Non-profit or for-profit: Who does it best? : NYC, Feb 15

Wish I could go to this event organized by the Feast ...

There’s no quick answer, but then again, it’s not a simple question. It is, however, a topic ripe for debate! Be there for a stimulating debate between amazing speakers: Jo Opot of TerraCycle and Kate MacKenzie of City Harvest, moderated by Sasha Dichter of Acumen Fund. Straight talk and even greater insight. We guarantee you'll get full on good!

Tues, Feb 15
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Salt Space
1158 Broadway at 27th St., 5th Floor, NY, NY

AGENDA:
7:00 PM - 7:30 PM [Registration + Networking]
7:30 PM - 8:30 PM [Statements + Debate]
8:30 PM - 9:00 PM [More Networking!]

Buy your tickets here.


MODERATOR:
Sasha Dichter, Vice President of Business Development, Acumen Fund
Sasha Dichter is the Director of Business Development at Acumen Fund, a non-profit venture capital fund that invests in enterprises that serve the poor. In this role, he leads up capital raising globally for Acumen Fund, including executing a $100M capital raise. Sasha serves as the point person for Acumen Fund’s Partner community, leads up Acumen Fund’s online and social media presence, and he heads up global partnerships for Acumen Fund, including geographic expansion. He is a member of Acumen Fund's leadership team. Sasha is also the author of the Manifesto for Nonprofit CEOs and is a leading blogger in the nonprofit space.

Before Acumen Fund, Sasha worked as Global Manager of Corporate Citizenship at GE Money, expanding financial offerings to underserved communities globally; and as a Senior Program Manager at IBM, spearheading the company’s corporate citizenship strategy and launching a leadership program for school administrators. Sasha began his career as a management consultant for Booz & Company in the telecommunications practice, based in New York but working primarily in Latin America and Europe. He has also worked with the microfinance group of Bank Rakyat Indonesia and with the venture-backed Navic Networks, recently acquired by Microsoft. Sasha holds a BA from Harvard College, a Masters in Public Administration in International Development from Harvard’s Kennedy School and an MBA from Harvard Business School.


FOR-PROFIT SPEAKER:
Jo Opot, Global Vice President of Business Development, TerraCycle Inc.
After a seven-month trip around the world, Jo returned to the US in 2010 to join TerraCycle as the Global Vice President of Business Development. Named the coolest start-up by Inc. Magazine, TerraCycle is the world's pioneer in upcycling and recycling waste. Jo oversees business development in 11 countries on 4 continents and loves spending her days “trash talking” brands into transforming their garbage into eco-products.

Jo was born in Nairobi and at fifteen she was selected to join the Kenyan national field hockey team. She got started in social change at sixteen by forging peace between teenage refugees through an after-school program she developed. Her program model was picked up by the UN and in college she worked for the UN in Russia, Kenya, and the US. Shortly after graduating from Middlebury College in 2005 she joined StartingBloc as the Director of Programs and grew in two years to become the Executive Director. In recognition of this work she was named one of the youngest members of the Social Venture Network in 2007. StartingBloc educates, empowers and connects emerging leaders and Jo's efforts directly supported over 1100 social innovators in forty countries by linking them to the education opportunities, funding sources and networks they needed to realize their goals. Jo currently lives in Chelsea and greatly enjoys figuring out how to positively impact the world by collaborating on ventures and leveraging her network.


NON-PROFIT SPEAKER:
Kate MacKenzie, Director of Policy and Government Relations, City Harvest
City Harvest exists to end hunger in communities throughout New York City. They do this through food rescue and distribution, education and other practical, innovative solutions. Now serving New York City for more than 25 years, City Harvest is the world's first food rescue organization, dedicated to feeding the city's hungry men, women, and children. This year, City Harvest will collect 28 million pounds of excess food from all segments of the food industry and deliver it, free of charge, to nearly 600 community food programs throughout New York City using a fleet of green trucks and bikes as well as volunteers on foot. Each week, City Harvest helps over 300,000 hungry New Yorkers find their next meal.

Kate MacKenzie, M.S., R.D., works to reduce the underlying causes of hunger and food insecurity by advocating for and developing programs, policies and private-sector actions taht bring about long-term change and improve community self-sufficiency. On behalf of City Harvest, Kate works with Federal, State, and local partners on food security issues to support improved access to affordable food, local agriculture and community development. Kate led City Harvest's efforts as part of the NYC Alliance for Child Nutrition Reauthorization (CNR), a group of organizations and individuals in New York City that asked members of Congress to support specific changes to the Child Nutrition Act so that federal programs covered by this legislation can help feed more children and provide more nutritious food. As a Convener for the New York City Food and Fitness Partnership, Kate directs a policy and systems change strategy on behalf of City Harvest that engages communities in making the healthy choice the easy choice by creating equitable access to healthy, quality, affordable food and opportunities for active living. The New York City Food and Fitness Partnership is a national initiative of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and City Harvest is the New York City grantee. Kate is also an adjunct faculty member at Teachers College, Columbia University.