Yale SOM Names New Cohort of Inclusive Growth Fellows

Nine Yale SOM students will join the Inclusive Growth Fellowship, a program that pairs current students with New Haven leaders to work on economic development projects benefitting all local residents.

Launched earlier this year, the Inclusive Growth Fellowship is SOM’s first major contribution to the Center for Inclusive Growth, a historic partnership between Yale University and the City of New Haven that aims to implement strategies for equitable development across the city. The nine new fellows comprise the program’s second cohort and will complete their projects during the spring semester, under the mentorship of leaders in New Haven’s Economic Development Administration.

“We are thrilled to welcome this cohort of fellows,” said Dawn Ragsdale, executive director of the Center for Inclusive Growth. “The projects they will work on offer fantastic opportunities for them to apply their knowledge to support the long-term sustainability and growth of local businesses. We know these bright minds will bring fresh perspectives and innovative solutions, strengthening the center’s capacity to drive positive change in the community.”

The new fellows, who were chosen from over 40 applicants, are students in Yale SOM’s full-time MBA and Master of Advanced Management programs. They will bring experience in consulting, education, local government, small business administration, museum management, and the U.S. military to their work for the Center for Inclusive Growth. By participating in the fellowship, the students will learn to work with public and private stakeholders to advance ambitious social impact projects, furthering SOM’s mission of educating leaders for business and society.

Fellows Peter Waggonner ’26 and Anees Patwa ’26 will support New Haven’s efforts to build high-quality, low-cost housing through a federal grant. Their work will involve using data analysis, research, literature review, and geospatial and topographic mapping to create a plan for grant implementation that also addresses the needs and interests of the city’s elected leadership.

Emily Harwell ’25 and Harmon Pardoe ’26 will examine the possibility of building a conference center to attract conventions and large events to New Haven. They will use data analysis to quantify the potential economic rewards of such a project and advise city leaders on how best to proceed.

Building on the work of the first cohort of fellows, Joo Chung ’26 and Juan Ayma ’25 will explore how New Haven can both use and produce mass timber, a low-carbon construction alternative to building materials like concrete and steel. The fellows will develop a financial model for building a mass timber processing facility in the city and propose a plan for incorporating mass timber in city-led development projects.

Hannah Hua ’26, Ron Coleman ’25, and Alex Eve ’26 will research opportunities for New Haven to support small-scale entrepreneurship through acquisition. They will develop a plan for the city to gather information about local business owners looking to sell their companies and retire, match them with new entrepreneurs, and provide support to first-time CEOs.

The Yale SOM Inclusive Growth Fellowship is made possible thanks to generous support provided by the Amman Community Impact Fund.