About Us

The Barry & Marie Lipman Family Prize is made possible through a generous gift from Barry and Marie Lipman and reflects their strong commitment to socially responsible organizations and action. The Prize is administered by the University of Pennsylvania through the Wharton School and engages faculty, staff, and students from across the University.

The work of the Prize resides within the McNulty Leadership Program and is conducted with the support of other university institutes and centers, such as the Wharton Social Impact Initiative, the Center for Leadership & Change Management, the Netter Center for Community Partnerships, the Center for High Impact Philanthropy and the Master of Science Program in Nonprofit/NGO Leadership.

“Our goals for the prize are to expand the benefits of social impact organizations using competition to identify and reward excellence, to inspire Penn students to enter the field, and to facilitate the transfer of successful methods of operation to other organizations.”

Barry Lipman, W ’70

Barry & Marie Lipman

Barry and Marie Lipman have served their San Francisco community as philanthropists, board members, and volunteers deeply involved in the social sector for more than 25 years. With sweat equity and strategic leadership they both have contributed directly to the sustainable growth of several nonprofits in the Bay Area. The Homeless Prenatal Program and San Francisco Zoological Society are just two groups benefitting from the Lipmans’ generous support.

A commitment to the greater social good is what led Barry, W’70, and Marie to create this prize. The global nature of the prize and its focus on knowledge dissemination align perfectly with the institutional assets and goals of the University of Pennsylvania. It is here, at Barry’s alma mater, they are building a lasting legacy of societal contribution through collective learning.

Penn’s Tradition of Service

The Barry & Marie Lipman Family Prize takes its place in a rich tradition of innovative leadership and service at Penn — a tradition rooted in the founding visions of both the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton School.
In 1740, Benjamin Franklin founded the College of Philadelphia, which subsequently became the University of Pennsylvania, as an institution dedicated to education for citizenship and service. The development, “of an inclination joined with an ability to serve” was, for Franklin “the great aim of an end of all learning,” as well as the mission he set for Penn.

In 1881, Joseph Wharton founded the world’s first collegiate school of business at Penn with a similar focus. Graduates of the Wharton School would become “pillars of the state, whether in public or private life.”

Both Ben Franklin and Joseph Wharton also believed that knowledge was to be useful and produce, in Wharton’s words, “solutions to the social problems inherent to our civilization.”

Through the Lipman Family Prize, the University of Pennsylvania continues to realize its potential to promote dialogue and discovery across disciplines and to “bring the benefits of Penn’s research, teaching, and service to individuals and communities at home and around the world.

Steering Committee & Staff

Steering Committee

The Steering Committee for the Barry and Marie Lipman Family Prize includes Barry Lipman, the founder of the Prize, as well as faculty and staff from across the University of Pennsylvania, chosen for their expertise and experience in the areas of business and non-profit leadership and cross-sector collaboration. They are deeply invested in thinking carefully about how best to activate the University of Pennsylvania’s vast resources in service of change-makers, and how to meaningfully partner with the broader social sector at large.

They represent the Center for High Impact Philanthropy, the Center for Leadership and Change Management, the Netter Center for Community Partnerships, the School of Social Policy & Practice, and the Wharton School.

Barry_Lipman2

Barry Lipman

Former Partner, Goldfarb & Lipman
Founder, Lipman Family Prize

More

Barry began his professional career in 1975 as an attorney. In 1981, he was a founding partner in Goldfarb & Lipman. His area of expertise was real estate, particularly housing. His clientele included developers and non-profit sponsor organizations, and he was a pioneer in creating and employing unique legal structures to make housing available and affordable to families, the disabled, seniors, and low-and-moderate income owners and tenants. Among the legal structures were the limited equity cooperative, the multi-use vertical subdivision, the live-work unit, and the tax-free or tax-deferred transfer of a residence to housing that included life-care.

In the mid-1990s, Barry transitioned from the law to becoming an investor/philanthropist deeply involved in the social sector. He has contributed to the sustainable growth of several non-profit organizations in the Bay Area and other locales, while serving as a board director to three for-profit and four non-profit entities. The Homeless Prenatal Program, the San Francisco Zoo, the UCSF Medical Center, and Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City are among the organizations that have benefited from his support.

In the early 2000’s, Barry wanted to promote and assist those areas of the social sector that found it difficult to attract private capital and governmental assistance. While continuing to support his preferred cultural institutions and his children’s schools, Barry searched for organizations in which neither he nor his family could receive a direct or indirect benefit other than personal satisfaction for having helped them achieve their goals. With that motivation, in 2010 Barry entered into discussions with the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton School to create a prize for the benefit of the social sector. The outcome was the Barry & Marie Lipman Family Prize, and the first Honorees were chosen in 2012.

Today, the Lipman Family Prize has evolved to what Barry had originally envisioned. It has become a significant means for rewarding and inspiring positive social impact among social sector organizations worldwide, and faculty, students and many others at Penn. It is fully endowed with the intent to sustain and expand positive social impact for as long as necessary.

Barry and his wife Marie love to travel. According to the Travelers Century Club, they have visited and experienced more than one hundred countries. Their goal is to visit as many more as possible in their lifetimes.

Barry is a 1970 graduate of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and in 1975 graduated from Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco, California.

Elyse Lipman

Chief Strategy Officer
Lipman Family Farms

More

Elyse currently serves as the Chief Strategy Officer for Lipman Family Farms, North America’s largest supplier of tomatoes and fresh produce. In her role, she assesses how emerging technologies and shifting business trends are transforming current and potential markets, and in turn how to position Lipman for growth. She is the fourth generation of Lipman family members to join the company, and the first woman on the Lipman executive leadership team.

Prior to joining Lipman Family Farms, Elyse led the World Economic Forum’s programme on the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Elyse curated projects and content for the Forum’s emerging technology agenda, which included technologies such as blockchain and the internet of things, and mobilized the Forum’s multi-stakeholder community to address the challenges for emerging technologies to benefit society. Her work spanned global markets, concentrating on the US, China, and Europe with the WEF’s Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland and Annual Meeting of New Champions in Tianjin, China. She was also named a WEF Global Leadership Fellow and a System’s Leader for Public-Private Cooperation.

Previously, Elyse built her career in journalism, most prominently as a Photo Editor for National Geographic Magazine in Washington, D.C. The Lipman Prize has long been an inspiration, and continues to fuel her work to achieve positive social change. Elyse earned her BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Pennsylvania and an MA in Journalism from New York University. She earned her MBA in Innovation Management from Wharton.

Lipman Family Prize Steering Committee

Doug Bauer

Penn Lecturer of Urban Studies
Executive Director, Clark Foundation

More

Doug Bauer is the Executive Director of the Clark Foundation in New York City. The Clark Foundation supports nonprofit organizations in New York State through a variety of grantmaking and operating programs. Doug was previously the Senior Vice President at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors (RPA) where he lead RPA’s Strategic Initiatives Team. He also served as Vice President at Goldman Sachs and President of the Goldman Sachs Philanthropy Fund, the firm’s charitable giving vehicle.

From 1997 to 2000, Doug was Director of Community Partnership at SmithKline Beecham (now GlaxoSmithKline) and Executive Director of the SmithKline Beecham Foundation, where he focused on community-based health care around the world. From 1992 to 1996, he was a Program Officer for Culture at the Pew Charitable Trusts, and from 1988 to 1992, he managed the Scott Paper Company Foundation. Doug’s opinions and ideas on philanthropy have been featured in the Associated Press, The Christian Science Monitor, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Contribute, the Financial Times, the Los Angeles Times, The New York Post and on CNBC. He also co-authored with Steven Godeke, Philanthropy’s New Passing Gear; Mission-Related Investing, A Policy and Implementation Guide for Foundation Trustees. Doug chairs the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance and the Support Center of Nonprofit Management and serves on boards or committees for the Carbon Disclosure Project (UK), Children’s Health Fund and New York Regional Association of Grantmakers (NYRAG).

Doug is a graduate of Michigan State University and holds a M.S. from Penn and a M.J. from Temple University.

Umi Howard

Senior Director, McNulty Leadership Program
Former Director, The Lipman Family Prize

The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania

More

Umi joined the Wharton School in 2011 to establish and serve as Director of the Lipman Family Prize, an annual global competition that celebrates leadership and innovation in the social sector with an emphasis on impact and transferability of practices. As of January 2018, he has taken a new position as Senior Director of the McNulty Leadership Program. Umi is responsible for developing and executing an external strategy for Wharton’s leadership initiatives, in partnership with Wharton Executive Education and Wharton External Affairs.  Key components of the strategy include the stewardship of key donors, development of corporate and foundation partnerships, and the design of executive and public programs in support of the School’s revenue-generating and philanthropic goals.  He also leads our portfolio of civic leadership programs, including the Lipman Family Prize, the Lipman Fellows Program, and the Nonprofit Board Fellows Program.

Prior to joining Wharton, Umi spent fifteen years working in the social impact sector in a variety of roles, including running a social enterprise, organizational consulting, curriculum design and instruction, philanthropy and board service. Umi is a graduate of Vassar College and received his Master’s from the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education.

Jeff Klein

Executive Director, McNulty Leadership Program
Lecturer, Management Department
The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania

More

Jeff Klein is the director of the Wharton Graduate Leadership Program and the Wharton Leadership Ventures and a lecturer in the Management Department of the Wharton School. In this role, he is responsible for the portfolio of curricular and co-curricular leadership development programs available to Wharton MBA students and for the leading the creation of the Wharton Global Leadership Institute. Jeff works with hundreds of MBA students and executive clients every year. As a lead Venture Instructor, he supports multiple expedition-based experiential leadership programs each academic year.

Recently, Jeff’s passions and interests have led him to the study of cross-sector collaborations that create sustainable economic and social wealth. He teaches two graduate-level courses at the University of Pennsylvania — Transformational Reasoning and The New Leadership Frontier — which examine the historical and current context of cross-sector collaboration. Jeff has also begun a doctorate in Educational Leadership to further ground his studies and these practice-based courses in interdisciplinary theory.

Jeff graduated with honors from both the Wharton School (MBA, Entrepreneurial Studies) and Penn State University (BS, Finance; BA, Media Studies).

Katherina_Rosqueta

Katherina Rosqueta

Executive Director, Center for High Impact Philanthropy
University of Pennsylvania

More

Katherina M. Rosqueta is the founding executive director of the Center for High Impact Philanthropy at the University of Pennsylvania. Before accepting her appointment at the Center in the Spring of 2006, Kat was a consultant with McKinsey & Company. Prior to joining McKinsey, Kat worked in community development, nonprofit management, and venture philanthropy. She has held numerous volunteer and civic leadership positions including board president of La Casa de las Madres (San Francisco’s oldest and largest shelter for battered women and their children); chair of the United Way’s Bay Area Week of Caring; and co-founder and executive committee member of the Women’s MBA Network. She currently serves as an advisor to Charity Navigator, America’s largest charity evaluator, and on the University of Pennsylvania’s Social Responsibility Advisory Committee.

Her work and comments have been cited in numerous publications including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Chicago Tribune, BusinessWeek, and Miami Herald. She has lectured at the Wharton School, Stanford Graduate School of Business, University of California Haas School of Business, and the University of San Francisco’s Institute for Nonprofit Organization Management.

Kat received her BA cum laude from Yale University and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Mike_Useem_2010

Mike Useem

William and Jacalyn Egan Professor of Management
Director, Center for Leadership and Change Management
Editor, Wharton Leadership Digest
The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania

More

Michael Useem, the William and Jacalyn Egan Professor of Management, is director of the Center for Leadership and Change Management at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. His university teaching includes MBA and executive MBA courses on leadership and change, and he offers programs on leadership, teamwork, governance, and decision making for managers in the United States, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. He also works on leadership development and governance with many companies and organizations in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors.

He is the author of The Leadership Moment; Investor Capitalism; andThe Go Point: When It’s Time to Decide. He is also co-author and co-editor of Learning from Catastrophes, and co-author of The India Way: How India’s Top Business Leaders Are Revolutionizing Management.

Staff

The Prize is managed by a staff with extensive experience in the nonprofit and leadership sectors.

Euria Min

Director, The Lipman Family Prize
McNulty Leadership Program
The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania

More

Euria is the Director of the Barry & Marie Lipman Family Prize and Lipman Fellows Program. She oversees the strategy and execution of the annual global social impact competition and partnerships with the wide Lipman Prize community of honorees organizations, nonprofit partners, philanthropic partners, reviewers and selection committee and steering committee members, fellow alumni, and University partners. She also leads the interdisciplinary year-long Lipman Fellows program which engages graduate students from across the University in a learning community immersed in the social sector through the philanthropic process, and in their individual leadership development.

Euria previously served as the Director of Operations for the Fels Institute of Government, Penn’s Master of Public Administration program. Prior to that role, she served as the Director of Operations for the Robert. A. Fox Leadership Program in the School of Arts & Sciences at Penn, helping students identify, develop, and apply their unique skills and passion through developmental research or public service fellowship opportunities and learning trips, both domestically and internationally.

Euria graduated summa cum laude from UCLA with a B.A. in Communication Studies and minor in Global Studies, and received her Master’s in Public Administration from Cal State Long Beach. Euria grew up in Chicago and Los Angeles, and now calls Philadelphia home. She aims to be active in the Philadelphia community with her broad range of interests and passions, and has engaged in various volunteer capacities such as serving as judge of elections for her neighborhood polling place, an associate board member for Covenant House PA, community panelist with the district attorney’s office juvenile justice diversion program, and the American Red Cross disaster action response team. She also currently serves as a deaconess at her church in Chinatown. Euria currently lives in the East Kensington neighborhood with her husband, daughter, and rambunctious cat.

Tunisia Meek

Program Manager, The Lipman Family Prize
The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania

More

Tunisia co-manages the logistics and operations for the Lipman Family Prize and Lipman Fellows Program. Prior to joining Wharton, Tunisia worked at the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey, where she provided administrative and operational support for the Education Team in the Impact Department, reviewed grant applications and handled reporting. She also served as a Special Projects Coordinator at The Philadelphia Tribune where she co-run special events.

Born and raised in West Philadelphia, Tunisia stayed in her hometown for higher education receiving her Bachelor’s degree in English from Temple University. She is a founding Steering Committee member of the Philadelphia Black Giving Circle and hopes to continue her professional journey along the philanthropic path.

Kim Leichtner

Program Manager, The Lipman Family Prize
The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania

More

Kim manages the relationships and partnership benefits for the Lipman Family Prize honoree community. Her experiences are in nonprofit management and leadership development. Kim is a trained facilitator and moderates civic dialogues with undergraduates through the Penn SNF Paideia Program and with community members through Keystone Civic Ventures and the Free Library of Philadelphia. She has been a High Performing Team Facilitator for Wharton undergraduates, observing and coaching them on effective teamwork. Previously, Kim has led research on the role of State Chief Administrators and worked with hospital physician leaders on medical workforce issues.

Kim grew up outside of Boston and received her B.A. from Harvard College in Biological Anthropology, and her Master’s in Public Administration from the Fels Institute of Government. She was an inaugural Lipman Family Prize fellow and is thrilled to support the honoree community that has grown since she was a fellow. She is currently the Co-President of the Penn Wynne Library Association Board. Kim enjoys trying out different recipes, running, and exploring new hiking trails with her two elementary aged kids.

Christiana Kallon Kelly

Project Manager, The Lipman Family Prize
The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania

More

Christiana supports the operations and logistics of the Lipman Family Prize. Christiana joined the Lipman community first as a 2017-2018 Lipman Fellow and later served as an external application reviewer. She has extensive experience working with non-profit and non-governmental organizations in the United States, Jordan, Senegal, and Sierra Leone.

In addition to her role at The Wharton School, Christiana is a William Fontaine PhD candidate at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education where her research and teaching interests include education, youth, gender, peace and conflict, development, technology, and public policy in Africa. She holds an MSEd in International Educational Development from Penn and a BA in Sociology from the College of William & Mary.

Christiana was born in Freetown, Sierra Leone and raised in Pakistan, Kenya, Uganda, and Bangladesh. She currently lives in Philadelphia with her husband and infant son.

Umi Howard

Senior Director
McNulty Leadership Program

More

Umi joined the Wharton School in 2011 to establish and serve as Director of the Lipman Family Prize, an annual global competition that celebrates leadership and innovation in the social sector with a dual emphasis on impact and the transferability of practice.

Since January 2019, he has served as Senior Director of the McNulty Leadership Program. There, he is responsible for oversight of the organization’s strategy development and revenue generation work, executed in partnership with Wharton Executive Education, Wharton External Affairs, faculty partners, major donors, and other key stakeholder groups. He also leads MLP’s portfolio of civic leadership programs. A Lecturer at Wharton’s Management Department, he has taught a graduate level course on social impact interventions.

Prior to joining Wharton, Umi spent fifteen years working in a variety of roles, including running a social enterprise, organizational consulting, curriculum design and instruction and philanthropic administrator. For nearly two decades, Umi has served on nonprofit boards and advisory groups focused on social justice and diversity, equity and inclusion issues. His current work in that arena includes a signature initiative at MLP, sponsored by Deloitte, combining original research and program development to improve team inclusiveness. Umi is a graduate of Vassar College and received his Master’s from the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education.

fitz_rdax_95x99

Kate FitzGerald

Marketing Director
McNulty Leadership Program

more

Kate FitzGerald is a Director of Marketing & Communications for the McNulty Leadership Program and has been with Wharton since 2007. Kate is responsible for all marketing and communications activities across the Center, McNulty Leadership Program, and the Lipman Family Prize. This includes development and implementation of a strategic marketing plan and overall brand identity. She oversees the ongoing maintenance of multiple media channels, including the Center and Program websites, the McNulty Leadership and Lipman Prize social media presences and the photography and video creation needed to promote the brand and programs..

Kate holds a B.A. in Communications from the University of San Diego and an M.A. in Marketing and Advertising from Emerson College. She is graduating in May of 2020 with a Masters in Science of Organizational Dynamics from the University of Pennsylvania. Kate comes from a 20+ year career in corporate marketing, with a focus on identity branding and messaging. Prior to coming back to her home base of Philadelphia, she spent several years living in Europe and Asia. Kate lives outside of Philadelphia and cherishes her time with her two children, Erin and Brendan. In her “free time”, Kate is an avid runner, having completed five marathons and many sprint triathlons.

Lipman Fellows Program

Lipman Fellows are invaluable members of the Lipman Family Prize community. Through the year-long fellowship, the Lipman Family Prize invests in nurturing the next generation of social impact leaders. We believe that direct experience getting immersed in learning about those driving innovative change on the frontlines will enable students to better understand and uproot complex social problems throughout their professional lives. Our commitment to student learning and leadership is setting the stage for future innovation. Our student fellows are building a network of relationships and resources that they’ll take with them wherever they go, and apply to whichever cause they champion next.

2024 LIPMAN FELLOWS PROGRAM APPLICATION IS CLOSED.

Join our community to get the latest updates on our prize and program. 

A Unique Opportunity for Students

 Organizations applying to the Prize are working on universally experienced social challenges in public health, educational equality, economic development and beyond. Each year, students have opportunities to help refine the execution of the Prize and its ability to leverage the many Penn resources to support the work of world-class social sector organizations. Lipman Fellows support the selection of the Prize winners and develop their leadership skills while learning about the social sector. With the guidance and support from Penn staff and key partners, student fellows from across the University review applications, analyze data, prepare materials for the Prize Committee, meet with the leaders of winning organizations, and participate in the annual awards ceremony

Commitment

The 12-16 fellows participate for a full academic year between late September and May. This is an intensive learning community experience that requires on average 5-7 hours of work per week, several mandatory weekend trainings, and weekly meetings throughout the year. The months of October, November, February and March are typically the busiest.

Eligibility

Any current graduate student who is studying at the University of Pennsylvania’s Philadelphia main campus is eligible, including students in one-year programs and first and second year MBAs. We do not require previous experience with nonprofits, philanthropy or social enterprises. Regardless of past work experience, fellows must demonstrate a current interest in the social sector and in their personal leadership development.

The Experience

The goals of this fellowship is for students to learn about the social sector through the philanthropic process, immerse themselves in a learning community, and invest in their leadership development. The Lipman Fellows’ team structure offers students the chance to explore the leadership dimensions of communication, teamwork, group decision-making and emotional intelligence while employing technical skills like data analysis and project management. The multidisciplinary composition of the Lipman Fellow community allows students to collaborate and challenge themselves in a safe learning environment.

Lipman Fellows Experience Series

Get to know some of our Lipman Fellows in the videos below!
View the rest of the Lipman Fellows Experience Series HERE!

2019 Lipman Fellows Experience

Jenny Kim | 2019 Lipman Fellow

Adamseged Abebe | 2018 Lipman Fellow

Cynthia Degros | 2019 Lipman Fellow

Meet our 2023 Lipman Fellows

Bhavya Ancha

Perelman School of Medicine, 2024

More

Bhavya Ancha MD’24 is a medical student at the Perelman School of Medicine. She graduated from Temple University with a B.S. in Biology and Spanish, and prior to medical school, she spent time in the Dominican Republic as a research assistant with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Global Health Center. Bhavya is passionate about reducing healthcare disparities and hopes to one day lead change in the way health systems treat people.

Brittany Zulkiewicz

Annenberg School for Communication, 2026

More

Brittany Zulkiewicz PhD’26 is a doctoral student studying health communication at the Annenberg School for Communication. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience and a certificate in Global Health from Duke University and a Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. Prior to pursuing her Ph.D., she was a public health research analyst at the Center for Communication Science at RTI International.

Camille Choe

The Wharton School & Harvard Kennedy School, 2024

More

Camille Choe MBA/MPP’24 is pursuing a dual degree in business and policy at the Wharton School and Harvard Kennedy School, focusing on Strategic Management and Business Economics and Public Policy. Prior to Wharton, she was a consultant at Deloitte, where she worked in finance strategy and transformation for some of the largest multinational companies in the world. Camille graduated with honors from the University of Chicago where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Psychology. She is passionate about data-driven policy design and driving impact in mental health, education, and racial equity.

Christian Wood

Perelman School of Medicine, 2023

More

Christian Wood MD’23 is a medical student at the Perelman School of Medicine. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a degree in Biochemistry and Economics. Prior to medical school, he worked as a patient advocate through the service program Bon Secours Volunteer Ministry. He has significant research experience in a variety of areas, ranging from translational research in hemophilia to health systems research related to safety net hospitals. He is deeply passionate about improving access to care, quality of care, and community health measures for vulnerable populations, and hopes to become a leader in this field as he transitions into a career as an emergency medicine physician.

Halle Aberhm

The Wharton School, 2024

More

Halle Aberhm MBA’24 is a Wharton MBA candidate in Business, Energy, Environment and Sustainability (BEES) and Entrepreneurship. Halle earned her undergraduate degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from Penn. Prior to Wharton, she worked as a consultant at Accenture New York. She has experience consulting in the financial services (asset management) and public services industries. Previously, she worked at Bloomberg LP on the development of ESG Products and both external and internal strategy and communications for the Sustainable Finance and Business Programs group. Halle has worked at The Global Good Fund in several different capacities since 2014, including as an intern, marketer, junior board member, and DEI committee member. Halle is passionate about supporting social entrepreneurs through their leadership development journey.

Leah Martins-Krasner

School of Design, 2024

More

Leah Martins-Krasner MCP’24 is pursuing a Master of City Planning from the Weitzman School of Design. Her interests include building transportation equity and supporting communities to ensure their wants and needs are reflected in public spaces. Prior to joining Weitzman, Leah was a Community Development Officer at the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC NYC), building the capacity of community-based organizations in New York City.  She holds a BA in Planning and Public Policy from Rutgers University.

Melissa Berkowitz

School of Social Policy & Practice and Carey Law School, 2024

More

Melissa Berkowitz MSSP’23/ML’24 is a current dual Master’s student in the Nonprofit Leadership (NPL) program in the School of Social Policy and Practice and the Master in Law program in the Carey Law School. Melissa also holds a Master of Public Policy with a Policy Analysis Specialization from the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin, Germany, and a Bachelor of Arts in History from New York University. Melissa currently works as a Project Manager on the Accelerate Health Equity Initiative at Penn Medicine. In this role, Melissa manages a portfolio of health equity projects in partnership with Independence Blue Cross and health care institutions across the city, including projects focused on access to specialty care, maternal health, and cardiovascular health.

Nicole (Nickie) Pereira

The Wharton School, 2024

More

Nicole Pereira MBA’24 (who goes by Nickie) is a first-year student at the Wharton School studying Quantitative Finance and Business Analytics.  Prior to Wharton, Nicole was a manager in strategy and diligence consulting for tech, media, and telecom companies at Altman Solon. Her experience spans both corporate and investor work and includes work on the firm’s pro bono efforts. Prior to Wharton, her leadership experiences include developing and launching process automation tools for fixed network assessment at Altman Solon, managing consulting projects, leading onboarding and training initiatives, and driving girls STEM education “a long-term passion” through various engagements. Nicole holds a B.S. in Physics and Economics from Yale University.

Nicole Ventrone

The Wharton School, 2024

More

Nicole Ventrone MBA’24 is pursuing her MBA at The Wharton School. Prior to Wharton, Nicole served as a Public Policy Fellow for a state department of education. She developed and strengthened data collection and analysis infrastructure for postsecondary career technical education programs. Nicole has also worked as an educator in Baltimore and Mexico City. In that time, she led her school’s first Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports team, first combination classroom, and first Student Council, all while ensuring her students consistently made more than a year’s worth of growth. She has also interned with a Maryland legislator researching the state’s digital divide. Nicole is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and the Johns Hopkins University’s School of Education.

Prahith (Sai) Chakka

Carey Law School & The Wharton School, 2024

More

Prahith Chakka JD/MBA’24 (who goes by Sai) is pursuing a dual degree in JD at the Carey Law School and an MBA at The Wharton School. Prahith hails from Naperville, Illinois in the Chicago suburbs. He graduated from the University of Minnesota with degrees in Economics and Political Science. After graduation, he spent two service years with the AmeriCorps program City Year in Seattle where he supported a Title I (high-poverty) elementary school as a tutor and mentor and later a team leader. He then worked as a 7th grade math teacher for three years before transitioning to Penn.

Ridhi Jhamb

School of Engineering & Applied Sciences, 2024

More

Ridhi Jhamb MSE’24 is currently a student at the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, pursuing a Master’s in Data Science. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and is passionate about technology and problem-solving. Previously, she served as a community leader at Make a Difference, a youth driven non-profit organization working towards attaining equitable outcomes for underprivileged children and a 2022 Lipman Prize winner. Her experience in designing data-driven solutions using Machine Learning and Statistics for a HealthTech company combined with her significant exposure in the social sector has motivated her to build an intersection between data-powered technologies and social welfare towards identifying, addressing and finding effective solutions for global social concerns.

Simphiwe (Simps) Bhebhe

School of Design, 2023

More

Simphiwe Bhebhe MCP’23 (who goes by Simps) is a Master of City Planning candidate concentrating in Smart Cities at the Weitzman School of Design. Simps holds a Bachelor of Arts in Intercultural Studies and Political Science from Olivet Nazarene University. Professionally, Simps is a social entrepreneur and consultant aspiring to be a philanthropist. He specializes in systems design that prioritizes human-centric and environmentally forward principles. His most current venture is the One App, a crowd-funding application that focuses on creating and supporting public good.

Yutong (Sunny) Jiang

The Wharton School, 2024

More

Yutong Jiang MBA’24 (who goes by Sunny) is pursuing her MBA at The Wharton School. She graduated with a dual-degree in Economics and Mathematics from Smith College and then started her career as an investment analyst at an investment management company. She pivoted to the technology sector after discovering her passion for leveraging technology to make an impact. Prior to Wharton, she worked as a senior manager at Tencent in Shenzhen, China. Outside of work, Sunny cofounded a social venture in 2016 focusing on women empowerment and leadership development. She also helped one of the largest pro-bono consulting organizations in China launch a digital transformation service line.

Vishoka Balasubramanian

The Wharton School & The Lauder Institute, 2023

More

Vishoka Balasubramanian MA/MBA’23 is a dual degree student at the Wharton School and the Lauder Institute. Born and raised in India, Vishoka also holds degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Management. Prior to Penn, Vishoka worked for Corning Inc. in different commercial roles, including product management and business development both in the US and Germany. Vishoka spent his time in Corning deeply engaged with the community. He co-founded TEDxChemungRiver, bringing this global and cultural event to the southern tier of New York. He was also on the board of multiple nonprofit organizations.

Warren Ndlovu

College of Professional Studies & The Wharton School, 2024

More

Warren Ndlovu MES/MBA’24 is currently a dual degree student, pursuing both an MBA at The Wharton School and a Master of Environmental Studies in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the College of Liberal & Professional Studies. He is interested in climate finance with a focus on sustainable cities. Most recently, he worked in the ESG research team at Wellington Management where he helped develop climate frameworks for use across various investing teams. Prior to Penn, he worked in management consulting focusing on growth and customer strategy across various sectors. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics with a focus on international finance from the University of Cape Town.

Yen (Zoe) Nguyen

Graduate School of Education, 2023

More

Yen Nguyen MSEd’23 (who goes by Zoe) is pursuing her Master of Science in Learning Sciences and Technologies at Penn’s Graduate School of Education. Before coming to Penn GSE, she received her Bachelor of Arts from Mount Holyoke College and Master of Arts in Chemistry from Columbia University. Previously, she worked as a chemistry teacher and curriculum developer. She also founded and led a small not-for-profit organization with the mission to bring sustainable education to Vietnamese children.

2022-23 Lipman Fellow Coordinators

The Lipman Coordinators serve as process guides and coaches throughout the fellows’ experience. They ensure a positive group culture among the fellows, manage certain group activities, facilitate weekly meetings, support the fellows individually and collectively and work with staff to strategize next steps throughout the fellows’ learning experience.

Louisa Lincoln

Annenberg School for Communication, 2025

More

Louisa Lincoln PhD’25 is pursuing a Ph.D. at the Annenberg School for Communication and is a 2022 Lipman Fellow alum. Her research examines sustainable business models for journalism, with a focus on nonprofit news and public media organizations. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Bachelor’s of Science in Journalism and Political Science and a certificate in Gender and Women’s Studies. Prior to coming to Penn, she worked in a variety of fundraising and business development roles at nonprofit media organizations including PRX, Public Radio International, NPR, and the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism. She currently serves on the Steering Committee for the Center for Media at Risk.

Jasmyn Howell

The Wharton School, 2023

More

Jasmyn Howell MBA ’23 is currently an MBA Candidate at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to Wharton, she was a management consultant where she worked with Fortune 500 companies across the healthcare, consumer, and technology sectors. Jasmyn worked alongside these clients to design consumer engagement strategies, develop go to market strategies, and implement data and analytics platforms to ultimately support their growth. Jasmyn is particularly interested in the impact technology has on consumers experience in the health and wellness industry, and is passionate about topics including health equity, women’s health, consumer wellness, and nutrition.

Join Our Community