A speaker series that inspires the Penn community with leaders who are “doing well, and doing good.”
Endowed by K. Robert Turner (W’84) and Lauren Golub Turner (W’85) in 2010, the Turner Social Impact Executive Speaker series brings high-profile speakers to campus to discuss philanthropy, advocacy, education and other efforts to create positive change in the world.
This series challenges assumptions through candid interviews and discussion with celebrities and leaders who are using their resources and influence, as well as their creativity and passion, to make an impact on important social issues.
Previous Speakers
- Earvin “Magic” Johnson [4/2010]. Read about the event on Knowledge@Wharton.
- Andre Agassi [3/2011]. Read about the event in Penn’s Making History blog.
- Chris “Ludacris” Bridges [4/2012]. Read coverage in Wharton Magazine.
- Eva Longoria [10/2012]. Read coverage in Wharton Magazine
- Ashton Kutcher [10/2013]. Read coverage on the Wharton Social Impact Initiative blog. View a Flickr set.
- Michael Feinberg [10/24/2013]. Read coverage on the Wharton Social Impact Initiative blog. View a Flickr set.
- Andre Agassi [11/4/2014] View a Storify of the event. Read coverage in The Wharton Journal.
- Bill Ackman [11/16/2015] Read coverage in The Daily Pennsylvanian.
View a playlist of our speaker series videos below, or on the WSII YouTube channel.
About the Interviewer
Bobby Turner (W’84) is the host of the Social Impact Executive Speaker Series.
“We passionately believe profits are not the only element in the measure of success, and wanted to support social impact programming at Wharton,” he says. “We benefited as students because the alumni who preceded us gave back and made sure Wharton continued to lead. The same is true today. If we don’t step up, few others will. It’s our turn.”
Bobby Turner received a B.S. in Finance at Wharton and serves on the school’s Undergraduate Executive Board of Advisors. He is the CEO of Turner Impact Capital, LLC (Turner), a mission-driven real estate investment management firm based in Los Angeles focused on creating sustainable solutions for many of today’s societal problems through the development of impactful infrastructure. The firm seeks “profits with a purpose,” recognizing the interdependence between the two and the central role that improving property and the lives of people can play in achieving superior risk-adjusted returns.
Bobby has been a pioneer in the area of social impact investing has been responsible for launching several groundbreaking funds over the past two decades including partnerships with Andre Agassi, focusing on the development of learning friendly, environmentally responsible charter school facilities, and with Earvin “Magic” Johnson, focusing on inner-city and urban real estate development.