Social Enterprise Conference
Cities Transformed: Empowering Individuals, Businesses and Communities
September 30, 2016 | 8:45 AM–5:30 PM | Columbia University’s Alfred Lerner Hall, Auditorium, 2920 Broadway, New York, NY 10027
Urbanization is shaping the human experience in powerful ways. More than 3.5 billion people — half the world’s population — now live in rapidly-growing cities, including 80% of United States residents. Will urban change expand opportunity and equity, or will it entrench inequalities? How can social innovations transform cities in ways that fully empower individuals, businesses, and communities?
About Columbia University’s Social Enterprise Conference
Social Enterprise topics are embedded in various student conferences at Columbia Business School. The first conference at the beginning of each academic year is the Annual Social Enterprise Conference, jointly organized by the Social Enterprise Club (a chapter of Net Impact), Green Business Club, and the Tamer Center for Social Enterprise. This event brings together industry leaders, professionals, academics, students, and alumni to share best practices and engender new ideas surrounding the intersection of business and society.
Social Enterprise-related clubs are an important part of student life across the University. The Conference unites graduate and undergraduate students from many clubs at this headline event, including a selection of student clubs: Social Entrepreneurship Club, Columbia Impact Investing Initiative, Columbia University Coalition for Sustainable Development, Barnard and Columbia Student’s Design for America, SEBS, Columbia Entrepreneurs Organization, Columbia Law School’s Environmental Law Society, Columbia FinTech, Students for Environmental Action, and Community Impact at Columbia University.
Agenda
8:00-8:45 | Conference Check-In |
8:45-9:00 | Welcome Remarks from Professor Damon Phillips |
9:00-9:50 | Opening Keynotes |
9:50-10:50 | Transformation for Individuals: Building Diverse Urban Human Capital Pipelines |
10:50-11:30 | Coffee Break |
11:30-12:30 | Transformations for Business: Driving Inclusion in the Tech and Startup Space |
12:30-2:00 | Lunch |
2:00-2:20 | Quick Talks |
2:20-3:20 | Transformations for Communities: Designing the Urban System |
3:20-4:00 | Coffee Break |
4:00-4:20 | Quick Talks |
4:20-4:40 | Quick Talks Q&A |
4:40-5:30 | Closing Keynote |
5:30-5:35 | Closing Remarks from Meredith Milstein ’17BUS and Hillary Wool ’17BUS |
Opening Keynote
Cities are the hub of economic vitality, but they face trends that put their ability to survive in question. How do we recognize the trends in urbanization, and how do we prepare to make cities better not only for today, but for the future as well? A city’s ability to maintain essential functions is threatened by both acute shocks (earthquakes and flooding) and chronic stresses (water scarcity and homelessness), which can lead to social breakdown, physical collapse and economic decline. How do we address these stresses directly? Opening Keynotes Andrew Salkin of 100 Resilient Cities and John Paul Farmer of Microsoft discussed how technology; early investments; shared networks; and diverse partnerships among government, individuals, and communities are the solutions for improving accessibility to cities and sparking positive change.
John Paul Farmer ’04BUS, Director of Technology and Civic Innovation, Microsoft
Andrew Salkin, Senior VP, City Solutions at 100 Resilient Cities
Bios
John Paul Farmer is the Director of Technology & Civic Innovation at Microsoft, based in New York City. In this role, John is breaking new ground in the creative application of emerging technologies, through lean product prototyping and innovative public-private partnerships. John and his team work to connect promising technologies – from machine learning to blockchain to the Internet of Things – to society’s most pressing challenges. Previously, John served as the Senior Advisor for Innovation at the White House under President Barack Obama, where he co-founded and led the Presidential Innovation Fellows program to attract top private sector technologists and entrepreneurs for focused tours of duty in government. During his time in Washington, John architected how a startup mentality can be brought to bear on government’s hardest problems, creating the blueprint for a digital services revolution in the public sector. Prior to the U.S. government, John envisioned and built new business units in the private sector. He has experience in the technology, finance and healthcare sectors, in particular. After leaving the White House, John founded The Innovation Project, a non-profit organization that provides advice and best practices related to government innovation worldwide. He holds an A.B. with honors from Harvard University and an MBA with honors from Columbia Business School.
Andrew Salkin joined 100 Resilient Cities from New York City’s Department of Finance, where he was the Deputy Commissioner of Operations, managing more than 800 people and responsible for collecting $30 billion annually through real estate, business, and excise taxes, as well as parking summonses. In this role he improved efficiencies and customer service, including introducing web-based payment options. Previously he served as the First Deputy Commissioner of the Taxi and Limousine Commission, overseeing day-to-day operations of the agency, including the regulations of New York City’s medallion taxi fleet, livery vehicles, commuter vans and paratransit vehicles – comprising 50,000 vehicles and 100,000 drivers. Some of his hallmark projects included equipping taxis with credit card payment machines and New York City’s Taxi of Tomorrow competition. During the transit strike of 2005, he developed and oversaw the implementation of the Transit Strike Plan that allowed for an additional 1,500,000 taxi rides a day. Prior to joining the Taxi and Limousine Commission, Andrew worked at the Department of Transportation as Lower Manhattan Borough Commissioner, the “Downtown Construction Czar,” where he led the City’s efforts to balance the needs of residents, employees, and tourists of Lower Manhattan amidst the clean-up, construction, and rebuilding post-September 11. Andrew holds a Master of Public Administration degree from Syracuse University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Transformations for Individuals: Building Diverse Urban Human Capital Pipelines
This panel focuses on organizations’ approaches to supporting the talent development of groups that have been historically underserved — from urban boys of color, to first-generation college students, to youths transitioning from incarceration. Featured panelists are filling gaps within the traditional urban ecosystem and incorporating approaches that effectively draw on a multitude of the city’s assets.
Cyrus Garrett, Executive Director, NYC Office of the Mayor, Young Men’s Initiative
Kimberly A. Harris ’06LAW, CEO, America Needs You
Jon Haseltine, Interim Executive Director, Senior Director of Operations and Strategic Planning, Year Up New York
Jordyn Lexton, Found and Executive Director, Drive Change
Moderator: Amy Houston, Managing Director, Robin Hood
Bios
Cyrus Garrett is the Executive Director of New York City’s Young Men’s Initiative. Prior to his appointment, Mr. Garrett served as a political analyst for Everytown for Gun Safety, an organization funded by former Mayor Michael Bloomberg. He arrived at Everytown for Gun Safety after serving as the Deputy Director of Cabinet Planning for President Obama’s 2013 Inauguration. Mr. Garrett earned this honor after serving as a Deputy Field Director in Ohio for President Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign. Prior to the 2012 Presidential Election, Mr. Garrett served as a speechwriter to the Assistant Secretary of the Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE) for the U.S. Department of Education. From 2009-2011, Mr. Garrett was the special advisor to Director, Gray-ling Williams at the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Counternarcotic Enforcement (CNE), and the lead staffer on Western Hemisphere international affairs, congressional relations. His role was to assess the flow of bulk cash and weapons from the U.S. into Mexico, Central and South America. Prior to his appointment at Homeland Security, Mr. Garrett helped implement the inaugural White House Internship program during the spring of 2009. He holds the distinctions as being one of the first 100 staffers to serve on President Barack Obama’s 2008 general campaign as a regional political director at the state of Indiana. Prior to joining the campaign, Cyrus Garrett worked as a gang and drug counselor at the Eldora State Training School for Boys in Iowa. Mr. Garrett attended both the University of Illinois and University of Northern Iowa (UNI) and obtained his bachelor’s degree in criminology from UNI.
Kim Harris is the CEO of America Needs You, a national nonprofit that fights for economic-mobility for first-generation college students through transformative mentorship and intensive career development. Prior to ANY, Kim was an Associate at Skadden Arps. Kim received a JD from Columbia Law School and a BBA from the University of Michigan.
Jon Haseltine is a member of the Year Up New York Leadership Team. He currently is serving as Interim Executive Director, while Year Up conducts its extensive search for a new market leader. He also oversees Operations, Finance, HR, IT, and Strategic Planning. Jon brings to the team a passion to improve organizational effectiveness and positive outcomes by taking a systems-based approach to strategic management and tactical execution. Previously, Jon worked with Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, Viacom’s Get Schooled Foundation, American Express, U.S. Department of the Treasury, Center for Strategic & International Studies, Lahey Behavioral Services (formally HES/NECMH), and U.S. Peace Corps. Jon grew up in New England and has deep roots in rural New Hampshire and coastal Maine. He has his MBA and MSW. Jon resides just north of NYC with his wife Emily and their two daughters, Chloe and Avery.
Jordyn Lexton is the founder and executive director of Drive Change. Jordyn taught for three years at the NYC DOE public high school inside of the jail complex on Rikers Island. Jordyn is 2015 Echoing Green Fellow. Jordyn holds a BA from Wesleyan University and a MA in Teaching from Pace University.
Amy Houston runs management assistance and administrative operations at Robin Hood. Robin Hood targets poverty in New York City by finding and funding the most effective programs and partnering with them to achieve results. Since inception Robin Hood has provided over a billion dollars through a model that combines targeted funding with management assistance to support its nonprofits in strengthening their performance. The Management Assistance team is comprised of experienced consultants who are skilled at adapting business strategies to the challenges facing nonprofit organizations. Robin Hood recruits New York City’s top firms to offer pro bono and fee based services, as well as talented professionals to serve on grant recipient boards. Consulting and training areas include governance, strategy, human capital, marketing, fundraising, finance, technology, legal and real estate. Amy is also an adjunct faculty member at Columbia University’s MBA program where she teaches a course on high performing nonprofits. She is a trustee of the Leo Baeck Institute in New York and the Nichols School in Buffalo, and serves on the Tuck School of Business MBA Advisory Board in Hanover, New Hampshire. Prior to Robin Hood, she was a Vice President at Aspect Education, a private company running language schools worldwide. She joined Aspect’s senior team just after its purchase from Sylvan Learning Systems in 2000; the company was sold successfully to Kaplan in 2006. She was also a principal consultant with PricewaterhouseCoopers’ higher education and nonprofit practice and the general manager of a nonprofit focused on school reform in Chicago. She co-founded and served on the board of the Mad Housers of Chicago, a homeless advocacy organization. Amy earned a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University and an M.B.A. from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College.
Transformations for Businesses: Driving Inclusion in the Tech and Startup Space
The tech and startup world has often been criticized for failing to be inclusive — from whom it employs to whom its products serve. This panel invites innovators from Silicon Valley to Silicon Alley to discuss the ways their organizations are disrupting the exclusive archetypes of tech companies. Featured groups are promoting access to the tech world and developing high-growth companies that serve populations not often addressed in this space.
Jimena Almendares, Former Chief Product Officer, OKCupid
Jimmy Chen, CEO, Propel
Chris Davis, Chief Financial Officer, Managed by Q
Jenny Fielding, Managing Director, Techstars
Christopher Grewe, Founder and CEO, American Prison Data Systems, PBC
Moderator: Ron Gonen ’04BUS, CEO and Adjunct Professor, Closed Loop Fund and CBS
Bios
As OkCupid’s Chief Product Officer, Jimena Almendares led the company’s Product, Design, F/E, App development, Marketing, Partnerships/Business Development, and Customer Support teams. One of two C-level executives leading OkCupid, the company had an IPO in 2015 as part of the Match Group (MTCH- 2016 forecasted revenue of 1.1Billion). Prior to joining OkCupid, Jimena worked at several social platforms including Eventbrite, Facebook, Zynga and most recently, Meetup, where Jimena spearheaded the largest redesign of all mobile platforms and led predictive analytics for 16M users. Jimena graduated from MIT (MBA) and the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris, in France (BA and MA). A three-time national ice skating champion, Jimena spent half of her life abroad, lived in 8 countries, worked in 16, traveled to 44 and speaks 5 languages.
Jimmy Chen is the founder and CEO of Propel. Propel makes the social safety net more user-friendly. Their app, Fresh EBT, is used by tens of thousands of food stamp recipients every day. Jimmy was previously a Product Manager at Facebook and holds a B.S. in Symbolic Systems from Stanford University.
Chris Davis joined Managed by Q before the Series A and he has led the effort build a trusted financial structure for Q. Most recently, Chris was the Chief Operating Officer for Open Road Media, a start-up in the book publishing/media industry. Open Road was founded to leverage a loophole in publishing contracts that allowed authors of previously published books retain their eBook rights. Open Road acquired those rights and re-launched older authors and their work with a new online brand profile. In three years, Open Road published over 10,000 eBooks including the works of Pat Conroy, Alice Walker and William Styron. During his tenure, he led the efforts in raising one venture capital equity round and one venture capital debt round for the company. Before Open Road, Chris was the Senior Vice President of Business Operations for AOL/The Huffington Post Media Group. During his tenure with AOL, he assisted with the integration of The Huffington Post into AOL and the development of financial and business operational processes for the news organization within AOL. Prior to the acquisition of The Huffington Post by AOL, Chris was the Senior Vice President of Finance and Operations for The Huffington Post. Chris joined The Huffington Post when it had less than 10 employees and during his 6-year+ tenure, he managed the Accounting, Finance, Human Resources, Legal, Operations and Analytics departments. In addition, Chris managed three venture capital equity rounds, one venture capital debt round and played in integral role during the eventual sale of the company to AOL for $315M. Prior to joining The Huffington Post, Chris served in a senior finance role at a number of start-ups in New York City. He was the Vice President of Finance and Operations for Exhale, a high-end spa and exercise studio having multiple locations through the US. While at Exhale, Chris reorganized its Accounting and Finance departments, assisted with the launch of 7 new locations and completed the acquisition and conversion of two competitors. Prior to his tenure with Exhale, Chris served as the CFO/COO for Madstone, a film production, distribution & exhibition company. When Chris joined Madstone, its business model was in its incubation period and Chris assisted the founders with the design and implementation of the strategy and business model. He also managed all of the finance and operations of the company through its expansion to theatrical film production and the opening of 9 movie theaters in the US market. Before joining Madstone, Chris was the Financial Director for the independent film production company, Good Machine, where he managed the finance and operations and assisted in the company’s expansion into the international sales market. Before his start-up experience commenced, Chris worked for Coopers and Lybrand Consulting. Chris received his BS in Accounting from The Pennsylvania State University and his MBA from the University of Southern California.
Jenny Fielding is a Managing Director at Techstars, where she leads both the FinTech and Internet of Things Accelerators in NYC. Prior to joining Techstars, Jenny headed up a corporate venture and digital innovation group at BBC Worldwide where she made strategic investments and led business development deals. She has also started several companies, most notably Switch-Mobile, a mobile VoIP company that was acquired. Jenny began her career as a lawyer and also spent some time in banking at JP Morgan. When not in program, Jenny pretends to live in San Francisco!
Chris Grewe is an entrepreneur with a passionate belief in the power of education to change lives for the better. Chris has more than 25 years of experience leading start-up, turnaround, and mature educational publishing businesses to substantial revenue growth and profitability. He co-founded and was CEO of the Princeton Review in Japan, and has worked since in senior business development and publishing roles at Scholastic, Kids Discover, Triumph Learning, Troll Communications, and MetaMetrics.
Ron Gonen is the co-founder and CEO of the Closed Loop Fund. The Closed Loop Fund was formed by a group of the world’s largest manufacturers, consumer goods companies and retailers to invest in municipal recycling and waste diversion programs. Prior to the Closed Loop Fund, Ron was the Deputy Commissioner of Sanitation, Recycling and Sustainability for New York City. He joined the Bloomberg administration with the task of rebuilding NYC’s recycling program and developing a plan to divert over 30% of New York’s waste stream from landfills by 2017 and over 70% by 2025. He was responsible for New York’s recycling programs, which include paper, metal, glass, plastic, organics, textiles, electronics, the management of household hazardous waste and related legislation. In 2013, NRDC and Earth Day New York named Ron as the Public Official of the Year in New York City. Ron has been an adjunct professor at Columbia Business School since 2010. In 2012, he was the recipient of the Social Enterprise Teaching Award for Excellence in Teaching. From 2004-2010, Ron was the co-founder and CEO of RecycleBank. During his tenure as CEO, the company grew from an idea into a company that serviced over 50 cities and over 1 million households. RecycleBank was recognized with a number of business and environmental awards including the Philadelphia Sustainability Award, The Conference of Mayors – Public/Private Partnership of the Year Award and a Technology Pioneer award from the World Economic Forum. From 1998-2002, Ron was a management consultant at Accenture and Deloitte. Ron has been a recipient of a number of environmental and business awards including being recognized as a ‘Champion of the Earth’ by the United Nations Environment Program which is the highest distinction for environmental protection given by the United Nations and recognizes outstanding visionaries and leaders in the fields of policy, science and entrepreneurship and the Medal of Excellence from Columbia University which recognizes alumnus under the age of 45 for excellence in scholarship, public service and professional life. Ron was a Henry Catto Fellow at the Aspen Institute is currently a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He holds patents in the recycling industry and rewards/loyalty industry.
Quick Talks and Q&A
The Quick Talks series highlights social entrepreneurs who are using business principles to solve social and environmental challenges.
“It’s a marathon… and there’s no charging station for motivation,” says Petar Mirovic. If you’re in it for the sprint, you won’t last for the long term. Social Venture Pitch speakers talk about the biggest day-to-day challenges that they face as social enterprise start-ups.
Michal Alter ’13SIPA, Co-founder and CEO, Visit.org | Watch venture pitch →
Petar Mirovic, CEO, EnGoPlanet | Watch venture pitch →
Aileen Gemma Smith, CEO, Vizalytics Technology | Watch venture pitch →
Jase Wilson, CEO, Neighborly | Watch venture pitch →
Moderator: Bruce Usher, Co-director Tamer Center, Elizabeth B. Strickler ‘86 and Mark T. Gallogly ‘86 Faculty Director, CBS
The key takeaways? Sustain the vision, foster independence, build team dynamics, and maintain determination and persistence.
Bios
Michal Alter’s professional experience combines technology and social development. She has consulted for senior management at various leading nonprofit organizations in New York City, including New York Cares, Solar One, UNESCO, and Women’s World Banking. Before moving to NY, she was the director of Refugee Affairs within Tel Aviv’s city government where she led social service delivery and programming to a community of 20,000 refugees from Darfur, South Sudan, and Eritrea. Michal is a Computer Science Engineer and worked as Systems Architect at Nuance Communications (Nasdaq: NUAN), and at Risk Modules, both part of the thriving Israeli high tech industry. Michal was one of the first female pilot cadets in the Israeli Air Force. Michal holds a Master of Public Administration from Columbia University, a Bachelor of Arts in East Asian Studies from Tel Aviv University, and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology. She speaks English, Spanish, and Hebrew.
Petar Mirovic is the founder and CEO of EnGoPlanet, a clean tech start-up from New York City. Originally from Belgrade, Serbia, Petar moved to the United States in 2008 to proceed with the MBA program at Hamline University in Saint Paul, MN. After graduation Petar moved to New York City where he pursued a career in commodity trading industry. After three years working as a commodity trading specialist he decided to resign and form his own company. The idea behind starting the company was to deploy smart off-the-grid solutions powered by clean energy sources in order to reduce dependence on fossil fuels but at the same time provide practical alternative energy in emergency situations. The trigger to start the company occurred after the devastating consequences of Hurricane Sandy, when many areas in New York were without power for days, causing complete disconnect among people. Today, the main focus of the company is the development of Smart Street lights powered by solar and kinetic energy. The company finalized their first installation in Las Vegas in August 2016. By the end of the year they expect to install 50 more units, and the plan for 2017 is to have 550 units installed.
Jase Wilson is founder and CEO of Neighborly, the San Francisco-based fintech startup that modernizes access to public finance — the billion dollar per day market that funds vital public projects like schools and parks. Prior to Neighborly, Jase founded and operated Luminopolis, a civic software firm focused on saving local governments millions of dollars annually by replacing legacy enterprise software with modern open source equivalents. Jase studied city planning at MIT.
Bruce Usher is a Professor of Practice and The Elizabeth B. Strickler ’86 and Mark T. Gallogly ’86 Faculty Director of the Tamer Center for Social Enterprise at Columbia Business School. Professor Usher teaches MBA students on the intersection of finance, social and environmental issues, and is a recipient of the Dean’s Award for Teaching Excellence. Prior to his work at Columbia, Professor Usher was CEO of EcoSecurities Group plc, during which time he built it into the world’s largest carbon credit company. EcoSecurities developed more than 400 projects in 36 countries, representing approximately 10% of all projects approved by the United Nations under the Kyoto Protocol. EcoSecurities was acquired by JP Morgan in 2009. Usher was previously the co-founder and CEO of TreasuryConnect LLC, which provided electronic trading solutions to banks and was acquired in 2001. Prior to that, he worked in financial services for twelve years in New York and Tokyo. Professor Usher is an active investor and advisor to entrepreneurial ventures focused on climate change and clean energy (UsherWorks.com). He is a board member of Community Energy Inc., OptiRTC Inc, the United Nations Fund for International Partnerships, and is Chairman of the Tamer Fund for Social Ventures. Usher earned an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School.
Transformations for Communities: Designing the Urban System
Nearly 80% of U.S. populations live in urban areas, and the impact is not always positive. How do we empower communities to solve the challenges that cities face? This panel takes a view of cities at the systems level in order to examine integrative approaches to fostering community, shared purpose and equitable living. Going beyond established notions of development, participants are developing solutions to issues affecting urban life at an ecosystem level and are working to transform urban environments and create smart and inclusive cities.
Clayton Lane, Chief Executive Officer, Institute for Transportation and Development Policy
Julia Shin, VP Innovation, Enterprise Community Partners, Inc.
Sophia Tu, Senior Manager, IBM Corporate Citizenship
Moderator: Rachel Diller ’99BUS, Partner and Head of U.S. Real Estate, Bridges Ventures
Bios
Clayton Lane brings two decades of sustainable transport experience and a fresh, innovative perspective to the leadership of ITDP’s international team. Prior to joining ITDP, Lane was Deputy Director of the WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities, where he helped lead 200 professionals in China, India, Brazil, Mexico, and Turkey to create more equitable, healthy, vibrant, climate-friendly cities. Lane played an instrumental role in raising funds and developing the strategy to establish the program. Previously, Lane served as Acting Director and COO of EMBARQ, the WRI Center for Sustainable Transport, where he unified the program and led it to some of its brightest days. Previously, Lane co-founded PhillyCarShare and grew it to become the world’s largest regional car-sharing organization, serving 50,000 members with nearly 500 vehicles. The path-breaking initiative displaced about 20,000 cars, reduced driving by about 50 million miles, and avoided about 46,000 tons of CO2 emissions. PhillyCarShare won numerous accolades including Nonprofit of the Year, Best Places to Work, and EPA’s prestigious Environmental Achievement Award. Lane began his career as Professional Associate and Lead Planner for Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB), where he directly planned and designed BRT and rail systems; evaluated land-use impacts, ridership, and costs; led long-range transport plans; and helped secure federal financing. He holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering systems from the University of Pennsylvania, and master’s degrees in both transportation and city planning with an emphasis on international development from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Julia Shin is a vice president of Innovation for Enterprise Community Partners, Inc., where she works in the areas of new capital formation, new product development and business development. Julia brings over 15 years of private sector experience to Enterprise, most recently as a banker and prior to that as a corporate lawyer. She leverages her private sector experiences as she works to structure efficient solutions and expand investment opportunities and investor base for social impact investment. Before joining Enterprise in 2013, Julia worked in the Multi-Assets & Funds group at Citi where she structured fund and derivative solutions and products for institutional and retail clients. Among other products, Julia helped to develop a registered investment company within Citi’s broker-dealer unit and numerous quantitative indices, including Citi’s Select Master Limited Partnership (MLP) Index that was used in the first retail structured product around MLPs as an asset class. Prior to Citi, Julia worked in the New Products Group at Goldman Sachs where she advised on various capital market solutions and new product development. Previous to her investment banking work, Julia worked as a corporate lawyer in New York City advising on mergers & acquisitions transactions, securities law and banking law. While at Cravath Swaine & Moore and Covington & Burling, Julia worked on several mergers of fortune 500 companies, as well as numerous IPOs and bond offerings. She also advised on restructurings and worked on high profile transactions both in the United States and in Asia. Julia received her law degree and graduate degree in economics from the University of Chicago and received her undergraduate degrees from MIT. She is also a classically trained pianist and studied at the Pre-College Division of the Juilliard School.
Sophia Tu is a Senior Manager for Corporate Citizenship at IBM, where she leads a number of philanthropic initiatives using IBM’s technology and talent to address challenges in health, sustainability, and cities. Sophia helped launch and currently leads IBM’s Smarter Cities Challenge, which provides grants of technical and consulting expertise to city leaders around the world to tackle critical urban challenges. To date, this initiative has made investments valued at over $65 million in 130 cities around the world, and its impact has been recognized by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Committee for Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy. Sophia co-leads IBM Health Corps, a new global pro-bono program working to address health disparities by partnering with public and civil sector organizations across the world, bringing IBM talent and tools to help improve health access, services and outcomes. She also leads World Community Grid, which harnesses unused computing power donated by over 700,000 volunteers around the world to support scientific research in health and sustainability. The initiative has enabled important advances in the search for more effective treatments for Zika, Ebola, cancer, HIV/AIDs, and neglected tropical diseases, as well as more efficient materials for water filtration and capturing solar energy, earning recognition from the White House and the Webby Awards. Before joining IBM, Sophia led the development of a 20-city residential energy efficiency program for the County of San Mateo, California, and co-founded Gumball Capital, a nonprofit that engaged students with microfinance and entrepreneurship. She is a founding member of the Asian American Impact Fund, a New York City giving circle, and a graduate of Stanford University and of the Coro Fellows Program in Public Affairs. A California native, she enjoys backpacking, gymnastics and springboard diving, and currently lives in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Rachel Diller is a Partner and Head of U.S. Real Estate at Bridges Ventures, specialist fund manager dedicated to sustainable and impact investing. Previously, she was a Managing Director at Goldman Sachs in the firm’s Urban Investment Group (UIG), a principal investing platform that deploys capital to underserved domestic urban markets. At Goldman, Ms. Diller was responsible for the group’s national lending and investing, deploying over $750 million of capital into public-private financed projects. Prior to joining Goldman in 2009, Rachel was a Managing Director in the Commercial Real Estate Group of Centerline Capital Group, where she led the affordable housing lending businesses and was responsible for financing over $1 billion of commercial real estate in 18 states. Rachel began her career as a New York City Urban Fellow, developing transitional housing projects for New York City’s Department of Homeless Services, where she was the Director of Facility, Planning and Development. Ms. Diller serves on the board of Corporation for Supportive Housing and is an Adjunct Professor in Columbia Business School’s Real Estate MBA Program. Ms. Diller earned a BA in Urban Studies from University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Columbia Business School.
Closing Keynote
Anthony Foxx sparks dialogue around city developments and initiatives that are by and for communities — and that represent the interests of those who have been marginalized by policies of the past. New York City is at the heart of some of the most discriminatory planning, yet is also a hub of innovation and energy around creating opportunity.
“Transportation should not create division; it should be the solution to past divisions,” says Secretary Foxx. As our closing keynote speaker, Secretary Foxx emphasized that the challenge of the 21st century is to determine how to take what we already have and make it an inclusive incarnation of the future via smart cities.
Can we use our infrastructure decisions to help us close the income gap that we have in this country. Can we create catalytic investments that transform communities that today do not have pharmacies and grocery stores? Can we create the economic imperative for those areas to be transformed, and for the people who live there to stay and have a future? This is what a smart city is. Technology will change the way populations move, and this data will help us find effective ways to build infrastructure.
Anthony Foxx, Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation
Moderator: Bruce Usher, Co-director Tamer Center, Elizabeth B. Strickler ‘86 and Mark T. Gallogly ‘86 Faculty Director, CBS
Bios
Anthony Foxx became the 17th United States Secretary of Transportation on July 2, 2013. At the U.S. Department of Transportation, Secretary Foxx leads an agency with more than 55,000 employees and a budget exceeding $70 billion. DOT oversees air, maritime, and surface transportation, and the Secretary’s primary goal is to ensure that America maintains the safest, most efficient transportation system in the world for this and future generations. In 2015, Secretary Foxx refocused the national dialogue about the future needs of our transportation infrastructure by releasing Beyond Traffic, a report examining the challenges facing America’s infrastructure over the next three decades. This draft framework has already influenced decisions by elected officials, planners, and stakeholders nationwide. Beyond Traffic also highlights the importance of giving local governments reliable, long-term funding to plan critical investments in transportation infrastructure. Secretary Foxx championed this goal during hundreds of Congressional meetings, two bus tours, and visits to 43 states before securing a 5-year, bipartisan surface reauthorization bill from Congress in December 2015. Secretary Foxx has also energized DOT’s embrace of innovation to help solve these challenges. In December 2015, the Secretary launched the Smart City Challenge, a national competition to implement bold, data-driven ideas that make transportation safer, easier, and more reliable in that city. The Secretary has also worked to accelerate the Department’s efforts to incorporate vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication technology into new vehicles. Secretary Foxx believes that transportation should not only bring people from one place to another, but should also create opportunities for the places and people in between. He has leveraged the resources of the Department to connect communities to economic opportunity while encouraging land use planners, engineers, and decision-makers to revitalize and reconnect underserved communities. Foxx has hired a Chief Opportunities Officer; launched LadderSTEP, a pilot program in seven cities that provides technical assistance and attracts resources to game-changing community transportation projects; and pressed for Local Hiring Requirements in infrastructure projects to create pathways to jobs. Secretary Foxx continues to ensure that safety remains the Department’s top priority. He has challenged leaders to raise the bar for bicyclist and pedestrian safety through the Mayors’ Challenge for Safer People and Safer Streets. Other safety gains include a final rule for the safe transportation of flammable liquids by rail, registration for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) to ensure accountability, and changes to the New Car Assessment Program to further protect American drivers. Foxx joined the U.S. Department of Transportation after serving as mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina, from 2009 to 2013. As mayor, he made efficient and innovative transportation investments the centerpiece of Charlotte’s job creation and economic recovery efforts. These investments included extending the LYNX light rail system, the largest capital project ever undertaken by the city; expanding Charlotte-Douglas International Airport, the sixth busiest in the world; working with North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue to accelerate the I-485 outer belt loop using a creative design-build-finance approach; and starting the Charlotte Streetcar project. Prior to being elected mayor, Foxx served two terms on the Charlotte City Council as an At-Large Representative. As a Council Member, Foxx chaired the Transportation Committee, where he helped shepherd the largest transportation bond package in the city’s history. He also chaired the Mecklenburg-Union Metropolitan Planning Organization. Foxx is an attorney and has spent much of his career in private practice. He also worked as a law clerk for the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, a trial attorney for the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, and staff counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary. Foxx received a law degree from New York University’s School of Law as a Root-Tilden Scholar. He earned a bachelor’s degree in History from Davidson College. Foxx and his wife, Samara, have two children, Hillary and Zachary.
Bruce Usher is a Professor of Practice and The Elizabeth B. Strickler ’86 and Mark T. Gallogly ’86 Faculty Director of the Tamer Center for Social Enterprise at Columbia Business School. Professor Usher teaches MBA students on the intersection of finance, social and environmental issues, and is a recipient of the Dean’s Award for Teaching Excellence. Prior to his work at Columbia, Professor Usher was CEO of EcoSecurities Group plc, during which time he built it into the world’s largest carbon credit company. EcoSecurities developed more than 400 projects in 36 countries, representing approximately 10% of all projects approved by the United Nations under the Kyoto Protocol. EcoSecurities was acquired by JP Morgan in 2009. Usher was previously the co-founder and CEO of TreasuryConnect LLC, which provided electronic trading solutions to banks and was acquired in 2001. Prior to that, he worked in financial services for twelve years in New York and Tokyo. Professor Usher is an active investor and advisor to entrepreneurial ventures focused on climate change and clean energy (UsherWorks.com). He is a board member of Community Energy Inc., OptiRTC Inc, the United Nations Fund for International Partnerships, and is Chairman of the Tamer Fund for Social Ventures. Usher earned an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School.