Social Impact Week 2025

Location: Room 2469

Matthew Archuleta is a speaker on Thursday 12/4 at 11:45am as part of Social Impact Week. Connect with him prior to the panel in this small-group context.

--- Speaker Bio ---

Matthew Archuleta is the Vice President of Operations at Parallel Works, leading strategy, execution, and scale across its hybrid multi-cloud and High Performance Computing platforms. He combines venture investment and mission-driven leadership experience from managing AI and defense tech portfolios at Connecticut Innovations, where he helped founders drive growth and commercialization. A former U.S. Army Special Forces (Green Beret) Officer, Matthew led teams across the Middle East and Africa. He holds degrees from West Point (B.S.), Harvard Kennedy School (MPA), and Yale School of Management (MBA).

Location: Room 2410

The panel features leaders who apply technology to advance public good in different ways. One builds products that help millions of families navigate and access critical government benefits, while another works to improve how governments use digital tools to meet citizen needs. Together, they will discuss how MBAs can use their skills to make technology more inclusive and impactful across both the public and private sectors.

This session explores how innovation, data, and design thinking are helping both public institutions and mission-driven enterprises operate more efficiently and equitably. Attendees will gain insight into how technology can create stronger systems that serve people more effectively, whether through digital modernization or community-centered innovation.

Co-hosted by: Business & Politics Club, Tech & Society Club

-- Speaker Bios --

Matthew Archuleta is the Vice President of Operations at Parallel Works, leading strategy, execution, and scale across its hybrid multi-cloud and High Performance Computing platforms. He combines venture investment and mission-driven leadership experience from managing AI and defense tech portfolios at Connecticut Innovations, where he helped founders drive growth and commercialization. A former U.S. Army Special Forces (Green Beret) Officer, Matthew led teams across the Middle East and Africa. He holds degrees from West Point (B.S.), Harvard Kennedy School (MPA), and Yale School of Management (MBA).

Jeff Kaiser is Co-founder and COO at Propel, a mission-driven technology company that modernizes the American social safety net. The Propel app is used by over 5 million people every month to manage SNAP benefits, navigate other safety net services, and save money on everyday expenses. Propel has raised over $90 million in venture funding from investors like Andreessen Horowitz, NYCA, the Financial Health Network, Kevin Durant, and Serena Williams. Prior to Propel, Jeff was a consultant with Dalberg Global Development Advisors where he helped establish the firm’s presence in Nigeria and led projects in agriculture, health, and access to financial services. Jeff holds a bachelors degree from Yale University in political science.

Madeleine Smith is the co-founder and CEO of Civic Roundtable, a collaboration platform that helps state and local government workers coordinate complex, cross-agency work. Recognized by Fast Company as one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies in 2025 in the Social Good category, Civic Roundtable now supports more than 120 agencies across the U.S. on issues ranging from housing and homelessness to election administration. Madeleine launched Civic Roundtable while completing her joint MBA/MPP at Harvard Business School and Harvard Kennedy School, and has spent her career at the intersection of technology and public service.

Location: Room 2465

Madeleine Smith is a speaker on Thursday 12/4 at 11:45am as part of Social Impact Week. Continue the conversation with her after the panel in this small-group context.

--- Speaker Bio ---

Madeleine Smith is the co-founder and CEO of Civic Roundtable, a collaboration platform that helps state and local government workers coordinate complex, cross-agency work.

Recognized by Fast Company as one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies in 2025 in the Social Good category, Civic Roundtable now supports more than 120 agencies across the U.S. on issues ranging from housing and homelessness to election administration. Civic Roundtable was honored on the 2024 Forbes 30 Under 30 Social Impact list.

Madeleine launched Civic Roundtable while completing her joint MBA/MPP at Harvard Business School and Harvard Kennedy School, and has spent her career at the intersection of technology and public service.

Stop by the Office of Community Engagement and Dialogue's free book table to honor Social Impact Week. All books are free!

NEW ROOM LOCATION: Room 2400

What does it take to build something that truly makes a difference? This session highlights entrepreneurs who have turned ideas into organizations that drive measurable change - from social enterprises and nonprofits to scalable ventures addressing issues like climate, education, and health. Through their stories, attendees will learn how to identify opportunities, test ideas, and mobilize resources to make an idea both impactful and sustainable.

The speakers include founders and innovators who have built mission-driven organizations from the ground up. They’ll share how they navigated uncertainty, balanced purpose with practicality, and created solutions that outlast the founder’s passion. Whether you dream of launching your own venture one day or bringing fresh thinking into a large company, this session will leave you inspired to take your next bold step in translating purpose into action.

We welcome:
- Noah Eliot Gotbaum '89 (Founding/Managing Member, New Spirit Advisors. Formerly: New York Cares)
- Mohammed Rezwan (Executive Director, Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha)
- Rhea See (Co-Founder & CEO, She Loves Tech)

Co-hosted by: Social Impact Lab and Startup and Entrepreneurship Club

What if capital could generate not just returns, but results for society? In this session, we’ll dive into the world of impact investing, where financial acumen meets measurable social and environmental outcomes. Whether it’s through ESG strategies, venture philanthropy, or blended finance, the field is redefining how markets allocate value and risk. This conversation will challenge the traditional divide between profit and purpose and show how capital can be a tool for systems-level change.

You’ll hear from investors and fund managers at the forefront of this movement, professionals who once built their careers in conventional finance and now deploy capital for good. Their stories reveal how rigorous financial analysis, risk management, and due diligence can fuel innovations that improve lives. For MBAs pursuing careers in finance, consulting, impact investing, or corporate strategy, this session offers a front-row seat to the future of finance, where purpose isn’t a trade-off, but a competitive advantage.

Co-hosted by: MENG Fund, MIINT, Impact Investing Club, Investment Management Club

Location: Room 2465

Timing: Participants are welcome to join at 1pm or 1:30pm. Feel free to also stay for the full time.

Michelle Volpe is a panelist on Tuesday 12/2 at 11:45am as part of Social Impact Week. Continue the conversation with her in this small-group context.

--- Speaker Bio ---

Michelle Volpe leads The Property and Casualty Initiative (PCI) as the President of the $85 million investment fund that mobilizes capital from member Property & Casualty insurance companies to fuel transformative community development across Massachusetts. Since its inception in 1999, PCI has delivered over $550 million in financing through more than 300 flexible, community-focused loans, driving affordable housing, uplifting minority- and women-owned businesses, sparking economic development, and strengthening critical organizations that form the backbone of vibrant, growing communities throughout the state.

Michelle joined PCI in 2022, bringing more than three decades of experience as a bold advocate for equitable access to capital and inclusive economic growth. Prior to PCI, she spent twenty-seven years at BlueHub Capital, where she most recently served as President of the BlueHub Loan Fund from 2011-2022. There, she helped double lending activity, expanded lending across 23 states, with a sustained record of strong portfolio performance – while channeling funding into affordable housing, education, youth services, health care, and healthy food access in under-resourced neighborhoods.

A seasoned leader, Michelle honed her credit and community finance expertise early in her career at BayBank Boston, with a focus on healthcare, education, and nonprofit lending. She has also served on advisory boards for the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston’s Working Cities Challenge and Inclusive Economies Initiatives, the Eastern Bank Foundation’s Business Equity Initiative, and the Nonprofit Finance Fund’s External Investment Committee—contributing her insight to advance collaboration and equity statewide.

Michelle holds a BA with honors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she was a Morehead Scholar, and an MBA from the Yale School of Management. Outside the office, she cherishes time with her adult children whenever and wherever she can find it, discovering new art and destinations with her partner Mark, and embracing outdoor adventures with family and friends—polar plunges included!

Many MBAs start their careers in corporate roles (such as consulting, finance, or tech) to build credibility, gain experience, and pay back loans. But a corporate path doesn’t have to mean leaving purpose behind. This session explores how business professionals can apply the strategic, analytical, and operational skills they develop in the private sector to drive impact later in their careers. Attendees will learn how to stay connected to purpose in profit-driven environments and how to align long-term values with professional growth – and, if it’s the right fit, how to identify the right time to pivot to social impact later in their career.

Our MBA alumni speakers have worked in leading financial services and consulting firms, and later transitioned into mission-driven roles across the public and nonprofit sectors. They’ll share candid reflections on why they made that leap, the skills that proved most transferable, and how their time in corporate roles strengthened their ability to create meaningful change. Even if you never plan to pivot fully into social impact, the lessons from this conversation will help you become a stronger nonprofit board member, a more thoughtful steward of social causes, a more intentional donor, and a more value-driven representative for corporate social responsibility within your firm.

Co-hosted by: Nonprofit Board Fellows, Yale Philanthropy Conference, and Social Impact Consulting Club

**Updated Location: Room 2461

Lily Dodd is a panelist on the Purpose Pivot panel on Monday 12/1 at 11:45am as part of Social Impact Week. Continue the conversation with her in this small-group context.

--- Speaker Bio ---

Lily Dodd is a Manager on the Client Advisory Services team at Ownership Works, where she supports organizations and investors in designing and structuring shared ownership plans. She joined the organization in July 2025.

Lily began her career in Debt Capital Markets at Morgan Stanley in London, structuring capital instruments for banks and insurance companies across Europe. She later moved into strategy execution at Morgan Stanley and subsequently led Green Workforce Development initiatives at the Environmental Defense Fund.

She holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a degree in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge. Outside of work, she enjoys running in Brooklyn, attempting to grow plants on her balcony, and spending time with family and friends in the U.K.

***Updated Location: Room 2465

Timing: Participants are welcome to join at either 2:45pm or 3:15pm; you do not need to stay for the full hour, but we recommend committing to one of those two start times.

Stephen Nabinger is a panelist on the Purpose Pivot panel on Monday 12/1 at 11:45am as part of Social Impact Week. Continue the conversation with him in this small-group context.

NOTE:
This is not a recruiting conversation for the Gates Foundation. Stephen has kindly offered to meet with students who are interested in exploring transitions from the private sector into impact roles more broadly.

--- Speaker Bio ---

Stephen Nabinger (SOM ’18) is a Program Officer at the Gates Foundation, where he focuses on Women’s Health Advocacy, particularly in maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) and family planning (FP). Before joining the Foundation, he spent over a decade in consulting—first at Deloitte and then at BCG—specializing in business, data, and AI strategy for public and private healthcare organizations. He is based in Washington, DC.

Join us on the first evening of Social Impact Week to kick off the week right and make new friends!

Co-hosted by: Social Impact Consulting Club