The Human Scale of Impact

On a spring evening in New Haven, 49 Yale alumni and community leaders gathered at The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven for a conversation that was equal parts urgent and hopeful. Together, voices from investment, banking, and community development examined how mission-driven capital and entrepreneurial assistance can help build generational wealth in communities that have long been left out of traditional financial systems. The event was produced by Rob Leighton ’88 and organized by the Connecticut Regional Chapter leaders.

Anna Blanding ’09, chief investment officer at ConnCORP; Drew Alden, chief investment officer of The Community Foundation and president and CEO of TCF Mission Investments; and Demetris Giannoulias YC ’94, CEO of Spring Bank in the Bronx formed an expert panel and spoke amidst panoramic views of New Haven, including SOM’s own Evans Hall. The panel was moderated by Judy Chevalier, William S. Beinecke Professor of Finance and Economics and faculty director for the Program on Social Enterprise, Innovation, and Impact at the Yale School of Management.

Chevalier guided a rich exchange among the panelists, whose work spans community development finance, mission-driven investment, and entrepreneurial support. Together, they drew on their real-world experience to examine how investors, financial institutions, and community organizations are reimagining the role of capital not just as a tool for generating returns, but as a vehicle for expanding access and opportunity.

“I have a view that all investing is impact investing,” said Blanding, reflecting on how every financial decision carries consequences—intended or not—for the communities and systems it touches. “With ConnCORP we’ve been thinking about how you deeply invest in a community in a way that it is patient, long-term, and sustainable,” she said. “It’s the idea of bringing together a whole ecosystem of investing that aligns with your horizon.”

Giannoulias brought a community-level perspective to the discussion, emphasizing that meaningful impact begins with keeping decision-making close to the individuals being served. “What’s really important to us is that decisions are made on a human scale,” he said. “Not by algorithms, not by people in offices miles away, but by the employees of the bank that work and live near the communities where the impact hits.”

Alden framed the moment as part of a larger cultural and generational shift. “We as a people, we as a humanity, are thinking more about impact and sustainability in our world, in our families, and the future of this globe,” he said.

For Sharon Cappetta, Director of Development for The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, the evening captured something meaningful about the spirit of the gathering. “Tonight’s discussion highlighted alumni coming back, sharing what they’ve been doing, and sharing this commitment to community,” she said.

It was a reflection that spoke to the Foundation’s own long-standing commitment to the region. Since its founding in 1928, The Community Foundation has been a cornerstone of Greater New Haven’s philanthropic landscape—one of the oldest and largest community foundations in the country and the largest grant maker across the region’s twenty-town area. For nearly a century, it has worked to ensure that the programs and causes that matter most to donors and community members are supported not just today, but permanently.

Attendee Gina Coleman ’22 shared how the evening crystallized both a challenge and a call to action. Her biggest takeaway, she said, was “the opportunities for all of us to find ways to become more involved in impact investing so that we can grow impact. It is about being intentional and being thoughtful about what your dollars are going to do and what they are going to signal.”

Following the panel, guests moved into a networking reception hosted by The Community Foundation, where the formal discussion gave way to the kind of informal exchange that often sparks new ideas and partnerships. For many in the room, it was a reminder that closing the economic divide requires not just capital, but connection, and that the work of building more equitable pathways to wealth is already well underway in New Haven and beyond.

To find more events like this one, visit SOM Connect, the online community built exclusively for Yale SOM alumni, and stay connected with fellow alumni who are shaping the future of business and society.