SAVE THE DATE: THE 2021 ENGAGE FOR GOOD VIRTUAL CONFERENCE WILL BE HELD MAY 26-27, 2021
Learn more about last year’s exciting event below!
TOP PURPOSE LEADERS…
STREAMED DIRECTLY TO HOME OFFICES EVERYWHERE
IN AN ONLINE EVENT LIKE NO OTHER
This incredible event was hosted online on May 28, 2020 and we’re looking forward to hosting more virtual events in the future. But read on to see what this virtual event was all about and the amazing speakers and program. Want to stay apprised of future events? Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter.
For the first time ever, the Engage for Good Conference was a content-packed, online event unlike anything we’ve produced before. The theme this year was ‘Awaken Impact’ and this exciting event was designed to help attendees do just that. Awaken Impact in communications. Awaken Impact with consumers. With employees. With the C-suite. With key partners. The world is seeing business quickly pivot to purpose-focused initiatives amidst the pandemic. And organizations have an unparalleled opportunity to be a part of the conversation like never before.
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![]() Kelly McGinnisSVP/CCO, Levi Strauss & Co.
BioAs Chief Communications Officer of Levi Strauss & Co., Kelly McGinnis is responsible for managing the global Corporate Affairs function at the 160-year old apparel company. In this capacity, she oversees corporate media relations, executive, internal and stakeholder communications, government affairs and community affairs. Kelly reports to CEO Chip Bergh. During her tenure, LS&Co. had a successful IPO in March 2019 and has taken bold stands on gun violence prevention, voter registration, immigration and equality to name a few of the company’s values-driven stances. Previously, Kelly was the vice president of global communications at Dell. Prior to joining Dell, she served as general manager of Fleishman-Hillard’s San Francisco office after working with the firm in various capacities in St. Louis and San Antonio. Earlier in her career, Kelly led corporate communications for drugstore.com. Kelly is a two-time Silver Anvil award recipient. She holds a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Washington and a bachelor’s degree from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. ![]() Jonathan ReckfordCEO, Habitat for Humanity
BioJonathan T.M. Reckford is chief executive officer of Habitat for Humanity International, a global housing organization that, since 1976, has helped more than 22 million people build strength, stability and self-reliance through shelter. Following his tenure as executive pastor at Christ Presbyterian Church near Minneapolis, Minnesota, Reckford was appointed CEO of Habitat for Humanity International in 2005. He serves on the boards of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta and the Duke Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship. He is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Urban Steering Committee for the World Economic Forum. He was named the most influential nonprofit leader in America in 2017 by The NonProfit Times. Reckford graduated from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill where he was a Morehead Scholar. He was also the recipient of a Henry Luce Scholarship, which enabled him to do marketing work for the Seoul Olympic Organizing Committee and coach the Korean rowing team in preparation for the 1988 Olympics. He earned his Master of Business Administration degree from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business before spending much of his career in the for-profit sector, including executive and managerial positions at Goldman Sachs, Marriott, The Walt Disney Co., and Best Buy. Reckford is the author of a book titled Our Better Angels: Seven Simple Virtues That Will Change Your Life and the World. He and his wife, Ashley, have three children and live in Atlanta. ![]() Katrina McGheeBest-Selling Author, EVP, American Heart Association
BioFor more than two decades, Katrina McGhee has been a champion for women. Having served on the executive level for two of the world’s largest non-profit organizations, the American Heart Association and Susan G. Komen for the Cure, she has traveled around the globe, advocating for and inspiring women in more than 12 countries on 3 continents. In 2012 she embarked on a new adventure, channeling her passion for women’s empowerment into launching Loving on Me, a global movement encouraging women from every walk of life to love themselves and each other more. As Founder & Chief Inspiration Officer Katrina invited thousands to join her on the journey, forming a tribe of women committed to spreading love, sharing inspiration, and shifting the atmosphere in their local communities. What began as a simple blog and online social group has grown into an empowered woman’s inspiration destination, providing tools and resources that ignite women around the world to become leaders in every aspect of life. Through her book, “Loving on Me! Lessons Learned on the Journey from Mess to Message,” videos, and speeches, she continuously challenges women to win the war for their self-worth by embracing their true purpose, passion, and peace. Katrina has a lifetime of stories and experiences that have charted the course of her journey; but her most important story is a lifetime of commitment to women. Author, motivational speaker, and advocate, Katrina McGhee continues to build upon a legacy of working with women, and for women, inspiring them to achieve unimaginable success. ![]() Carol ConeThe "Mother of Social Purpose", Carol Cone On Purpose
BioCarol is internationally recognized for her work in social purpose and CSR. Carol Cone ON PURPOSE is her return to her entrepreneurial roots and life’s passion: to educate, inspire and accelerate social purpose programs and impacts for organizations and nonprofits around the globe. For more than 25 years, Cone has embraced a steadfast commitment to building lasting partnerships between companies, brands and social issues for deep business and societal impact. She adamantly feels that today, companies and brands must have a deeper meaning beyond the bottom line. Most recently, Cone conceptualized My Special Aflac Duck, a social robot developed from extensive child-centered design to comfort children going through an average of 1,000 days of chemotherapy. The robot evolved Aflac’s iconic mascot, the Aflac Duck, to deepen the company’s engagement with society. With Aflac underwriting its development and donating the Ducks to all children newly diagnosed with pediatric cancer, this innovative idea has been heralded around the globe, from the Tech for a Better World Award and Most Unexpected Product at the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show, to Time Magazine’s list of Best Inventions of 2018. She is also a recognized thought leader in purpose, having conducted the world’s first research, then dozens of studies with business executives, citizens, employees and nonprofits, to gain critical insights to inspire organizations to engage with society as wise business strategy. She is a sought-after speaker and media expert, sharing her insights on purpose branding, corporate citizenship, sustainability and CSR. In 2009, she was one of two US judges for the first PR Lions Awards at the Cannes Festival of Creativity. Her book, Breakthrough NonProfit Branding, was published in 2010. Other career highlights include: creating and hosting Purpose 360, a podcast showcasing the most innovative leaders in social purpose; creating Purposeful Connections, a bi-weekly newsletter; hosting more than 200 interns during her leadership of Cone; building a Habitat for Humanity house as an employee engagement program; and developing “Making Change for Katrina,” a nationwide coin collection program to fundraise for the Katrina disaster. Her most special moment: meeting the Dalai Lama, prior to her speech in Calgary, titled “The Power of Business for Good.” When she met him, he held her hand for 5 minutes. It was about a week before she got the nerve to wash that hand! ![]() Vikrum AiyerVP, Public Policy & Strategic Communications, Postmates
BioVikrum Aiyer is the Vice President of Global Public Policy & Strategic Communications for the on-demand technology platform, Postmates. As Postmates creates new opportunities for brick & mortar businesses to distribute their products in the era of e-commerce, it is also shaping the way independent workers and automation shape the labor market. Aiyer leads the legislative and regulatory policy discussions at the federal, state, and local levels which impacts the Future of Work in the gig-economy, taxation in online marketplaces, consumer privacy and the deployment of emergency technologies. He also serves the Mayor of San Francisco as a political appointee and Commissioner to the Mayor’s Workforce Investment Board.
Previously, Aiyer was as a senior official in the Obama Administration serving as Senior Advisor in The White House for innovation & manufacturing policy, and as the Chief of Staff to the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property. In these capacities, he served as the principal political and policy advisor to the undersecretary of commerce and coordinated a $3.2B budget, in support of 13,000 employees, to execute the daily operations, priorities, and global communications of President Obama’s intellectual property & STEM agenda. In 2016 Aiyer led a U.S. delegation to Cuba to reset relations between the two nations’ patent offices, and served on Vice President Biden’s Cancer Moonshot Taskforce, to accelerate progress towards a cure by fast-tracking immunology patenting. Aiyer also steered investments in several advanced manufacturing technologies including smart fabrics, autonomous vehicles, high-performance computing, and next-generation semiconductors. He has also served on the communications team of Senator Ed Markey (D-MA); Mayor Adrian Fenty (D-Washington, D.C.); and the Democratic National Conventions in 2012 and 2016. In 2015, Forbes Magazine named Aiyer to the 30 Under 30 list for Law & Policy; and in 2017 Aiyer was named a Public Policy Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. Aiyer currently lives in San Francisco, California where he serves as a Term Member for the Council on Foreign Relations; a co-chair for the US Chamber of Commerce New Economy Working Group; an executive board member of the Bay Area Council; a board member for the tech-policy advocacy group sf.Citi; a Business Council Chair for the U.S. Conference of Mayors; and on the new leaders’ council of the San Francisco Symphony. ![]() Devi ThomasGlobal Head, Communications, Salesforce.org
BioDevi is a cause branding and purpose marketer who is working with Salesforce.org to tell the social impact story of Salesforce and bring the .org brand to life through integrated, and consistent brand marketing and messaging. Devi has led corporate citizenship brands at the UN Foundation and Cone Communications , among other brands where she specialized in CSR and cause-related branding.
![]() Joan HanawiSocial Impact Manager, Lyft
BioJoan is focused on making sure the tech world is infused with humanity through her role on the Social Impact team (LyftUp) at Lyft. In this role, she has the privilege of finding ways to channel transportation as a force for good. Now, Joan has been on the frontlines of LyftUp’s COVID-19 response, including updating some of their core programs to help accommodate the new reality its communities are facing. As part of these efforts, Joan helped the team activate more than 500 partners through LyftUp to respond to the crisis throughout local communities, and provide free rides to those who need them most right now.
Before life at Lyft, Joan spent time advising some of the top tech and Fortune 500 companies as a social impact consultant through her tenure at GOOD. ![]() Chad Royal-PascoeNational VP, Boys & Girls Clubs of America
BioChad leads the Corporate Partnerships and Account Relationship teams as well as Cause Marketing at BGCA. In his role, he was instrumental in launching the Great Futures Campaign, one of the most ambitious expansions in the organization’s history, securing transformational partnerships and launching a new cause marketing platform. That almost $500M campaign reached its five year goal in slightly over 3.5 years and has fueled massive growth and change across the Movement.
![]() Kelly CobbVP, Community & Giving, Bombas
Bio Kelly Cobb is the VP of Community + Giving at Bombas. In her role, she leads the company’s mission to help those in need by donating a specially-designed item for every item purchased. Kelly also engages the Bombas team and community members in volunteer opportunities that further their connection with individuals experiencing homelessness. Before joining Bombas, Kelly owned a floral studio for 5 years.
BioDerrick Feldmann is a sought-after speaker, researcher and advisor for causes and companies on social movements and issue engagement. He regularly speaks at events and organizations throughout the country and around the world on how causes and companies can drive public interest in social change. He is the author on two books, Social Movements For Good: How Companies and Causes Create Viral Change and Cause for Change: The Why and How of Nonprofit Millennial Engagement. A third, The Corporate Social Mind, will publish in early 2020. In 2018, Feldmann created the Cause & Social Influence initiative to probe the influences and approaches that drive Americans 18-30 to engage in social movements, as well as the Influence Nation Summit to bring thought leaders and on-the-ground activists together. Feldmann has been recognized as a leading researcher in cause engagement for more than a decade. His work is regularly cited by such outlets as Forbes, Fast Company and The Wall Street Journal and as a reliable source of data on today’s cause engagement. In 2018, he led the research team for Influencing Young America to Act, a study of how young adults are influenced by and influence others to support social movements. During the prior 10 years, he led the research team for the Millennial Impact Project, producing the comprehensive Millennial Impact Reports on how the generation has engaged with causes from varying perspectives. His next project is an intergenerational study with millennials and gen z. Feldmann is on the Leadership Faculty of the Points of Light Corporate Institute, and a member of the advisory boards of the Ad Council and Truth Initiative. He is a guest lecturer for the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs and on the board of visitors for the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University. ![]() Melissa AndersonCo-Founder & President, Public Good
BioMelissa is the Co-founder and President of Public Good Software. Under her leadership, Public Good’s AI for Good platform has become the leader in “making news actionable” working with the nation’s leading publishers and brands including CNN, Tribune Media, HuffPost, Vice, Microsoft, Unilever and Danone. Prior to Public Good, Melissa founded a start-up within a start-up with Sittercity’s Employer Program which was acquired in by Bright Horizons, the global leader in employer-sponsored care solutions. Melissa is a dynamic thought-leader around social impact innovation and an experienced speaker and keynote at a broad range of leading industry media and purpose brand events including the Gates Foundation Greater Giving Summit, the Online News Association Annual Conference, Sustainable Brands Flagship Conference, Engage for Good, Digital Hollywood, The Shift Forum, The White House MSOY annual awards, and The Working Mother 100 Best Companies Annual Conference and Gala. She has also been featured in Entrepreneur.com, Microsoft Chicago and The Pentagon Channel. Past accolades include being named as a Civic Leader by the Air Force Chief of Staff and “Wonder Woman of Chicago” by IdeaForge. Melissa also serves as a lead mentor for TechStars in Chicago and served as the President of the Auxiliary Board at the Chicago Children’s Museum. ![]() David HesskielFounder, Author, President & Founder, Engage for Good
BioThe co-author of Good Works!, David Hessekiel owns and leads Cause Marketing Forum, Inc. (CMFI), a firm that educates, inspires and brings together professionals pursuing both purpose and profits in the U.S. and Canada. Hessekiel’s insights into pursuing a combination of profit and purpose and peer-to-peer fundraising, have made him a sought-after speaker in the US and overseas. He is also a frequently quoted source for notable media outlets, such as The New York Times, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, National Public Radio, CNN and The Chronicle of Philanthropy. A regular blogger on Forbes.com, and CMFI’s own outlets – David Hessekiel has demonstrated a strong conviction that companies can simultaneously build a better world and their bottom line. The recipient of a BA from Wesleyan University and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, Hessekiel is a former journalist, publishing and consumer marketing executive and consultant. The father of two daughters, Hessekiel lives in Rye, New York with his wife, the writer, Andrea Atkins Hessekiel. |
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INSPIRATION | TRENDS | BENCHMARKING | MOTIVATION |
What are others doing to build a better world and the bottom line…even amidst a global pandemic? In addition to seeing this year’s Halo Award winners, attendees were energized and inspired by the good works happening around the globe by programs large and small. | It’s critical to keep your ear to the ground when it comes to tracking where purpose-focused businesses are headed and where stakeholder priorities lie. Participants heard from top minds in the social impact space about finding the largest gains in 2020 and beyond. | Attendees of Engage for Good often comment that this annual event is critical for them to understand where “the bar” is amongst their peers so they can ensure they’re at least reaching, if not exceeding, it. Fortify your case for leading with impact. | It’s a rough time for many and so many questions remain that it’s sometimes hard not to get discouraged. In addition to sharing best practices, tactics, tips and trends, attendees said they walked away from this virtual event re-energized to fight the good fight. |
We know that one of the most important parts of any conference is connecting with your peers. Engage for Good Virtual Conference attendee got access to incredible pre- and post-conference programming including online special interest group discussions, virtual networking, a bonus webinar…plus an exclusive invitation to get up-close-and-personal with some of this year’s Halo Award winners. All this was included with the Virtual Conference Registration.
Have questions about the Engage for Good Virtual Conference or future events? Check out our FAQ page or reach out via email. We’re always happy to answer your questions!