the SEC/what was your favorite SEC event? The people!

 

Jonathan Tarshis ’13 (careers)

Where are you from? Toronto, Canada

What industry were you in before coming to CBS? Private Equity

What industry do you want to work in after your MBA? Impact Investing

What clubs are you involved with at CBS? Social Enterprise, Rugby, Follies, Private Equity / Venture Capital, Sports Business, Canucks

What is your favorite thing about the SEC/what was your favorite SEC event? Favorite thing about the SEC is the amazing breadth of social enterprise experiences among the club members

 

Courtney Catallo ’13 (careers)

Where are you from? Long Island, New York; recently moved from Boston, MA

What industry were you in before coming to CBS? Education consulting

What industry do you want to work in after your MBA? Unsure – looking into international or US economic development; or education

What clubs are you involved with at CBS? Nonprofit Leadership Board, Microlumbia, Small Business Consulting Program, Women in Business

What is your favorite thing about the SEC/what was your favorite SEC event? Meeting other awesome people with such great experiences/the Catskills retreat

 

Christopher Reynolds ’12 (SEC conference / Net Impact)

Where are you from? Virginia / DC Metro area

What industry were you in before coming to CBS? Architecture and Urban Planning

What industry do you want to work in after your MBA? Real Estate and Sustainability

What clubs are you involved with at CBS? SEC, REA, GBC

What is your favorite thing about the SEC/what was your favorite SEC event? Triple bottom liners / Social Enterprise Conference!

 

Marin Kaleya ’12 (SEC conference / Net Impact and Social Enterprise Summer Fellowship)

Where are you from? New York City

What industry were you in before coming to CBS? I worked in corporate communications and crisis management

What industry do you want to work in after your MBA? Undecided / working on it

What clubs are you involved with at CBS? SEC (also member of: MAC, IDC, CWiB)

What is your favorite thing about the SEC/what was your favorite SEC event? Social Enterprise Conference

 

Regina Lee ’13 (SEC conference / Net Impact)

Where are you from? Chevy Chase, MD

What industry were you in before coming to CBS? Management Consulting, worked at Bain & Company and The Bridgespan Group

What industry do you want to work in after your MBA? Management Consulting and then Education or Workforce Development in the mid-longterm

What clubs are you involved with at CBS? SEC, Pangea Consulting, Follies, Wine Society, Squash Club

What is your favorite thing about the SEC/what was your favorite SEC event? The people in SEC are wonderful and have created a tight-knit family for me at Columbia.  The SEC 2011 Conference was fantastic — students had the opportunity to attend 4 different panels on topics from school turnaround to sustainable housing development and to network with local practitioners.  Keynote speaker Leymah Gbowee also received the Nobel Prize that day for her amazing work mobilizing women to bring peace to Liberia in 2004.

 

Albert Lim ’13 (SEC conference / Net Impact)

Where are you from? Harrington Park, New Jersey (the greatest state in the world)

What industry were you in before coming to CBS? Investment Management

What industry do you want to work in after your MBA? Consulting or Green Business

What clubs are you involved with at CBS? Social Enterprise, Non-Profit Board Leadership Program, Small Business Consulting Program, Management Consulting Club, Hermes, Running Club

What is your favorite thing about the SEC/what was your favorite SEC event? The people you get to hang out with; Social Enterprise Catskills Retreat

 

Allison Freeman’12 (J term rep)

Where are you from? Toronto, Canada

What industry were you in before coming to CBS? Healthcare consulting

What industry do you want to work in after your MBA? Management consulting, with as many healthcare clients as possible! 

What clubs are you involved with at CBS? Management Consulting Association, Healthy Living Club, Columbia Canucks, Outdoor Adventure

What is your favorite thing about the SEC/what was your favorite SEC event? My favorite event was an event we co-sponsored with the Retail & Luxury Goods Club featuring speaker Magatte Wade – it isn’t often you hear social enterprise and luxury goods mentioned in the same sentence. Magatte’s ideas are inspiring.  

 

Kirsten Anderson ’12 (alumni and Social Enterprise Summer Fellowship)

Where are you from? DC (Maryland)

What industry were you in before coming to CBS? Consulting

What industry do you want to work in after your MBA? Education

What clubs are you involved with at CBS? SEC, Follies, Cluster Q

What is your favorite thing about the SEC/what was your favorite SEC event? The people!

 

Dana Edelstein ’12 (alumni)

 

 

 

 

 

Beth Mitchell  ’13 (Social Enterprise Summer Fellowship)

Where are you from? I grew up in the Boston area  

What industry were you in before coming to CBS? I spent the past few years working in healthcare start-ups. Before that I was in social services. 

What industry do you want to work in after your MBA? Definitely the social sector. Most likely an organization that provides direct services to low-income adults. 

What clubs are you involved with at CBS? The Social Enterprise Club (of course) the Financial Education Society, and the Public Speaking Club  

What is your favorite thing about the SEC/what was your favorite SEC event? Getting to know the people – especially the other board members – it’s definitely my favorite thing