Each year, CASE and CASE i3 selects an elite group of second year MBAs to act as ambassadors of CASE’s work and collaborate with the CASE team throughout the year. These fellows come from a wide range of backgrounds and participate in CASE programming throughout the year, providing great insights and leading workshops, speaker sessions, and other programming in social entrepreneurship and impact investing. Read more about the Fellows programs here.
We are always amazed at the experiences and aspirations of Fellow applicants and this year was no exception. From working overseas with refugees and business startups to helping local North Carolina organizations scale their impact, these Fuqua students are already showing the world that they have the drive and motivation to make big changes.
Congratulations to this year’s CASE Fellows and CASE i3 Fellows!
2016 CASE Fellows
Blair Lanier (co-lead): Blair comes to Fuqua with a background in strategy and analysis, including work with Bull City Forward and the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina. She is a dual degree candidate earning her Master of Public Policy degree from the Sanford School of Public Policy, and she formerly served as Executive Director of an education non-profit. Blair plans to stay in the Triangle after graduation, and she will be interning at IBM this summer.
Alejandra Rossi (co-lead): Ale has a number of years’ experience working with social entrepreneurs and economic development in Uruguay through TECHO, Endeavor, and Socialab. This spring she is working with SEAD Innovator Northstar Alliance through the Fuqua Client Consulting Practicum. She will be working with REDF this summer, continuing with her passion for the social entrepreneurship space.
Abdullah Alrashid: Abdullah joins Fuqua from Saudi Arabia where he launched a number of social ventures and worked in corporate social responsibility for Saudi Aramco. Upon graduation, he will join the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture leading community outreach programs.
Courtney Cobb: Courtney comes to Fuqua with a Fulbright scholarship focusing on foreign direct investment and several years of consulting experience with Deloitte. This spring, she is working with SEAD Innovator Northstar Alliance through the Fuqua Client Consulting Practicum. She also serves cabinet positions with the Fuqua Net Impact Club and the Association of Women in Business and will be serving as Co-President of the Association of Women in Business for the 2016-2017 school year.
Melissa Hodges: Melissa comes to Fuqua having spent 5 years leading medical volunteers on surgical programs in the developing world with Operation Smile and having spent several summers leading youth abroad on service learning programs with Lifeworks International. Melissa is pursuing a career with a B Corporation after spending her upcoming summer with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy to promote the physical and mental benefits of hiking.
Kylie Johnston: Kylie’s background includes a number of years working on environmental and agricultural issues in Australia. She is also serving as Co-President of the Fuqua Net Impact Club for the 2016-2017 school year. Kylie is pursuing a career in non-profit management to lead teams and work on organizational delivery of impact missions. She is interested in issues of diversity and equal opportunity.
Julia Korn: Julia’s background includes working for the largest nonprofit healthcare system in New York State as a financial analyst and manager of ambulatory services. She is currently a CASEi3 associate and will be spending her summer with Social Finance, working in the Pay for Success and Social Impact Bond space.
Raquel Lima: Prior to Fuqua, Raquel worked for a social enterprise in Kenya as an entrepreneur consultant to local startups. She has also worked in the real estate investment team for one of the largest investment banks in the world, as well as for a boutique data analytics consulting firm in Dallas, TX.
Hilary Nichols: Hilary has dedicated her career to financial inclusion, most recently leading initiatives with the global non-profit, Women’s World Banking, to design and implement microinsurance products for low-income women in the developing world. She is a CASE Scholar and dedicated to continuing her impact on lives at the base of the pyramid after she graduates from Fuqua in Spring 2017.
Bruno Giusti Pereira: Bruno has a number of years’ experience working with one of the largest banks in Latin America as business development and portfolio manager. This spring he is working with one of our SEAD Innovators through the FCCP, and next summer will be working with Apple Pay’s team. After Fuqua, he plans to work with international development.
Christa Register: Christa comes to Fuqua with experience working at a social impact consulting firm in Washington, DC, after spending two years in Togo with the Peace Corps as a small enterprise development consultant. She will be pursuing an internship in investment banking this summer.
James Ruggiero: After spending two years with AmeriCorps, James worked in research and strategy development for Imprint Capital, an investment advisory firm that creates customized impact investing portfolios for foundations, family offices and high net worth individuals. After Fuqua, he plans to focus on scaling social enterprises.
Kimberly Runge: Before coming to Fuqua, Kim was Vice President of Corporate Foreign Exchange Sales at Wells Fargo Bank. She currently is also a CASE i3 Associate.
Libby Rybacki: Libby’s desire to make an impact through leadership and outdoor experiences grew during her nine years as an officer in the US military. Libby plans to continue tackling ambiguous and complex problems in the social and environmental sector. This summer she will partner with Net Impact and the National Parks Service as a business consultant.
Tim Scales: Tim has ten years of experience in service of the nonprofit sector, and is founder of Wagon Wheel Arts Consulting. He currently serves as a board member of the nonprofits North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association and Arts North Carolina. Following graduation, he hopes to join the growing North Carolina sustainable energy sector.
2016 CASE i3 Fellows
Zen Dedekind (co-chair): Zen has several years’ experience working at one of South Africa’s largest banks, before doing a pre-MBA internship at a social venture capital fund. This summer, Zen will be working at the Small Business and Technology Development Center on a technology commercialization project.
Sidney McLaurin (co-chair): Sidney has experience working as an Associate within tech-focused Venture Capital firms such as Kapor Capital and Qualcomm Ventures. He’s interested in technologies that enable more efficient use of resources within Energy, Agriculture, Logistics, and Manufacturing.
Adelaide Belk: Prior to Fuqua, Adelaide worked in San Francisco at Change.org as a client manager, advising organizations and socially-driven companies on digital campaigns. Adelaide has worked in the social enterprise and nonprofit sectors in SF, DC, and East Africa since undergrad.
Colin Bready: Colin worked for Cru, a global faith-based nonprofit for eight years in a variety of field-based, support, and leadership roles in China, Egypt, and the US. This past summer he interned at USAID, in the Office of Private Capital and Microenterprise, exploring methods to mobilize private capital towards international development outcomes.
Lauren Day: Lauren has five years of international development experience managing USAID programs in organizational capacity building across various sectors, disciplines, and countries. This summer Lauren will be working on sustainability strategy and CSR for Dow Chemical Company.
Nikki Gusz: For the past 7 years, Nikki has focused on strategic initiatives and instruction in K-12 and higher education settings, including creating courses and raising funds in the social innovation space. This summer, she will be with Deloitte’s Human Capital practice.
Raquel Lima: Prior to Fuqua, Raquel worked for a social enterprise in Kenya as an entrepreneur consultant to local startups. She has also worked in the real estate investment team for one of the largest investment banks in the world, as well as for a boutique data analytics consulting firm in Dallas, TX.
Maria Pia Morante: Pia has five years of experience in the Asset Management industry working in the Investments team of one of the biggest pension funds in Peru. This summer, Pia will be working with PIMCO in its Equity Dividend Fund as an MBA Equity Research Intern.
Hilary Nichols: Hilary has dedicated her career to financial inclusion, most recently leading initiatives with the global non-profit, Women’s World Banking, to design and implement microinsurance products for low-income women in the developing world. She is a CASE Scholar and dedicated to continuing her impact on lives at the base of the pyramid after she graduates from Fuqua in Spring 2017.
Joe Watt: Prior to coming to Fuqua, Joe most recently worked in corporate development and strategy for an international K-12 education provider and will be spending the summer with WJ Partners, a private equity firm based in South Carolina. He is passionate about the intersection of social impact and equity investment, particularly within K-12 education and youth development.
Max Zamor: Max Zamor has been a New York City public high school Mathematics teacher for the past four years prior to Fuqua. As an MBA student, he has worked with the Duke Lemur Center on a business plan to distribute portable cook stoves in Madagascar to help reduce deforestation and smoke inhalation from traditional open fire cooking. Max is also a CASE i3 associate this year. This summer, Max will be interning as a Private Banker at JP Morgan in New York City.