Trading Social Outcomes in an Impact Marketplace

Presenters

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  Jason Saul

  Jason Saul is one of the world’s leading experts on measuring social impact. He is the executive director of the Center for Impact Sciences at the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy. Saul is also the founder and executive chairman of Mission Holdings, the parent company to Mission Measurement, the Impact Genome, and OutcomesX. For over 25 years, Saul has been a pioneer in the field of social change, developing new methods to standardize, verify, and price social impacts. He is an award-winning author of books on measurement and social strategy, including Benchmarking for Nonprofits, Social Innovation, Inc. and The End of Fundraising. Saul was awarded the Harry S. Truman Scholarship for leadership and public service, has been recognized by Bloomberg/Businessweek as one of the Nation's 25 Most Promising Social Entrepreneurs and included by Crain's Chicago Business as a “40 under 40” business leader. Saul holds a juris doctorate from the University of Virginia School of Law, a master of public policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and a bachelor’s in government and French literature from Cornell University.

  Executive Director,
  Center for Impact Sciences at the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy
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  Nalini Tarakeshwar

  Nalini Tarakeshwar is the head of programs at the UBS Optimus Foundation where she oversees its programs in health, education, child protection, and climate and environment. She leads the monitoring, evaluation and learning function that reports on the Foundation’s outcomes-based impact, raising the bar on industry standards and benchmarks. Tarakeshwar has been instrumental in developing a data-driven approach to program management and defining Foundation portfolio strategies. She has made significant contributions to UBS’ first collectives, an impact model bringing together philanthropists and global partners to solve issues at scale. Tarakeshwar’s educational background includes degrees in civil engineering, special education, clinical psychology, and public health.

  Head of Program
  UBS Optimus Foundation
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  Ella Lamakh

  Ella Lamakh is a dedicated social policy expert and public activist based in Kyiv, Ukraine. With a career spanning over 20 years, she has made significant contributions in various areas, including child rights, gender equality, violence prevention, and social policy. She has been instrumental in designing and implementing projects aimed at promoting children's rights, family, and gender policies, and combating violence and human trafficking. Lamakh's expertise extends to advocacy campaigns focused on women's rights, gender policy, and the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda, as outlined in UN Security Council Resolution 1325. She has also been a champion for diversity, inclusivity, and the rights of marginalized communities. In response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Lamakh embarked on humanitarian efforts, establishing, and managing shelters for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in multiple regions. She played a pivotal role in providing psychological and material support to the IDPs and organizing community life in villages and towns. Lamakh serves as the head of the Democracy Development Center (DDC), a renowned Ukrainian civil society organization dedicated to the protection and advocacy of child rights. Notably, DDC is among the pioneering Ukrainian nonprofits to successfully sell their social outcomes through the OutcomesX marketplace, showcasing their commitment to innovation and effective social impact measurement.

  Head
  Democracy Development Center
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  Mark Beckles

  Mark Beckles has over 25 years of experience in financial services, and has executive leadership experiences in banking, insurance, risk management and nonprofit leadership. Beckles leads the strategic execution of RBC’s Social Impact portfolios including RBC Future Launch, RBC Tech for Nature and RBC Emerging Artists. He also leads stakeholder relations to cultivate and maintain key relationships across Canada including policy makers, partners and stakeholders to advance RBC’s community investment priorities. Beckles previously served as head of RBC Insurance Advice Centre, and as regional vice president of retail banking at RBC. He is a vice-chair of the board of directors of William Osler Health System, and serves as a board member and audit and finance committee member for the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. He also serves on the advisory committee of the Lincoln M. Alexander Award. Beckles has received many awards for his work, including the Harry Jerome Award for Professional Excellence (2015), the Barbados 50 Independence honors for community service (2016), and the African Canadian Achievement Award for Leadership and Management (2017). Beckles holds a master of business administration in international business from the University of Bradford. He has completed executive programs with Richard Ivey School of Business and holds the Institute of Corporate Directors designation (ICD.D).

  VP Social Impact & Innovation
  RBC
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  Leanne Nicolle

  Leanne Nicolle, idea generator, humanity advocate and globally minded social innovator, left her private sector marketing executive career to dedicate her life to helping girls around the world and social impact initiatives. Nicolle has a passion for human development and has worked in the social space for UNICEF, Plan Canada and as the founder of girl !mpact (Because I am a Girl). Nicolle continued her journey in the social space as the executive director of the Canadian Olympic Foundation. She was instrumental in creating programs to increase accessibility to high performance sport for those in marginalized communities. Her legacy program, RBC Training Ground, provides a platform to recruit the best athletes in Canada for our high performance stream. Currently, Nicolle is the president and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Toronto where she is thriving in her role as leader and mentor. BBBST is an organization entirely dedicated to empowering children and youth to reach their potential and break the cycle of poverty through intergenerational connections. She is an executive mentor in residence at Toronto Metropolitan University lending her expertise and lived experience in inclusive leadership; ethics & values; and women in leadership at the Ted Rogers School of Management master of business administration program.

  President and CEO,
  Big Brothers Big Sisters of Toronto
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  Moderator

  Barbara Wheeler-Bride

  Barbara Wheeler-Bride is editor, digital at Stanford Social Innovation Review. She has 20 years of experience with nonprofit organizations, ranging from community-based efforts to international organizations. Barbara has spent time working on young adult volunteer programs, a community-development initiative, nonprofit communications, and fundraising. She was previously the editor-in-chief of United Methodist Women’s Response magazine and BustedHalo.com. Barbara also served for eight years on the board of directors of the West Side Campaign Against Hunger, one of New York City’s largest food pantries. She has a bachelor’s degree in communications/journalism from Shippensburg University and lives in upstate New York with her family.

  Digital Editor,
  Stanford Social Innovation Review