By Nathaniel Luce
Nat Robinson, Vanderbilt MBA 2007 and former CEO of a financial services business for rural farmers in Kenya, has a message for budding social entrepreneurs—don’t make the same mistakes he did. To help students gain the business savvy needed to tackle tough social problems, he returned to campus recently for the inaugural Turner Family Center for Social Ventures Summit.
“Being a social entrepreneur is extremely exciting but do not make the mistakes I did along the way,” said Robinson, author of the book Creating a Cash Cow in Kenya. “That is why I wrote my book—to try and help future social entrepreneurs to be smarter about their early decisions when it comes to building an organization.”
The student-run Turner Family Center for Social Ventures Summit was held on April 2 at the Owen Graduate School of Management, home of the Turner Family Center, a transinstitutional center that seeks creative, enduring market-based solutions to alleviate poverty. The summit hosted approximately 80 attendees (photos here) and was started, in part, to introduce Vanderbilt students to the opportunities offered through the Turner Family Center.
“Through the Turner Family Center, we’re able to expose students to practitioners and critical thinkers working on market-based solutions to poverty,” said Mario Avila, director of the Turner Family Center for Social Ventures. “Nothing like this has happened at the university before, and the center hopes to be an important hub for interdisciplinary learning on campus.”
The theme of the inaugural summit was maximizing student leadership impact on campus, in their communities and in future careers. Speakers working in social enterprises, from start-ups to multinational corporations, including Vanderbilt alumni, discussed the unique challenges and opportunities faced every day by social enterprises. Students from the Owen School and Peabody College organized the summit.
“The Social Ventures Summit was the perfect culmination of my experience as a programming board member for the Turner Family Center’s inaugural year,” said Casey O’Neill, MBA Class of 2016. “The summit was an incredible opportunity to bring students and practitioners together for us to all learn from one another, and I can’t wait to see how the Turner Family Center impacts Vanderbilt students in the future.”
Speakers at the summit included Hal Cato, CEO of Thistle Farms, Kohl Crecelius, CEOof Krochet Kids Intl., Cullen Gilchrist, Owner of Union Kitchen, José González, Co-Founder of Cónexion Américas, Lindsey Kneuven, Chief Impact Officer at Cotopaxi, Nat Robinson, Vanderbilt MBA‘07 and Former CEO of Juhudi Kilmo, Emily Sheldon, Vanderbilt MPH Candidate, Mackenzie Sullivan, Sector Director for Social Impact & Sustainability Careers at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, and Beth Torres, Vanderbilt EMBA’11 and President/CEO of Make-A-Wish Middle Tennessee.
Robinson said he was exited to see diverse minds from different disciplines engaged around the topic of social ventures during the summit.
“I was thoroughly impressed with the quality of the Turner Family Center for Social Ventures Summit,” Robinson said. “The energy and engagement from the students was invigorating.”
For photos from the event, click here.
The Turner Family Center for Social Ventures is a student-led organization committed to alleviating poverty through market-driven forces and enterprise. The center provides resources and opportunities to leverage and combine the individual strengths of Vanderbilt University graduate students, faculty and business partners. The Turner Family Center for Social Ventures builds on the success of the Owen Graduate School of Management’s Project Pyramid, but is a platform for all Vanderbilt graduate students to access business-related skills to further social impact through their own concentrations. Follow the Turner Family Center on Facebook and follow #ProjectPyramid2016 on Instagram to see their impact abroad.
Contact Person: Brett Israel Director, Business News & Communications Vanderbilt University Owen Graduate School of Management
Contact Phone: (615) 322-NEWS
Contact Email: brett.israel@owen.vanderbilt.edu
