Breakout Session 4

Highly-Skilled Volunteers: The Future of Volunteering?
Heidi Brooks, Associate Director of Strategic Alliances, Bridgestar
Mary Egan, Senior Manager, Boston Consulting Group
Carlin (Carly) Jensen, Founder and President, New Sector Alliance
Alice Korngold, President and CEO, Business Volunteers Unlimited

How are highly skilled volunteers recruited, trained and placed into suitable roles within non-profits? How can non-profits best benefit from the specialized skills and contacts volunteers bring? What motivates the high-flying professionals who volunteer, and does it matter? This panel will discuss these issues and bring a variety of voices to bear on this fascinating interaction between the corporate and non-profit sectors.

The Double-Edged Sword of Nonprofit Financial Accountability
Hilda H. Polanco, CPA, Managing Director, Fiscal Management Associates, LLC
Gregg Behr, President, The Forbes Fund
Rachel Pivnick, Chief Financial Officer, American Ballet Theater
Jason Saul, Chief Executive Officer, B2P Commerce Corporation
Rebecca Thomas, Senior Associate, Program and Product Development, Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF)

Over the past 10-15 years, nonprofit organizations have faced increasing financial scrutiny, as funders have sought to measure the impact of every dollar invested. The result has been greater demand for financial accountability, often in the form of extensive reporting. To what extent do these reporting requirements increase nonprofits' ability to effectively achieve their missions? And when do they become a burden? This panel will bring together experts and practitioners to explore how to strike the right balance.

University Development: Manhattanville and Beyond
Omar Blaik, Senior Vice President, Facilities & Real Estate Services, University of Pennsylvania
Michael Morand, Associate Vice President, New Haven & State Affairs, Yale University
David Smiley, Assistant Professor, Architecture & Urban Studies, Columbia University
Jeremiah Stoldt, Director of Campus Planning, Columbia University
Geoffrey Wiener, Assistant Vice President, Planning and Space Management, Columbia University

This panel will analyze the current efforts by Columbia University to build a new academic campus in the Manhattanville section of New York City. Two Manhattanville Development Initiative leaders will present the challenges of physical expansion in NYC, the evolution of CU efforts in Manhattanville, the successes and failures of the project to date, and the future aspirations of CU in revitalizing Manhattanville. This panel will then present a comparative analysis of similar project efforts by UPenn in West Philadelphia, and Yale in New Haven. The panel will conclude with an analysis of university development efforts in New York, from both a historical and community perspective.

Socially Responsible Investing: The Double Bottom Line
Michael Pawlish, Consultant, Enviropreneur
Mary Jane McQuillen, Director of Social Research, Citigroup Asset Management
David Morrow, Social Marketing Manager, Calvert
Matt Zalosh, Equity Analyst/Junior Portfolio Manager, Boston Common Asset Management

Socially Responsible Investing is a rapidly growing segment of the investment market. This panel will provide an overview of the SRI world and address key issues such as whether or not socially responsible investments provide comparable returns to the investor. Panelists will also discuss each of their firm’s methodologies and the current challenges facing the SRI world.

Organic Food: Niche or Mainstream?
Noha Waibsnaider, Founder and CEO, Peeled Snacks
Erik Drake, Senior Product Manager, Stonyfield Farm
Holly Givens, Communications Director, Organic Trade Association
Angela Rakis, Tri-State Marketing Coordinator, Whole Foods Markets
Cheryl Roth, Founder/Partner, Organic Works Marketing

Organic foods, once considered a passing trend, have slowly entered the mainstream food market. Studies estimate that the organic food market – currently at about $10 billion a year – will grow to $30 billion by 2007. Its growth can partially be attributed to consumers’ fears of the unknown effects of using genetically modified ingredients, pesticides and animal hormones in food production. But are there other reasons for this trend? Will this trend continue?

Media as a Social Watchdog
Gavin Power, Senior Advisor and Head of Public Affairs, UN Global Compact
Ronald J. Alsop, News Editor and Senior Writer, The Wall Street Journal
Marc Gunther, Senior Writer, Fortune Magazine
Maggie Kohn, Director of Corporate Responsibility Communications, Merck
Caitlin Morris, Senior Manager, Global Issues Management, Nike
Sarah Murray, US Editor, Financial Times

Once envisioned as the "fifth estate", as a check to the arbitrary use and abuse of power, the media has long been viewed as a means by which to publicize and hold accountable not only government, but also the corporations that today control phenomenal wealth and power. To that end, the media plays an important role in shaping the behavior of transnational corporations whose stretch and impact reach around the globe. Has dramatic press, often seen as purely sensationalist, truly brought to question the issues that businesses often would rather ignore? How have businesses changed their strategies in light of growing public exposure to their practices? Have companies, as a result, become more proactive in strengthening their CSR practices?

Can All Buildings Become Green Buildings?
Neil Chambers, Executive Director, Green Ground Zero
Leslie Hoffman, Executive Director, Earthpledge
Naomi Johnson Miller, FIES, IALD, LC, Principal, Naomi Miller Lighting Design
Jorge M. Nunez, Account Executive, Interface, Inc.

Sustainable architectural design is emerging in new construction, yet nearly all of our existing houses, offices, stores, and factories remain wasteful and completely disconnected from the natural world. How can these buildings be modified costeffectively to improve the environment while maintaining human safety and comfort? This panel of experts in sustainable design and materials will discuss environmentally responsible elements that can be introduced to existing structures and the fundamental connection between green buildings and green business.

Water Scarcity and Infrastructure Investment: Public/Private Partnerships Sponsored by The Coca-Cola Company
Roberto Lenton, Chair, Technical Committee of the Global Water Partnership
Michael J. Garvin, Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering, Columbia University
Dr. Daniel Vermeer, Director, Global Water Initiative, The Coca-Cola Company
Yasmina Zaidman, Portfolio Manager, Water Innovations, Acumen Fund

Water resource issues have long been a serious problem in many underdeveloped and developing countries, whether due to an absolute scarcity of the resource or a lack of investment in infrastructure. This panel will address water scarcity and its impact on people and businesses, as well as examine the advantages, risks and potential for public/private partnerships in water infrastructure investment and service delivery.

The Role of Women in Global Microfinance
Celina Kawas, Associate, Diagnosis and Strategy, Women’s World Banking
Deborah Burand, Director of Capital Markets, FINCA International
Amanda Ellis, Senior Private Sector Development Specialist on Gender, World Bank Group
Hillary Miller, Development Finance Specialist, Development Alternatives
Inez Murray, Manager of Market Research, Women’s World Banking
Lynne Patterson, Executive Director & Co-founder, Pro Mujer

Microfinance has been proven to be a powerful instrument for social change and poverty alleviation, especially among poor women. This panel takes a closer look at microfinance, in particular the profound effect it has had on lifting women around the world out of poverty.

Off-Shoring: Opportunities and Challenges
Medini Singh, Professor, Columbia Business School
Bruce Greenwald, Professor of Finance and Economics, Columbia Business School (download .pdf)
Leanne Lachman, President, Lachman Associates (download .ppt)
Jean Mayer, Executive Director, Asia Pacific, Ford Motor Company (download .ppt)
Greg Sandler, Director of Business Development, GlobalSys Services

This panel will debate the impact of off-shoring on American business and labor markets and whether the current wave of outsourcing both white-collar and manufacturing jobs represents a significant threat to economic stability in the United States, or is simply proof of the natural and healthy churn of a capitalist economy.

Financing Your Venture: Keys to Success
Daniel A. Rabuzzi, Former President & Chief Executive Officer, The Leader to Leader Institute
Nancy Biberman, Founder and President, Women’s Housing & Economic Development Corporation (NYC)
Dominik Careri Kulik, CEO, Dakai Enterprises LLC; Board Member, Investors’ Circle
Donna Katzin, Executive Director, Shared Interest

How do entrepreneurs, specifically social entrepreneurs, get funded? What are funders looking for? How can investors and entrepreneurs best manage the relationship between them? This panel will address these and related issues, dialoguing with the audience. The panelists include entrepreneurs and funders and represent a wide spectrum of activities. They will sketch the profile of social capital markets and describe some of the criteria that funders may use in deciding whether or not to finance a project. They will pay particular attention to different asset classes, different risk/return appetites, and different entrepreneurial missions. From debt to equity, from U.S.-focused to global organizations, from pre-seed to mezzanine financing and beyond.