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President’s Corner: March 2010

Alexis Ditkowsky — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 03:41:25 +0000

It’s hard to believe that the gloom and doom of winter is nearly over. What better way to celebrate the waning of the season than with the 2010 Olympic Games, which I must admit, I’ve been following with great enthusiasm. It’s incredibly inspiring to watch the athletes – who have been working toward a dream for so long – finally realize that vision, be it with a gold medal or the satisfaction of simply competing. We are all individuals; we all have our own visions of who we are and what we want to accomplish in life. However, one thing we have in common as readers of this newsletter is that we are involved in Net Impact Boston. I’d like this installment of the President’s Corner to serve as a reminder that being engaged in Net Impact is a great way to meet new people and learn new things. The relationships you form and what you learn could perhaps help you realize your own dream, be it through a new career opportunity or mere inspiration.

That said, we have a host of fantastic events lined up for March, including our New Member Social on March 3rd at Tavern in the Square. I’m particularly excited about this event and we currently have over 50 RSVPs that run the gamut from seasoned members to folks interested in learning what Net Impact is all about. I’m hoping to see a lot of new faces as well as catch up with folks I haven’t seen in a while – and I hope you are as well.

Devon Long-Lytle
2010 Net Impact Boston President

President’s Corner: April 2009

NIBWeb — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 06:09:19 +0000

Greetings from the West Coast

Springtime typically brings with it another conference season, and this year I have the pleasure of attending the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship (BCCCC) Conference in San Francisco for the first time. While I am here for work, Net Impact Boston is fortunate to have a strong connection to the BCCCC by way of membership and event partnership as well. It has been a fairly extraordinary day here, with keynote addresses by Adam Werbach, Van Jones and John Elkington, not to mention several breakout sessions, networking opportunities, and a late afternoon chat with Net Impact Executive Director, Liz Maw, herself. Needless to say, I have done a lot of listening and reflecting today, and I wanted to share some of my insights from these experiences with all of you.

First, it is always refreshing to be surrounded by others, who share a similar passion and dedication to making a difference in our businesses and in the world. We all need to have our own ideas challenged and reinforced from time to time.

Secondly, there is much to learn, both from experts in other fields and from peers in other industries and our own. No single person has it all figured out, but through our exchanges with one another, we can certainly increase group understanding and awareness of the complexity of the global issues and the opportunities we face.

Thirdly, there is no single profile or career path of the CSR professional. I have yet to meet two people, who have the exact same job or came to corporate social responsibility via the same professional route. And clearly, the CSR community is not limited to companies alone, but a constantly evolving mix of concerned groups including the government, NGOs, non-profits, academics, and others.
Fourthly, this is a space where everyone is welcome. Older group dynamic traditions of exclusivity, competitiveness, and seniority are displaced by inclusion, collaboration, and leadership. I am part of a much larger CSR community than I perhaps see on a regular basis, and there is tremendous value in this fact.

Finally, there is no better time to be engaged in pursuits of potential positive impact. While we may be inspired by economic, environmental, and social developments to date, there is still no shortage of work to be done, connections to be made, and lives to be changed through education, entrepreneurship, and innovation.

What is most striking about the five points I have expressed above, is that they not only reflect my observations from a day at the BCCCC Conference, but my almost two year involvement with the Net Impact organization. Many of the moments that I found re-energizing and inspiring in today’s agenda, share the same qualities as those that first attracted me to Net Impact Boston and that have since had a very positive impact in my life. Check out the coverage of the conference at www.bcccc.org and visit www.netimpactboston.org to see if these same things resonate with you.

As always, there are a number of great NIB events lined up for this month, and I hope everyone will accept our invitation to join in the conversation, education, opportunity creation, and motivation of others to make a difference.
I look forward to seeing you soon back in Boston!

Kindest regards,
Holly

Clean Energy Careers Event – Wednesday November 19th

NIBWeb — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 22:15:57 +0000

The Net Impact UMass Chapter would like to let you know about the Clean Energy Careers event in Boston. It is free for students with a valid student I.D card. These events are part of the Massachusetts Clean Energy week, an annual forum that brings together technology entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, industry leaders and researchers.

Clean Energy Career Panel & Job Fair

Wednesday, November 19
2:00 – 5:30 PM
Hynes Convention Center
900 Boylston Street, Boston, MA

www.greenovationconference.com

Thinking about a career in the Clean Energy field? Wondering what’s “hot” and what’s only “hype” in this growing sector? Participate in the Career Panel & Job Fair to navigate careers in the Clean Energy sector. Experts in venture capital, workforce development and other industry leaders will share their views on Clean Energy economy trends, skill demands and career development strategies.

CAREER PANEL
2:00 – 3:15 PM

Panelists include:

Wanda Reindorf, New England Clean Energy Council (Moderator)
David Danielson, General Catalyst Partners
Kevin Doyle, Green Economy
Matthew Richards, DanePartners

JOB FAIR
3:00 – 5:30 PM

Participating companies include Aerotek, Conservation Services Group, EnerGreen Power, Navigant Consulting, omniwatt, SatCon, and others!

REGISTRATION:
Registration for the Clean Energy Careers panel discussion and the Job Fair is FREE (bring your student I.D.) Please specify the sessions you are attending in the registration form: www.greenovationconference.com

For more information, please contact Marina Dippel of the Net Impact UMass Dartmouth Chapter at marina.dippel@gmail.com or call (508) 863-1348.

Oct. 3: More Than Money: Questions Every MBA Needs to Answer

jedsturman — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 19:56:40 +0000

Date: Friday, October 3rd
Time: 12:00-1:00pm
Led by: Mark Albion, author of True to Yourself and Making a Life, Making a Living
For Details and to Register: http://tinyurl.com/yze7q2

What are you going to do with your lucky lottery ticket? Each MBA is a privileged member of this planet. What are you going to do with that privilege? What contribution will you make? You want to make a difference, but are held back by debts, expectations about your future, and peer pressure that makes you want to be that 104-year old woman I asked, What’s the best thing about being 104? And responded: “No peer pressure.”

You feel stuck—pushed into career decisions that you might not otherwise make. Pushed to where what you think are your safest career decisions may actually be your riskiest.

We’ll go through four questions and twelve principles I have developed by listening to you at over 25 schools each year the past 20 years. These principles will help you create your personal “destiny” plan, your career map to money and meaning, to profit and purpose.

About Mark:

A six-time social entrepreneur and author, Mark Albion received his 15 minutes of fame as an HBS professor in the 1980s profiled on 60 Minutes as a top young business-school professor in the country, which earned him a hug from Ronald Reagan. He left Harvard in 1988 to develop with SVN colleagues a community for service-minded MBAs, which became Net Impact in 1993. He travelled to over 125 business schools on 5 continents, for which Business Week called him, facetiously he trusts, “the savior of business school souls,” which earned him a hug from Mother Teresa.

The past decade Mark has authored three books and a 3-CD series, Finding Work That Matters. In 2000 he wrote the New York Times Best Seller, Making a Life, Making a Living (www.makingalife.com). In 2006, he wrote SVN’s leadership book, True to Yourself: Leading a Values Based Business. Released October 1, foreword by Net Impact Executive Director Liz Cutler Maw, is More than Money: Questions Every MBA Needs to Answer. With Free Range Studios, he co-created a 3-minute animated movie, “The Good Life,” about a chance meeting between an MBA and a fisherman. As the MBA tries to teach the fisherman about business, the fisherman teaches him about life (www.more-than-money.org). Check out Ruben’s watercolor frames!

Aug. 22: Adventure Dream Jobs

jedsturman — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 12:54:05 +0000

Date: Friday, August 22nd
Time: 12:00-1:00pm
Led by: Christina Heyniger and Lisa Alley, Xola Consulting
For Details and to Register: http://tinyurl.com/yze7q2