Congratulations to this year’s Bendheim Award winners. Managed by the Wharton Social Impact Initiative, the Bendheim Loan Forgiveness Fund has awarded more than $1.9 million to alumni over the last 15 years. Bendheim Fellows work in the nonprofit or public sector and can receive up to $20,000 per year, within the first five years after graduation. This year, EMBA alumni Rachel Wolff, WG’18, Timothy Hou, and Lorinda (Lori) Wong, each received a Bendheim Award for their social impact work. We asked them to tell us more about what they are doing now and the significance of the award.
Rachel Wolff, WG’18
Career Impact Since Graduation
“My goal when I came to Wharton was to run an entire country program for a large NGO. I wanted to run a team and handle all of the opportunities, risks, and business of development and emergency relief in a single country. That is the role that I am now in with CARE in Nepal.”
Social Impact Work
“I oversee the country office in Nepal for CARE, which fights poverty with a central focus on women and girls. We make sure women have the resources they need to thrive and raise the next generation of leaders in the most vulnerable places in the world. This means making agriculture more productive, making markets more efficient, and making policies that are smart and inclusive. If we do this work well, women will bring solutions to themselves, their children, their families, their communities, and their nation.”
Significance of the Bendheim Award
“When I was looking at EMBA programs, the Bendheim Award made Wharton even more attractive. I was self sponsored, so cost was an issue for our family, which includes a child in college and another who has special needs. I have received Bendheim Awards for two years in a row. Those awards are very impactful on my loan burden and allow me to do this kind of work. In addition to the financial support, I have connected with many of the other Bendheim Fellows. We’ve formed our own cohort and it’s a nice support network.”
Advice for Prospective Students in the Social Impact Space
“This program is 100 percent worth it. Wharton will help you be successful in this space and make a bigger impact. This is an investment in yourself that will open doors. It also will prepare you with a top management education so you can do your job well.”
Read more about Rachel.
Timothy Hou, WG’17
Career Impact Since Graduation
“When I came to Wharton, my short-term goal was to work in a city’s executive office and my long-term goal to become a city manager or CEO of a city. At the time, I was an energy services manager at Burbank Water and Power. During the EMBA program, I became assistant to the city manager for the City of Beverly Hills. A few months after graduation, I left Beverly Hills to become director of community development for the City of San Fernando. A year later, I was promoted to also serve as deputy city manager. I am second-in-command to the city manager and lead community and economic development. In a short time since graduation, I’ve been able to take the steps I sought toward achieving my career goals.”
Social Impact Work
“I’ve always been interested in the social impact side of business because the work has great meaning and benefits for the community. While San Fernando is just a few miles away from Beverly Hills, it is a completely different context. A significant portion of residents are economically disadvantaged or living in poverty. I focus on issues like access to housing for the homeless, economic inequality, and increasing access to high-paying jobs.”
Significance of the Bendheim Award
“I came to Wharton because I wanted to get the best MBA possible, and because social impact is an important component of the EMBA program. There are resources and programs in this space, like the Social Impact Conference and the Bendheim Award. The Bendheim program validates the work we do in local government to impact major social issues.”
Advice for Prospective Students in the Social Impact Space
“Invest in yourself with this program. Just like in the private sector, people who work for the government, nonprofits, or social impact organizations need to understand how to balance the books, generate revenue, manage high performing teams, build brands, and effectively run organizations. These skills are worth two years of time and investment at Wharton. You will also meet many like-minded students and alumni. There is a universe of Wharton alumni who are passionate about social impact and you get to tap into that community.”
Read more about Tim.
Lori Wong, WG’17
Career Impact Since Graduation
“I came to Wharton to learn how to think differently and to make a greater impact in my field. I work to preserve cultural heritage sites around the world. My Wharton education is helping me better understand the complex economic and social context in which sites exist and has given me a deeper awareness into what drives and motivates stakeholders to make decisions. This has profoundly changed the way I work and see the heritage sector and how we interact with people and places. This has driven me to search for new ways to create sustainable and inclusive strategies that fulfill our mission of protecting heritage sites.”
Social Impact Work
“I’m a conservator, which means I study and come up with measures to improve how cultural heritage sites are protected and preserved. This is done in collaboration with government agencies and ministries around the world that are responsible for the care of those sites. By preserving sites, we support communities’ sense of belonging and connection to place and identity. In the field, I conduct historic and scientific research to understand how the site is at risk, whether it is from natural catastrophes or tourism. I assess the risks and work with communities to help put measures in place to counter those risks.”
Significance of the Bendheim Award
“This is a fantastic program made possible by the generosity of the Bendheim family. This is my third year receiving an award. It shows Wharton’s commitment to supporting and acknowledging the important work alumni do in the non-profit and public service sectors.”
Advice for Prospective Students in the Social Impact Space
“The MBA will help you to see and do your job differently and improve the way you work. You have the ability to shape the education to fit the needs of your organization, so look for those opportunities. One way I did that is through an independent study that focused on the marketing of Rock Art Sites in South Africa.”
Read more about Lori.
— By Meghan Laska
Posted: October 22, 2020
