Past Cohorts

Alexa Diaz is currently pursuing her Master of Public Policy with a focus on Transportation Policy at Oregon State University. Alexa is interested in transportation because it is something that impacts everybody and is the connecting piece to greater opportunity. Her interest in transportation began while she served as an AmeriCorps member in Portland, assisting on an electric vehicle carshare, which introduced her to the importance of mobility access in traditionally underserved communities. As a graduate student, Alexa is focusing on analyzing the perceptions of electric vehicles in California and conducting a program evaluation of different electric vehicle advancement programs. While in graduate school Alexa has interned at the Greenlining Institute as an Environmental Equity Summer Associate and at the Oregon Legislative Policy and Research Office as a Graduate Transportation Intern. In her free time, Alexa likes to cook, explore new parts of Oregon, and train for her next half-marathon!

Alexis graduated in June 2019 from Portland State University, earning her Master of Science in Finance (MSF) degree. Alexis also holds an MBA from the Lorry I. Lokey Graduate School of Business at Mills College and a BA in Political, Legal, and Economic Analysis from Mills College. During her MSF degree, she founded and developed Impact Ventures at PSU, which is the first program of its kind at a Pacific Northwest University. The program is a student-led venture capital fund complemented with graduate-level coursework. The program is focused on giving graduate business students practical experience, investing intentionally for positive social and environmental impact alongside a financial return. Alexis began her career at Allianz Global Investors in San Francisco as a Business Development Associate. She left her corporate job in 2007 to help start a company – LifeCycle Adventures, LLC – a travel adventure company. For 10 years Alexis profitably grew the company to have 13 locations in the U.S., Europe, and Canada and acquired a hot air ballooning company along the way. Alexis is now thrilled to be pursuing her new found passion for sustainable finance and launching her next career.

Amy DeNinno is a recent transplant to the Bay Area. She lived in San Diego where she studied sustainability, and urban studies and planning at San Diego State University. She is passionate about environmental, social, and economic health and justice. She is currently a graduate student at Mills College pursuing a joint masters degree in public policy and business administration. Her background varies from fundraising and zoning administration to restorative justice and instructional technology. Her hobbies include camping, cooking vegan food, gardening, singing and playing guitar, and reading non-fiction. Her personal goals include going low to zero waste and diversifying what genres of music she plays.

Originally from Palo Alto, California, Ben Lee is a rising senior at Cornell University. He is committed to institutionalizing changes that will advance social and economic justice and ensure a cleaner, more livable planet in the future. His background is in policy research and non-profit political advocacy for civil rights. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, playing basketball (poorly), and writing.

Brianne is passionate about the role outreach and engagement play in planning issues, and how communities empower themselves in the face of climate change. Before becoming a fellow, Brianne served as a research consultant for causeIMPACTS, a consulting firm dedicated to community development and public policy strategy for vulnerable populations. Brianne also worked for Valley Water, a Bay Area water district, where she helped coordinate community outreach events and campaigns related to water quality and conservation education. Brianne is thrilled to be one of this year’s Beneficial State Foundation Fellows to continue fostering her interest and skillset in community outreach and research.

Isabelle James just completed the first year of her MBA at Stanford Graduate School of Business. Before business school, Isabelle served as political director at Giffords, the gun violence prevention organization founded by former congresswoman Gabby Giffords and Mark Kelly. Isabelle is passionate about issues of equality and justice and is a student leader of Stanford GSB’s Corporations and Society Initiative, which encourages business leaders and students to think beyond shareholder value maximization and work together with government in the best interest of society. A Bay Area native, Isabelle received her BS in International Health from Georgetown University.

Keelia (pronounced KEE-lah, with a silent “i”) is pursuing her MBA at the Lorry I. Lokey Schools of Business and Public Policy at Mills College. A fervent advocate for building stronger communities through financial empowerment, Keelia volunteers with local nonprofits working to build economic mobility pathways for low- income young people. Keelia plans to build her career in community development finance, helping to create values-driven and socially responsible financial products that equitably serve our diverse communities. She is also very interested in behavioral finance and how psychology shapes our financial decisions. Keelia holds a BA in Sociology from St. Mary’s College of California, where she was named Student Activist of the Year for her involvement in social justice work. In her free time, Keelia can be found reading outside (with a goal of finishing 50 books per year), exploring seaside California towns, and enjoying the food, wine, and nature that Oakland has to offer.

Matthew’s passion for working with people has led him to seek opportunities where he can create and manage relationships. He loves working in teams aimed at common goals. Originally from Greater Boston, Matthew earned a BA in Environmental Studies at Dickinson College. After graduation, he worked in environmental- and energy-related departments as an intern at the Massachusetts Port Authority and DOT. He then worked in residential energy sales, where he helped homeowners make low-cost weatherization upgrades at home. Eager to continue improving building energy utilization, Matthew joined a commercial construction management company. After three years, Matthew realized that construction did not align with his long-term goals, and he moved west. During his two-year stint in Jackson, WY, he applied to Portland State University’s MBA program for its leadership development and sustainable business focuses. Now a second-year MBA student, Matthew has cultivated a passion for CSR and finance, as well as a desire to work with people. He eagerly explores new industries where he can pursue these interests. Outside of work, you’ll find Matthew leading teenagers through the wilderness, ski mountaineering, playing soccer, eating mangos, cooking, and reading (assuming he finishes his homework in time).

Rachel Mattenberger is excited to be joining the Beneficial State Fellowship Team after spending the last two years immersing herself in the Portland B Corp community while pursuing her MBA at Portland State University. Rachel’s background is in commuter transportation, and she started to recognize the power of the private sector to advance social and environmental impact when she spent a year and a half working as an activation manager for a New York-based rideshare startup. She learned a lot in those 18 months, and felt right at home among her highly motivated, ambitious, values-aligned coworkers. When that startup didn’t scale, the natural next step was for Rachel to focus on finding similar-minded people closer to home in Portland. She appreciates how friendly and welcoming the B Corp community has been to her as a student, and she looks forward to giving back to that community as a Summer Fellow with a very well-respected B Corp. When she’s not working, Rachel enjoys hiking, practicing aerial silks, and snuggling with her cats, Luna and Jelly Bean.

Originally from Miami, Florida, Sabrina Cerquera moved to Portland, Oregon to go to college as a first- generation student in her family. Passionate about environmental justice and policy, Sabrina believes that great strides can be taken through institutional and political change to elevate the voices of those who have been historically silenced. As a past intern at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Oregon Environmental Council, Sabrina is enthusiastic to broaden her skills to serve and tell the story of socially-responsible lending in the Portland community. As a Hispanic female-identified woman, Sabrina is passionate about seeing more women and people of color in the political and for-profit sector. In her spare time—Sabrina enjoys playing with virtual reality, climbing rocks, and being involved with environmental activism in her community. Sabrina will be graduating in the spring of 2020 with a B.A. in Political Science and a minor in Environmental Studies from Lewis & Clark College.

Alex Lee is a current Masters of City Planning student at UC Berkeley. Prior to starting graduate school, Alex worked as an environmental planner, working on the accessibility of information of detrimental environmental impacts of proposed developments and ordinances in the City of Los Angeles. When Alex was not working in environmental planning, he served as a coordinator for the Queer Asian Pacific Islander Retreat, an annual conference for queer API-identifying folks with the mission of organizing, leadership development, and community empowerment. Alex is now a graduate research assistant for the Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society – working with the Blueprint for Belonging team that seeks to create a strategic narrative to connect progressive organizations across California.

Kristin spent her childhood in Philadelphia and Nashville before attending undergrad at Penn State. In 2004, she moved to Portland for graduate school, where she obtained her MS in Neuroscience from Oregon Health & Science University Hospital. Following graduation, she briefly moved to Dublin, Ireland before returning to the U.S. and working on research and development in nonprofit university settings. Realizing she wanted to play more active role in creating change in her community, she is now earning her MBA from Portland State University. As a member of PSU’s BImpact chapter, she has worked with a local aerial architecture company, providing assistance for their B Corp certification application. Kristin is always looking for her next adventure and any challenges to help expand her horizons!

Lauren graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 2018 and has spent the past few years working on diversity and inclusion. She helped a law professor research the transformation of affirmative action and the failure of popular diversity management before going on to outline a chapter for his upcoming book. Lauren continued her research on diversity and inclusion with the Boys and Young Men of Color Employment Partnership where she helped organize a large-scale career fair. Lauren hopes to continue working for the traditionally underserved and eventually go to law school. She is also a lover of books, dogs, and painting!

Mei Gustke is a rising senior pursuing a degree in International Studies and Public Relations at the University of Oregon. Her areas of academic interest include international communications, food security and corporate social responsibility. Her involvement at the University of Oregon Holden Center for Leadership and Community Engagement allows her to utilize her education to help students participate in immersive service-learning experiences through the Alternative Breaks program. She is passionate about community engagement and sustainability, and excited is to work on a project that focuses on both topics this summer. In her spare time, Mei enjoys hiking around Oregon and testing out new recipes.

Sean is a policy analyst with expertise in evaluating domestic and international climate and renewable energy policy. Sean graduated with a MPP from UC Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy in 2018. Sean’s strengths include developing creative solutions to mitigate climate change and assessing the risks that climate change pose to stakeholders and the public. He has more than six years of environmental consulting experience, including projects in California, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Alaska. He is particularly passionate about climate and energy projects that bring benefits to vulnerable and traditionally underserved populations first and foremost.

Tucker is a joint MBA and MPP student at Mills College. His focus at Mills is finding the interconnection between the public and private sector to create positive social change in historically marginalized and disadvantaged communities. His areas of interest also include education, strategic planning, financial empowerment, workforce development, public health, and technology. He serves as a student representative for the Mills College Education Policy Committee and as the graduate student representative for the Student Government. He is also a teaching assistant for a research methods course at Mills. Tucker currently works with Mills Business Alumnae Consulting Group (MBACG), a consulting firm which provides support to Bay Area social entrepreneurs and mission-driven ventures facing barriers to growth. He is also a freelance consultant who works with local governments and nonprofits on program evaluation and organizational efficacy. Before Mills, Tucker received a BS in Political Science at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and worked within the non-profit and government sector in Central California. In his spare time, he enjoys baking, exercising, sports, trivia, and trying new things.

Zacharias Gardea is a Los Angeles native who holds a BA in Politics from Occidental College and is pursuing a Master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning at UCLA. He is currently a Graduate Research Assistant at the UCLA Center for Neighborhood Knowledge. To complement his academic concentration in community economic development, he also is a Policy Research intern at the Los Angeles office of Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) where he conducts research on access to government contracting for small businesses in South LA. Zacharias has a strong passion for Los Angeles and his community of Highland Park, where he serves as At-Large Director and Secretary of the Land Use Committee for the Historic Highland Park Neighborhood Council. Zacharias is excited to join the Beneficial State fellowship team this summer to gain a greater understanding on how to improve access to financial services for underserved communities.

Alex is a Junior studying Economics and Media Studies at UC Berkeley. Alex was born and raised in the city of Sonoma and is excited to be working in the same county where he grew up. He is the Chairman of the club WriterCoach Connection which recruits volunteers to help tutor Middle and High School students in the Berkeley area. He enjoys tutoring through the club and visiting the Boys and Girls Club of Oakland with his fraternity brothers. Alex enjoys playing basketball, traveling, and cooking in his free time and is a huge Cal sports fan. He plans on pursuing graduate school in the future and is excited to be a part of the Beneficial State family!

Fiona Ruddy is a current dual degree Master’s student at the University of California, Berkeley in the School of Public Health and Department of City & Regional Planning. Before returning to graduate school Fiona served as the Director of Food Access Programs at the Eastern Market Corporation, a non-profit food access organization in Detroit, MI. Since moving to California Fiona has broadened her experience around equity and the social determinants of health by working with Real Food Media, Prevention Institute, and the San Francisco Foundation’s Great Communities Collaborative on projects ranging from communications to policy to curriculum development. Fiona is excited to join the Beneficial State Fellowship program this summer and expand her knowledge around economic justice issues.

Grace Lihn is an artist, educator, and recent graduate of UC Berkeley with a degree in Cooperative Business and Food Systems. She served as the Experiential Learning Fellow for the Berkeley Food Institute and the University of California Global Food Initiative, where she conducted an oral history project exploring food literacy in its many forms. She previously volunteered as the Board Chair of the Berkeley Student Food Collective, where she worked to create a more equitable and inclusive storefront and community space. Grace has also previously facilitated gardening classes for the Student Organic Gardening Association, guided wanderlust freshmen in the Global Environment Theme House, and trained as a middle school educator with Breakthrough Collaborative – Oakland. She currently facilitates the Cooperatives DeCal course at UC Berkeley and is passionate about creating democratic, inclusive and cooperative learning spaces. Her dreams include co-owning an espresso and cocktails bar with her bartender friends, becoming a cooperative attorney through a legal apprenticeship, and teaching about cooperatives in a business school. In her free time, Grace enjoys cycling in the East Bay hills and painting watercolors.

Javonte Hubbard is a rising senior at UC Merced who is currently pursuing a BS in Management and Business Economics with a minor in Psychology. Javonte has served in many leadership roles throughout his undergraduate education. He has served as the Chief Research and Development Officer of Business Society at UC Merced, an organization that aims to prepare students for the professional world after their collegiate careers. Javonte also currently serves as a Resident Assistant at UC Merced’s Housing and Residence Life, where he builds safe and inclusive learning communities in the form of programing and guiding first and second year students in their journey at the university. Javonte also has a passion for helping people and that is why he pursued a fellowship with Beneficial State Bank. Beneficial State Bank allows Javonte the opportunity to combine his major with his passion; which is to help serve the underserved communities that are often taken for granted. He aims to use the knowledge and insight he has gained to help young people and individuals in low socioeconomic communities have the resources necessary to succeed in life. In his free time, he enjoys sports, meeting new people, and traveling to new places.

Manny Barragan is pursuing his B.A. in Business Administration at the University of Providence in Montana. Manny began his banking career as an intern at Sun Pacific Bank where he worked on many financial projects including analyzing historical stock quotes, market caps and reporting ROE and ROA. He also has experience working in the commercial real estate sector while at LGI Association. He was responsible for communicating with over 20 commercial residential property managers. Manny has a strong passion for financial literacy and education. One of his life purposes is to be someone who can bring what he has learned in the financial world to his community and people around him. He has served as a spokesperson and volunteer for Junior Achievement of Southern California – an organization that empowers young people through financial literacy, workforce readiness and entrepreneurship education. In addition to his academic pursuits, Manny is very active in his community. He currently works for AWARE INC. which is a nonprofit designed to help people with various disabilities to become independent in life and succeed in their communities. When he has spare time, Manny loves playing soccer, hiking, food tasting & doing road trips.

Tegan began her career in NYC working on two feature-length social-issue documentaries that aired on PBS & Netflix. She then transplanted to Los Angeles, eventually working as a creative TV network executive for The Discovery Family Channel. Over five years at the network she shepherded over 200+ hours of original award-winning TV content on six branded series from concept to delivery, including the network’s keystone series. Tegan also launched a multi-media nonprofit called, Look What She Did! bringing astonishing women to light. She served on the Board of the Net Impact LA chapter as VP of Sustainability Partnerships & Initiatives and designed an experiential Art+Sustainability Festival for the community. Tegan earned her B.A. in film & media from Montana State University with a minor in International Business. She’s currently an MBA in Sustainable Systems candidate at Presidio Graduate School and a student leader of Kaizen.

David Hsieh is currently a first year MBA student at the Foster School of Business at the University of Washington. Prior to that, he worked as a SAP consultant for IBM in China. The best part about his job was the opportunity to travel all over China and even to Latin America. Now that he is pursuing his MBA, he would still like to focus on the tech industry, but become more strategic and business oriented. He is very excited to be working as a Technology Industry Market Research Intern this summer. He wants his next career move to be fulfilling and impactful and is very happy to be a part of the Beneficial State team.

Jhana is a recent graduate of Lewis & Clark College with a degree in Environmental Studies. In her second year, Jhana received a grant to spend a semester studying social entrepreneurship in Guatemala. This inspired her to pursue a career serving mission-driven companies. She has focused her recent work on impact measurement and sustainable business standards. Her latest projects include drafting her college’s first Sustainability Report in accord with the Global Reporting Initiative guidelines and researching the local impacts of the B-Corp certification in Portland, Oregon. Jhana plans to continue working within Portland’s thriving green business sector, building toward a career in sustainable business development, and spending her free time hiking, rock climbing, and biking around the Pacific Northwest.

Mariana just completed her MBA in Sustainable Business at San Francisco State University. She has been co-president of the Net Impact graduate chapter at SFSU for the last year, coordinating logistics for diverse events that promoted community engagement, career development, and problem solving to environmental challenges. While at school, she has been actively involved in many consulting projects, most of which focused on helping mission-driven organizations overcome challenging problems. Her favorite projects included developing a tailored growth strategy for a Bay Area social enterprise and supporting a local co-op bakery in joining a program that converts food waste into renewable energy. She has also enjoyed volunteering with community outreach initiatives aimed at empowering low-income Spanish speaking communities. She currently lives in Mill Valley and in her spare time, she enjoys hiking, “skyping” with her niece and nephew in Buenos Aires, and exploring new places around the California coast.

Michael Wong is a rising junior studying Finance, Management, and Social Impact at the University of Pennsylvania in The Wharton School. As a Gates Millennium Scholar, he would like to pursue graduate school in the future. He loves learning and has immersed himself in a variety of leadership experiences in clubs, internships and local government. He loves applying concepts learned in an academic setting to real world situations. Outside of class, he enjoys philosophical and tech discussions, breakdancing, and playing sports like basketball and baseball.

Nathan’s commitment to community development derives from 15 years of shaping rural development programs and policies in the United States and abroad. Nearly half of that time has been spent in coastal El Salvador, where Nathan worked with rural communities to improve national policies in ecosystem restoration, fisheries management, agricultural development, and coastal governance. Working in both the government and non-profit sector, Nathan has experience designing; managing and funding successful, multi-stakeholder community develop initiatives in forestry, wetland restoration, fisheries management, disaster risk reduction, agriculture, integrated water management, and coastal regulatory regimes. He has helped facilitate the necessary partnerships with authorities, experts and elected officials to advance improvements in land use, local enforcement and capacity building programs with municipal governments and national agencies. He has also worked directly with rural farming and fishing cooperatives and enterprises, and understands first-hand the challenges, and opportunities, of financing under-served populations toward a more sustainable, just society. Nathan has a Masters in International Environmental Policy from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS), and a B.A. in Anthropology from Grinnell College.

Ryan recently completed a M.S. of Sustainable Systems from the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment. He worked at a major global company during the Summer of 2015 and managed the CDP Climate Change and CDP Supply Chain filing for the company which resulted in an above average industry score of 85% for quality and completeness. He also completed a Global Reporting Initiative referenced environmental footprint for private retail giant Meijer with a team of interdisciplinary graduate students over 15 months. He is ecstatic to be in the Pacific Northwest and would love advice on the best places to hike and explore nature.

Vivian is a rising senior at UC Berkeley pursuing bachelor’s degrees in Political Economy and Classical Civilizations with a minor in Chinese language and culture. She has had over 6 years of experience working at nonprofits, both in high school as an executive board member of Hugs for Ghana, a student-led organization dedicated to supporting children’s education in Ghana, and in college as an appointed official at the ASUC, the officially recognized and independent student government of UC Berkeley. After taking former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich’s public policy course on widening economic inequality last semester, she was inspired to join a nonprofit that values and supports economic sustainability and social responsibility. She is passionate about writing and is excited to share the human stories to our clients’ impact in our communities.

Alyssa recently earned her MBA degree from Western Washington University (WWU). During her time in graduate school she worked extensively on a year-long policy and research project analyzing human trafficking on the Western Coast of the United States. While in school Alyssa worked as an intern with the Bellingham Angel Investors, as a marketing intern for the Low Income Housing Institute in Seattle promoting a computer literacy program, and supported WWU MBA program marketing and recruitment efforts for two years as a graduate assistant. Alyssa is a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma honors society. Prior to graduate school Alyssa served as an AmeriCorps VISTA with Catholic Housing Services in Bellingham, WA. Alyssa was responsible for building community among 200 diverse clients residing in three separate low-income apartment buildings. She also taught English in Seoul, South Korea after graduating with her BA in Economics in 2010. Alyssa is from Bellingham, WA and recently relocated to Portland, OR.

Carly Straus is a rising senior at UC Berkeley majoring in Peace and Conflict Studies with a minor in Human Rights. Last summer, she worked in community development as a member of Local Initiatives Support Corporation’s (LISC) Policy Team in Washington, DC. She has also interned at Bend the Arc and Alliance for Justice, two Bay Area progressive advocacy organizations. Outside of class and work, she enjoys singing with her a capella group on campus and exploring the Bay Area. She just returned from a semester in Madrid, and is excited to be working in Oakland and making a difference in her hometown.

Catherine Dooling is an MBA candidate at the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley, where she is focusing her studies on Impact Assessment. She is originally from Maryland and received a BS from Skidmore College before moving to the West Coast, where she worked at Los Angeles’ preeminent day center and permanent supportive housing facility for homeless and low income women, the Downtown Women’s Center. Over the course of four years, Catherine designed job training programs and launched three social enterprise businesses with the Downtown Women’s Center: a cafe, a resale boutique, and an online store for handcrafted products under the brand name MADE by DWC. She remains passionate about social justice and economic empowerment in homeless and low-income communities.

Ember is a rising senior at UC Berkeley majoring in Computer Science and Cognitive Science. Last summer, she participated in a startup accelerator program in Nice, France, where she developed an interest in social entrepreneurship and design. Ember is involved with an organization at school that seeks to affect local and social impact through the human-centered design process. Last summer, her team tackled the issue of providing career exploration services to youth in underserved communities. Her hobbies include dance, DIY projects, and traveling, and she also does freelance design work in her free time. Ember hopes to continue to serve the community in the Bay Area through innovative means after graduation.

Evan Haynes is a Senior at University of the Pacific, pursuing dual degrees in Finance and Philosophy. After receiving a Speech and Debate Scholarship to attend Pacific, Evan served as the VP of Finance for the Council of University Social Entrepreneurs in his first year. He was also selected to present research on technology as a catalyst for social impact at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research. In his second year, Evan collaborated in the development of Stockton Impact Corps, a Stockton, California based microfinance enterprise which offers microloans, financial literacy training, and small business development training. He now serves as the Lead Microfinance Associate, leading the microfinance operations of the organization. In 2015, Evan was voted the Lincoln-Douglass College Debater of the Year. He received honors from Phi Sigma Tau, the international honors society for philosophy.

Genevieve is a earning her Master’s in Urban Planning at the University of Washington, with a focus on real estate. She is especially passionate about building and retaining community identity through small business and neighborhood-scale retail. She has a background in project and program management and has been interning for the past year with an affordable housing developer. Genevieve earned a bachelor’s degree in urban community development form Colorado College. She is a Seattle native and spends her free time enjoying the pacific northwest by bike, on skis and on the trails.

Originally hailing from Slovakia, Kamila has lived in a variety of places including Vienna, Austria where she attended the Vienna International School. She went on to study at the University of Sussex in the U.K., receiving a BA (Hons) in Economics and International Relations. Finally, due to her interest in South America, she also attended Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile for a semester. Her career decisions were influenced by working at Kommunalkredit Public Consulting under the Kyoto Protocol, and her personal beliefs, she decided that what she really wants to do is to tackle environmental challenges, inequality and to work with technology. The first effective step in achieving this goal was to undertake a Master’s in Development Practice at UC Berkeley. In the past three years she worked at the United Nations, in South Africa working on an impact evaluation, and in the U.S. conducting computer human interaction research and working as a business developer for a renewable energy startup.

Marie Bush is currently an MBA student with a specialization in corporate finance and investment banking at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Prior to joining the program, Marie worked in the international nonprofit sector. Most recently she was the Director of Integration Programs at the Center for Refugees and Immigrants of Tennessee, where she led a team in the implementation, evaluation, and reporting functions of the organization’s largest grants. Previously, Marie worked for the International Rescue Committee in Bangkok, Thailand where she managed field programs as well as was highly involved in proposal development. Marie has also worked in Washington, D.C. for the US Agency for International Development and Damascus, Syria for the International Organization for Migration. Marie graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a BA in International and Area Studies and from the Monterey Institute of International Studies with an MPA. Outside of work, Marie enjoys spending time outdoors and perfecting new recipes in the kitchen.

Patty has worked with diverse cultures and across all levels of an organization, giving her an appreciation for the idiosyncrasies that bring organizations to life. She is currently pursuing an MBA in Global Impact Management at MIIS, with the goal of working to create sustainable and thriving business ecosystems.

Originally, from Ghana, Thomas Brempong is a recent graduate of Washington State University and holds a degree in Political Science. With experience working in local government and was heavily involved in campus life, where he served as an orientation leader and student ambassador. Thomas has an unwavering entrepreneurial spirit and interest for helping developing countries, and a passion for community/economic development, fair lending, banking regulations, compliance, small business, impact investing, emerging markets, and banking in general. Fluent in three languages, and having travelled extensively around the world, Thomas brings a unique perspective, skills in research and other valuable attributes into this internship. Looking forward, he looks to emulate his skills and expertise into the banking sector or any avenue or sector where he can better reach the populace he serves.

Born and raised in Costa Rica, I first got involved in public issues while doing my major in Political Science at the University of Costa Rica. I have also studied finance and economics to complement my knowledge with a broader business-oriented and quantitative perspective. From 2010 to 2013, I was an advisor to the Minister of the Presidency of Costa Rica, and by working alongside the President, had the opportunity to grasp the impact that small business and nonprofits have in a developing society.

We promoted bills in congress, negotiated with stakeholders and handled national emergencies, among many other hard but satisfying duties. Trying to follow the path of grassroots impact, I took the next step and enrolled in the Masters of Public Policy Program at the Goldman School at UC Berkeley, and I’m excited to promote access to credit to local projects with community impact at One PacificCoast Bank and Foundation. In my personal life, I’m passionate about sports, rock music and philosophy, but can’t take a side on the dogs vs cats debate; I love them both!

Hernando is an MBA Student at the Lorry I. Lokey Graduate School of Business at Mills College. He joins One PacificCoast Foundation as the Digital Strategy Intern. His experience includes working as a PR and Marketing Associate for the San Francisco Friends of Chamber Music and supporting the marketing efforts of the Center for Socially Responsible Business at Mills College.

He also served as an MBA advisor to business entrepreneurs through Centro Community Partners’ Entrepreneur Readiness Program in the spring of 2014. Hernando is originally from Caracas, Venezuela and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music from Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. He now resides in Oakland, CA.

Shannon Chapman graduated magna cum laude from the University of the Pacific with dual degrees in Applied Economics and International Development. During her first year, she was selected as one of the ten 2011 Ambassador Corps recipients, interning for two months in South Africa with the Maharishi Institute. At Pacific, Shannon worked as a Program Manager for the Global Center for Social Entrepreneurship, helping coordinate the TEDxSanJoaquin conference and coordinating community engagement events for 100+ people.

During her third year, she received a state department scholarship to study in West Africa, conducting research on the state of malnutrition in the northern region of Ghana nominating her as a finalist for the Truman scholarship. The summer of 2013 she worked with Ashoka Innovators for the Public, authoring an environmental candidate strategy and helping coordinate the US fellow selection process. Her final year, Shannon worked as Managing Director for the Integrated Development Group, where she led a team of 10 students advising four consulting projects in microfinance, entrepreneur support, animal conservation, and climate change. Shannon received honors for her thesis on the history of US corporate social responsibility and from Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi honor societies.

Alexandra is an MPP/MBA candidate at Mills College, focusing on finance and socially responsible business. She grew up in Minnesota and earned an undergraduate degree in Political Economy from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Since graduating in 2010, she has had very diverse work experiences in Ireland, Argentina, Egypt, and the US, all of which helped her forge a deep belief in placing people at the center of any business and every economic structure.

Alexandra has a passion for building strong communities through empowering individuals, and hopes to use a business and public policy education to help others reach their dreams of economic empowerment. She looks forward to leveraging local knowledge and expertise with a cross-sector education from Mills to design creative solutions for community development in the Bay Area.

Sergiu Ispas is a Junior at Seattle University pursuing a B.A. in Business Administration with a focus in Finance and Business Economics. He is involved on campus as a New Student Mentor and board member on the Albers Advisory Council at the Albers School of Business and Economics. He has been on the Dean’s list for the past two years while attending school full-time with a part-time job and internship. After finishing his Bachelor’s degree, he hopes to enter the financial market and continue his education pursuing a Masters and PHD in Economics.

As an undergraduate student at Seattle University going into my junior year, my internship at Beneficial State Bank has given me a new perspective on business.

With my focus on finance and economics, banking has always been a sector I could see myself working in. During my eight week internship at Beneficial State Bank, I worked as the Digital Associate intern at the Seattle branch. My role was to research social media metrics, perform a competitive analysis of the market, cultivate customer profiles and compile an 18-month calendar showing how my work will be implemented.

Emily Jimenez is studying at The Wharton School, where she is earning her MBA with a focus in management and marketing. Prior to Wharton, Emily worked in fundraising in the nonprofit sector. Most recently, she spent two years at The Urban Institute as a Development Associate in Washington, DC. Before joining The Urban Institute, Emily worked as a Development Manager for the National Kidney Foundation of the National Capital Area. Emily earned her BA at The George Washington University, where she majored in International Affairs and minored in Spanish. She is a California native, originally hailing from Long Beach.

I am a pursuing an MBA and MA in International Environmental Policy joint degree at the Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS). I previously lived and studied in the United Kingdom. My past work included time spent as an environmental education teacher and manager of youth development programs. My studies at the Monterey Institute have given me the opportunity to work on projects with some incredible organizations.

Last year I worked with the Big Sur Land Trust on their initiative to increase public engagement by developing youth education programs to provide greater connection with the land and the outdoors. I also participated in the Frontier Market Scouts program, a partnership between MIIS and Village Capital, earning a certificate in Impact Investing and Social Enterprise Management. Subsequently I joined the team at CloudPay, an exciting social enterprise in Santa Cruz, working to build a community-building partnership between independent merchants and local nonprofits designed support the growth of local economies.