Meet 12 Social Impact Leaders Who Will Receive Loan Forgiveness Awards in 2019
The Wharton Social Impact Initiative is pleased to announce the 2019 recipients of the John M. Bendheim Loan Forgiveness Fund for Public Service.
These 12 Bendheim Fellows are examples of Wharton alumni using their skills—in finance, management, marketing, entrepreneurship, and more—for social impact. A look at previous winners reveals a diverse network of Wharton alumni, all lending their business acumen to mission-driven careers in the nonprofit, public, and social impact sectors.
Created in 2005 by John Bendheim, W’40, and his son Tom, WG/Lauder’90, and managed by the Wharton Social Impact Initiative, the loan forgiveness fund has awarded nearly $1.9 million to close 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 (Wharton Social Impact Initiative, MBA Career Management, Wharton Financial Aid, MBA Admissions, Wharton San Francisco, and the Wharton Executive MBA program) and previous recipients of Bendheim Loan Forgiveness Awards.
The recipients for this year include:
- John Costa completed his MBA in 2016 with a concentration in Management. He is the Founder and CEO of Diversivocation, an organization committed to expanding diversity and inclusion efforts in corporate recruiting to those who come from diverse vocational backgrounds.
- Robert Hamlin is a 2017 MBA graduate who concentrated in Finance and Real Estate. As an Associate Investment Officer at the International Finance Corporation, he supports the organization’s service of creating markets that address the biggest development challenges and expanding financial inclusion in frontier and emerging markets.
- Rashie Jain earned her MBA in Healthcare Management and Entrepreneurial Management in 2016. She is the CEO and Co-Founder of Onco.com, a nonprofit healthcare startup with the mission of building a one stop platform for cancer patients in developing countries for all their advisory and treatment needs.
- Ashley McLeod earned her MBA in Management and Marketing in 2014. In her role at the City of Detroit’s Services and Infrastructure team, she helps to manage economic development activities of the city. This includes a keen focus on neighborhood revitalization which includes planning efforts and real estate development support.
- Shafi Saba is a 2017 MBA graduate with a concentration in Management. She is the Commercial Director at the Advocacy Academy, a youth movement working to create a new generation of social-change leaders.
- Ricardo Salinas received his MBA in 2016 and graduated with a concentration in Finance and Entrepreneurial Management. He currently serves as the Project Finance Specialist and Program Manager for the Overseas Private Investment Corporation where he supports the mission of mobilizing U.S. private capital to help address critical development challenges.
- Blake Stanfill received his MBA in 2014 and graduated with a concentration in Entrepreneurship. Currently he is a Director of Growth for trepwise, an impact consulting firm that provides capacity building services for the nonprofit and public sectors.
- Michael Windle completed his MBA in 2017 with a concentration in Operations. He is currently a Researcher at the MIT Humanitarian Supply Chain Lab, seeking to understand and improve the supply chain systems behind public services and private markets to meet human needs.
- Rachel Wolff graduated from Wharton with a WEMBA in 2018. She is currently a Response Director at World Vision International, a Christian humanitarian, development, and advocacy organization serving children and communities in poverty across 100 countries.
- Lorinda Wong is a 2017 MBA graduate who concentrated in Management, Marketing, and Operations. In her role as Project Specialist for the Getty Conservation Institute, Lorinda supports the institute’s mission of preserving the world’s cultural heritage to advance civil society.
- Jonathan Wood earned his 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 community of Lancaster City and Lancaster County.
- Justine Wu completed her MBA in 2015 with a concentration in Management. In her role as Program Coordinator for the Early Childhood Innovation Network, Justine assists in the mission of developing interventions and inclusive processes that are rooted in science and community voices to address adverse childhood experiences.