GSU Hosts Social Impact Networking Event
March 7, 2022
By: LaDerrius Williams, GSIC Social Impact Fellow
On Friday, February 18th, 2022, Georgia State University’s (GSU) Social Entrepreneurship Club and the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies Career Center coordinated a “Careers in Impact-Focused Businesses” virtual networking event. Students got an opportunity to learn the skills needed for internships and full-time positions in organizations across Georgia’s social impact ecosystem.
The event opened with remarks by Dr. Garima Sharma, Director of the BIS in Social Entrepreneurship at GSU. She then led a panel that consisted of:
Atticus LeBlanc, CEO and Founder of PadSplit, an online marketplace that uses shared housing as a means of creating financial independence for users. PadSplit is an affordable housing solution that has garnered plaudits from the national media and is regarded as a model for generating affordable workforce housing in markets facing accelerating gentrification.
Nathan Stuck, Director of Culture and Strategic Impact at Ad Victoriam Solutions and Founder and Chair of B Local Georgia. Nathan also has founded a B Corp consultancy, Profitable Purpose Consulting, which has recently submitted its own B Corp certification. Nathan also chairs the B Local Engagement Committee for B Academics and teaches a course in the University of Georgia’s MBA program.
Sydney Hulebak, Impact Investment Manager, GoATL Fund. Sydney has devoted her career to empowering members of Georgia’s social impact ecosystem. In her new role as an Impact Investment Manager with the GoATL Fund, she will continue her work of accelerating lasting positive outcomes in the Atlanta metro area through impact investing by providing cost-effective loan capital to entities serving our region’s most critical needs.
Sydney, Atticus, and Nathan discussed the winding paths that led them into careers in social impact and impressed upon attendees the importance of being flexible. They talked about how social problems require interdisciplinary solutions, and encouraged students to build relationships and focus on their skill capacity: “What you can bring to the ecosystem is important, and we all need you to expand that skillset if possible.”
At the panel’s close, students were allowed to join breakout rooms to network with attendees. In addition to Sydney, Nathan, and Atticus, Avery Ebron, Head of Community Products at The Guild, and Jessica Duveen, CEO of the Lo, were present to chat with students in the breakout rooms. The results were lively conversations that provided students with clarity and contacts that would allow them to chart their paths in the social impact ecosystem.
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If you would like to participate further in the social impact ecosystem in Georgia, feel free to contact GSIC at [email protected].
