Megan Kashner
Lecturer in Kellogg’s Social Impact Program
Director of Social Impact
Professor Megan Kashner serves as the Director of Social Impact & Sustainability at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. In her leadership of Kellogg's Social Impact and Sustainability offerings, Kashner focuses on the areas of sustainable finance, social innovation, climate strategy, social sector leadership, policy, global development, corporate responsibility, values and ethics. Kashner leads up the global Impact & Sustainable Finance Faculty Consortium, the Kellogg-Morgan Stanley Sustainable Investing Challenge, and more collaborative work at the intersection of markets and impact. Previously, Kashner held leadership roles as a GP, CEO, social entrepreneur, and consultant. Kashner holds an MBA from Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management, a Master's from the University of Chicago's School of Social Service Administration and a B.A. in Public Policy from Brown University.
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M.B.A., 2003, Marketing and Strategy & Management, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University
A.M., 1995, Social Service Administration, Clinical MSW, University of Chicago
B.A., 1992, Public Policy and American Institutions, Brown University -
Clinical Assistant Professor & Director of Social Impact, Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management, 2016-present
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Founder & CEO, Benevolent, 2011-present
Executive Director, Taproot Foundation, 2008-2011
Executive Director, Infant Welfare Society of Evanston, 2005-2008
Chief Development Officer, Deborah's Place, 2003-2005
Program Director, Howard Area Community Center, 1999-2001
Program Director, Methodist Youth Services, 1996-1999
Mental Health Intake Coordinator, Heartland Health Outreach, 1993-2005
Outreach Worker, Thresholds, 1992-1993 -
Editorial Board, Journal of Impact & ESG Investing, 2020
Social Change Essentials: Methods, Money, and Partnerships (SSIMX-957-0)
Global Initiatives in Management (GIM) (INTLX-473-0)
All FT GIM classes will hold a final, mandatory class session. Please refer to each class's syllabi for the date and time.
Global Initiatives in Management (GIM) is an international experiential learning course designed to provide students with an introduction to the unique business opportunities, management practices and market dynamics of a specific region or global industry. The course combines in-class lectures, reading discussions and case studies during the winter quarter with ten days of international field research over spring break. Immersed in the culture and language of their host countries, students will have the opportunity to meet with local business and government leaders, conduct interviews and collect data for their group research projects, and experience some of the unique social and cultural facets of the region. Final presentations and written research reports are due in spring quarter after completion of the overseas portion of the class. Each class section is taught by a faculty member with deep knowledge of the region or industry and supported by an advisor from the Kellogg staff who assists students in planning the field experience. Students are financially responsible for their travel costs, and financial aid is available to those who qualify.
Social Change Essentials: Methods, Money, and Partnerships (SSIM-957-5)
Social Change Essentials: Methods, Money, and Partnerships (class formerly known as The Business of Social Change) -- How do business, philanthropic and investment practices yield real social results and progress? This course is designed to provide students with the skills and knowledge to influence and lead social impact in business and impact contexts. By the conclusion of this course, each student should have a strong foundation in social impact and social change, including approaches to funding impact, scaling programs and interventions, public- private partnerships, corporate engagement, impact investment decision-making, blended capital, and approaches to intentional impact. This course will serve students well in future experiences in corporate leadership, consulting, board and pro bono service, social impact leadership, social entrepreneurship and beyond.
Field Study (SSIM-498-0)
Social Innovation Practicum (SSIM-452-0)
This experiential lab course places students on teams to conduct hands-on consultative projects for social impact organizations, allowing students to apply management learnings and analytical expertise to the real challenges that leadership teams face as they operate and scale social impact endeavors within markets. The students who gain the most from this class are students interested in consulting, social innovation and leadership, social finance, and sustainability leadership. The hands-on consulting projects that student teams work on in this class demand that students apply their MBA learnings as well as their professional experience, intellect, and analytical skills to the real challenges that leadership teams face as they operate and scale social impact endeavors within markets. Each team’s project will be different and will require mastering new and cutting-edge frameworks for impact and sustainability leadership ranging from impact measurement and reporting to carbon and natural asset pricing, revenue and go-to-market strategies, stakeholder management, innovation for impact, and more. This class focuses on social innovation, impact finance, outcome measurement, sustainability strategy, models for scale, and root cause analysis. Deliverables will be robust, analytical, and professional-grade. Students will have the opportunity to express preferences among all potential projects.
Global Initiatives in Mgmt GIM (INTL-473-20)
Spring Session
Global Initiatives in Management (GIM) (INTL-473-0)
All FT GIM classes will hold a final, mandatory class session. Please refer to each class's syllabi for the date and time.
Global Initiatives in Management (GIM) is an international experiential learning course designed to provide students with an introduction to the unique business opportunities, management practices and market dynamics of a specific region or global industry. The course combines in-class lectures, reading discussions and case studies during the winter quarter with ten days of international field research over spring break. Immersed in the culture and language of their host countries, students will have the opportunity to meet with local business and government leaders, conduct interviews and collect data for their group research projects, and experience some of the unique social and cultural facets of the region. Final presentations and written research reports are due in spring quarter after completion of the overseas portion of the class. Each class section is taught by a faculty member with deep knowledge of the region or industry and supported by an advisor from the Kellogg staff who assists students in planning the field experience. Students are financially responsible for their travel costs, and financial aid is available to those who qualify.
