17 Social Impact Leaders Receiving Loan Forgiveness Awards in 2021
The ESG Initiative is pleased to announce the 2021 recipients of the John M. Bendheim Loan Forgiveness Fund for Public Service.
These 17 Bendheim Fellows are examples of Wharton alumni who are using their business acumen in finance, management, marketing, entrepreneurship, and more to solve the world’s most pressing issues. This year’s fellows include leaders in impact investing, social entrepreneurship, nonprofits, healthcare, and government.
Created in 2005 by John Bendheim, W’40, and his son Tom, WG/Lauder’90, and managed by the ESG Initiative, the loan forgiveness fund has awarded over $2.15 million to 100+ alumni. These Bendheim Fellows are representative of the growing community of Wharton alumni engaged in the business of social impact.
The funding decisions are made by a committee composed of Wharton representatives (ESG Initiative, MBA Career Management, Wharton MBA Admissions and Financial Aid, Wharton San Francisco, and the Wharton Executive MBA program) and Bendheim Fellows–previous recipients of Bendheim Loan Forgiveness Awards.
The recipients for this year include the following social impact leaders:
- Karl Chan is a 2019 MBA graduate who concentrated in Finance and International Studies at the Lauder Institute. He is an Associate Investment Officer at the International Finance Corporation, an organization that advances economic development and improves the lives of people by encouraging the growth of the private sector in developing countries.
- Jessica Dong completed her MBA in 2019 with a concentration in Healthcare Management. She is a Resident Physician at the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, a public hospital with the mission of providing quality healthcare and trauma services with compassion and respect to all patients regardless of ability to pay.
- Patricia Garza de Zamacona received her MBA in 2020 and graduated with concentrations in Business, Energy, Environment and Sustainability. She currently serves as an Investment Manager at SAGANA, an impact investing firm dedicated to growing companies that are solving the biggest challenges of our time.
- Trené Hawkins is a 2020 WEMBA graduate. In her role as Program Officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Trené supports the organization’s vision of a “Culture of Health,” where everyone in America has a fair and just opportunity for health and well-being.
- Brittney Jean-Louis completed her EMBA in 2020. She is currently a Fellow at BES, an organization that identifies and prepares excellent leaders to transform education in their communities. Brittney is the founder of Red Brick Academy, a tuition-free, public school slated to open in Houston, TX in the fall of 2022.
- Beatriz Maria de Lima Kinguti received her MBA in Management in 2020. She serves as Commercial Director for Favo, an e-grocery and direct sale social enterprise that generates substantial income for micro-entrepreneurs and saves money for low-income consumers in Latin America.
- Sarah Millar secured her MBA in 2016 with a concentration in Entrepreneurial Management. She is a Principal at City Light Capital in New York, which is an early-stage investor in for-profit social enterprises in the education, environmental, safety, and healthcare technology spaces.
- Jaime Najarro Soto earned his MBA in Operations and Management in 2018. He currently serves as a Consultant in the San Francisco office of the Bridgespan Group, a nonprofit social impact consulting firm. Jaime’s clients include organizations in the fields of public health, education, climate change, and affordable housing. He has supported work in strategic planning, operating model design, and go-to-market strategy.
- Dananjali Ratnayaka received her MBA in 2017 with a concentration in Finance. She is a Divisional Administrator for the Columbia University Irving Medical Center, a global leader in scientific research, health and medical education, and patient care.
- Saba Shafi is a 2017 MBA graduate with a concentration in Management. She is the Managing Director at the Advocacy Academy, a youth movement working to create a new generation of social-change leaders.
- Suzanne Shaw earned her EMBA in Finance in 2020. She works in Investment Operations at the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, which is committed to improving social and economic outcomes in Asia by investing in sustainable infrastructure.
- Yulani Smith completed her MBA in General Management in 2018. In her role as Product Manager for Benefits Data Trust, Yulani supports the organization’s mission of helping people live healthier, more independent lives by creating smarter ways to access essential benefits and services.
- Matthew Taylor is a 2020 MBA graduate with a concentration in Management. He is an intelligence officer at the National Security Agency.
- Rachel Wolff graduated from Wharton with an Executive MBA in 2018. She is currently Country Director in Nepal for CARE, the global nonprofit working to save lives, defeat poverty and achieve social justice.
- Lorinda Wong is a 2017 MBA graduate who concentrated in Management, Marketing, and Operations. In her role as Project Specialist at the Getty Conservation Institute of the J. Paul Getty Trust, Lorinda supports Getty’s mission of advancing practice and delivering knowledge that contributes to the conservation of the world’s cultural heritage.
- Jonathan Wood earned his MD and MBA in 2018 with a concentration in Healthcare Management. A Resident Physician at Lancaster General Health, Jonathan assists in the organization’s mission to provide full-spectrum and compassionate health care to the diverse communities of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.