Engaging Minds: Introducing CASI’s 2024-2025 Student Leadership Group

The Corporations and Society (CASI) Initiative is excited to welcome the new student leaders joining us for the 2024-2025 academic year. This year’s group is a diverse mix of MBA students who bring energy and passion across a range of topics.

Kate Adams and Rachel Hersh will serve as CASI co-directors. Other CASI leaders include Richard Hamrick, Sandhya Jetty, Chanwoo Park, Jack Shumway, Hendrick Townley, and Tyler Walker. 

With fresh ideas and a renewed sense of purpose, the new CASI student leaders are prepared to help shape thought-provoking discussions and drive impactful events in the year ahead.

CASI staff Director Lisa Sanchez-Corea Simpson is looking forward to working with the students on the upcoming CASI speakers program.

“This year’s leaders are eager to deepen the dialogue on issues they feel deserve a more critical examination,” Simpson said. “It’s a great way to expand their interests and raise important questions with the GSB community.”

Some of the topics for discussion include capitalism and the rule of law, sportswashing, and big tech and anti-trust cases.

CASI’s outgoing student leaders say they’re grateful for the exposure to new perspectives during the ’23-’24 academic year and for the knowledge they’ve gained. The outgoing group includes CASI Director Claudia Alvarez-Pujol (MBA ’24) who served as moderator of an April 4th event titled, Is Democracy for Sale? with guest speakers  Patrick Alley of Global Witness, David Leonhardt, senior writer for the New York Times and Bethany McLean, Vanity Fair contributor and book author.

CASI student leader Rachel Keathley (MBA ’24) explored the pervasive disconnect between the billionaire class and the broader societal needs they claim to address at an April 23rd event with Peter Goodman, a New York Times reporter and author of the book, Davos Man: How the Billionaires Devoured the World.

CASI student leader Thomas Newcomb moderated two discussions this academic year; one on November 3rd with Bethany McLean that focused on her book, The Big Fail: What the Pandemic Revealed About Who America Protects and Who It Leaves Behind and another on February 2nd with short seller Fahmi Quadir in February.

Ryan Zepeda (MBA ’24) welcomed David Barboza, former NY Times journalist and co-founder of The Wire China & WireScreen to a CASI-hosted event on January 18. Zepeda served as moderator for a discussion on the economic and technological changes that have redefined China and the global balance of power.

Amira Hannon moderated an event on race and wealth in May with journalists and co-authors Louise Story and Ebony Reed on their groundbreaking new book, Fifteen Cents on the Dollar: How Americans Made the Black-White Wealth Gap.

In addition to the events, CASI student leaders held small group dinners to share ideas in a more informal atmosphere. Discussion topics ranged from universal basic income, and campaign finance reform, to executive compensation and how to address excessive short-term value prioritization.

These student-led dinners underscore the complexity of the issues at hand and the multifaceted solutions required to address them. They also demonstrate that change often begins with a question, a conversation, and the willingness to listen and learn.

According to Simpson, “A significant part of CASI’s success lies with the student’s participation. Their engagement and enthusiasm drive our mission forward.”

The transition to new leadership marks an exciting chapter for CASI, one where critical discussions can thrive, and meaningful engagements emerge within the GSB community.