Yale SOM Strengthens Local Ties at Second Annual Community Mixer

Building on the success of last year’s inaugural event, the Program on Social Enterprise, Innovation, and Impact (PSEII) hosted its second annual Community Mixer on October 8. Organized by Alexis Willoughby-Robinson, Associate Director for Outreach and Engagement, the mixer welcomed representatives from over 30 local nonprofits, from local government, and from area social enterprises. Due to the growth in the event size, this year’s mixer was held in the expansive Bekenstein Atrium of the Yale School of Management and was designed to bring together people who have collaborated with SOM and PSEII programs such as the Nonprofit Board Fellows Program, the Inclusive Economic Development Lab, and the Social Impact Consulting Club. The event also welcomed representatives from organizations that were interested in finding ways to begin engagement with the school.

In addition to the community attendees, the event was attended by Yale SOM students, faculty, and staff. Yale SOM Dean Kerwin K. Charles was also in attendance, underscoring the school’s commitment to community engagement. First-year student Peter Waggonner, attending the event for the first time, commented: "Yale School of Management's relationship with New Haven, and our genuine care for society beyond the walls of Evans Hall, is why I elected to pursue my MBA here. The mixer provided a valuable opportunity to host community organizations on campus, thereby welcoming them into our home, just like they so graciously invite us into theirs on a daily basis."

Several community attendees posted about the event on LinkedIn, including Patricia Melton, President of New Haven Promise; Jesse Phillips, Associate Director of Programs, Strategy, and Engagement for the Center for Inclusive Growth; and Mark Abraham, Executive Director of DataHaven. Patricia Melton (New Haven Promise) attended alongside several members of her staff and a group of Promise Scholars who had worked in the building this past summer. She praised the event: “Yale School of Management’s Community Mixer was a wonderful time to reconnect, reflect, and deepen our enduring partnership... Thank you for your generosity and care for our city and youth!”

Jesse Phillips (Center for Inclusive Growth) also praised the event for expanding and building on “the long-standing working relationship between faculty, students, and the community in building up New Haven to its full potential.”

Judith A. Chevalier, William S. Beinecke Professor of Economics and Finance and Faculty Director of PSEII, views the event as just one part of a larger effort to work with organizations in the community through programs like the Nonprofit Board Fellows Program, the Inclusive Economic Development Lab, and the Social Impact Consulting Club. She remarked: "There are so many dedicated and talented people working on important problems in our community; it is a privilege for us to develop mutually beneficial relationships with them. Our students learn both about our community and about the social impact strategies, while organizations benefit from assistance from students and faculty employing the MBA toolkit to help address the challenges that they face."