2019 Social Impact Summit
Save the date! The 2019 Social Impact Summit details have been finalized! We will keep updating our website as more information about panelists and sponsors come in! Spread the word! We cannot wait to put on this spectacular event!
We developed the Social Impact Summit to educate about social entrepreneurship and its enormous impact, inspire attendees to become changemakers, and to facilitate networking among those interested in the social space.
Schedule**
8:30 - Coffee & Pastries
9:00 - Intro
9:15 - Keynote
10:00 - Panel Group 1
10:45 - Panel Group 2
11:30 - Lunch
11:45 - Raffle
12:00 - Pitch with a CAUSE
1:00 - End
**Schedule is tentative & may be subject to change before the day of the event
Keynote Speaker
April Harrington, Chief Operating Officer - Growing Home, Inc.
April Harrington is the Chief Operating Officer, and currently Interim Executive Director, at Growing Home in the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago. April has been with Growing Home for six years where she moved up through the development department and led the organization’s fundraising efforts before transitioning into program and organizational management. Prior to working at Growing Home, she earned her bachelor’s in International Development Studies from York University in Toronto, and volunteered and interned at a variety of local and international nonprofits, many of whom served refugees.
Growing Home works to build healthy people and communities in the South Side of Chicago through our innovative work in urban agriculture. We run a farm-based employment training program to help individuals with barriers to employment find and keep stable, full-time jobs. At our USDA-certified organic farms, we also seek to provide healthy, fresh food and food education to our neighbors in Englewood.
Eco-Sustainability: steps toward making change
Katie Pratt, Owner - Grand Prairie Farms
Katie Pratt and her husband, Andy, are fourth generation farmers raising corn, soybeans and seed corn in north central Illinois (near Dixon) not far from her home farm. Katie grew up with cows, corn, beans and pigs. She was a 10-year 4-H member, active in FFA and served as the 1996-97 Illinois State FFA Reporter, postponing attending college to travel the state speaking with various groups about agriculture, agriculture education and youth leadership. She attended Truman State University (Kirksville, MO) and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism with a minor in agriculture economics.
Katie puts the lessons she learned about teamwork and leadership to good use as a volunteer for different community organizations. She serves on the boards of the Lee County Fair Association, Amboy Community Unit School District and KSB Hospital. She is also a 4-H Cloverbud leader and volunteer at her kids’ (Ethan and Natalie) school.
Philip Causgrove, Co-Founder - Swzle
Philip Causgrove is the co-founder of SWZLE L3C - a low-profit limited liability company focused on tackling the issue of single-use plastics. Philip, along with co-founder (and former Chicago Bear) Ryan Mundy, formed SWZLE in 2018 to offer consumers and businesses sustainable options as more and more states, cities and corporations look to reduce their plastic dependence.
Philip attended The Pennsylvania State University where he majored in Finance with minor degrees in Economics and International Business. After graduation, he founded a private label apparel consultancy, providing product development and production services to a variety of retailers. Philip then spent 3.5 years working as a consultant in Accenture's Retail practice with a number of Fortune 500 clients. Prior to founding SWZLE, Philip led Business Development and Operations for Bucketfeet, a Chicago-based footwear startup with the mission of providing artists around the world with a unique platform for sharing their work.
Ryan Mundy, Co-Founder - Swzle
Ryan Mundy is the co-founder of SWZLE L3C - a low- profit limited liability company focused on tackling the issue of single-use plastics.
Ryan attended the University of Michigan where he played four years of football while simultaneously receiving his bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts and Science. After graduation, he attended West Virginia University and received his master’s degree in Sports Communication then transferred to the University of Miami where he obtained his Master of Business Administration (MBA). After finishing his education Ryan was drafted into the NFL by the Pittsburgh Steelers where he played for 8 years and won a Super Bowl championship. Ryan later played for the New York Giants for one year before joining the Chicago Bears for two years. After retiring from football Ryan became a managing director for Techlete Ventures, an alternative asset management company that invests in venture capital, private equity, and digital asset opportunities.
April Harrington, Chief Operating Officer - Growing Home, Inc.
**Bio above**
IMPACT CAREERS WITH CAUSE ALUMNI
Chloe Pooler, Finance & Accounting Manager - ThinkCERCA
At Northern Illinois University, Chloe majored in Accountancy and minored in both Civic Leadership & Community Engagement and Social Entrepreneurship. After graduating Chloe worked in Audit at KPMG, specializing in the Public Sector space with non-for-profit and government clients and serving as one of my group's Community Investment Campaign captains. All the while, she took every possible opportunity to get involved in leadership roles and in the Chicago community, for example now sitting on the associate board of a great literacy-focused non-for-profit (and past SIS headliner), Open Books, on top of corporate and personal volunteering. Now Chloe works at ThinkCERCA, an education technology company (on a SIS panel last year!) whose approach to literacy instruction prepares students for post-secondary life by building up their analytical skills in every subject.
Alex Kinnamon, Grant Accountant - Pioneer Center for Human Services
Alex Kinnamon is a Grant Accountant at Pioneer Center for Human Services, a non-profit organization that addresses the needs of McHenry and Western Lake County clients with intellectual and developmental disabilities, autism, mental illnesses, at-risk youth and the homeless. Pioneer Center was founded because a mother made a commitment to her daughter with Down syndrome to provide an enriching life for her, despite her disabilities. Verona Huff, along with other passionate parents began Pioneer Center to make that difference. Prior to joining CAUSE, Alex planned to become a financial planner and investor. This organization helped her find her passion to help others and create lasting change which led Alex to her current position at Pioneer Center.
Sustainability through design thinking
Greg Vosberg, Director of Operations for Pharmacovigilance & Patient Safety - AbbVie
Greg Vosberg has been with AbbVie for 5 years and is a graduate of the University of Iowa.
AbbVie is a highly focused research-driven biopharmaceutical company. AbbVie consist of 30,000 employees are scientists, researchers, communicators, manufacturing specialists and regulatory experts located around the globe. AbbVie develops new approaches to addressing today’s health issues—from life-threatening illness to chronic conditions. We target specific difficult-to-cure diseases where we can leverage our core R&D expertise to advance science. We’re constantly working to create solutions that go beyond treating the illness to have a positive impact on patients’ lives, on societies—and on science itself. At AbbVie, we see a future full of possibility, where health is in reach and patient lives are improved.
Nelson Caudillo, Manager of RQS Collaboration Services - AbbVie
Nelson Caudillo has been at AbbVie for 4 years and is a graduate of Northern Illinois University.
AbbVie is a highly focused research-driven biopharmaceutical company. AbbVie consist of 30,000 employees are scientists, researchers, communicators, manufacturing specialists and regulatory experts located around the globe. AbbVie develops new approaches to addressing today’s health issues—from life-threatening illness to chronic conditions. We target specific difficult-to-cure diseases where we can leverage our core R&D expertise to advance science. We’re constantly working to create solutions that go beyond treating the illness to have a positive impact on patients’ lives, on societies—and on science itself. At AbbVie, we see a future full of possibility, where health is in reach and patient lives are improved.
