Meet two Stern alums, Casey Clark (MBA ’17) and Monique Aiken (MBA ’05), who serve on the NYU Impact Investment Fund (IIF) investment committee as part of a year-long experiential learning course jointly run by NYU’s Stern, Wagner, and Law Schools, in which graduate students are placed in five deal teams to source; screen; conduct financial, impact, and legal due diligence; develop investment memorandums; and make competitive presentations to the committee. For the 2021-22 academic year, students are looking to invest in companies that can help address racial inequality and social justice.

“A course like this offers students the unique opportunity to manage a real impact investment fund in all aspects of its operations and Casey and Monique's involvement is critical because of their unique real-world experience, mentorship, and insights," says Bryan Ramos, assistant dean of Global & Experiential Education, NYU Stern.

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Casey Clark (MBA ’17)

President & Chief Investment Officer, Rockefeller Asset Management 

Why did you get involved? "It was an exciting opportunity to help deliver on the mission of empowering social enterprises, guiding the next generation of impact investors, and supporting the collaboration between Stern, Wagner, and the Law schools."
 
What is the most rewarding part of working with students? "Two things come to mind. First, helping to support the next generation of impact investors and entrepreneurs focused on sectors such as food and agriculture, climate change, healthcare, education, and financial inclusion gives me hope for the future. And second, I enjoy being at the forefront of impact investing innovation and creativity with a student-led, evergreen strategy wrapped in a Donor Advised Fund."
 

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Monique Aiken (MBA ’05) 

Managing Director, The Investment Integration Project

Why did you get involved? "I was a Toigo Fellow and received an NYU scholarship that allowed me to attend business school, and IIF is a chance to "pay it forward." I owe my career to the doors opened to me through programs like INROADS, SEO, the Consortium for Graduate Study in Management, and the Toigo Foundation. All of these programs were founded to address the systemic biases that have historically excluded black people and other students of color from access to opportunity in business generally, and finance in particular."
 
What is the most rewarding part of working with students? "Earned learning and wisdom has more value, perhaps by multiples. My hope is that students can begin at the edge of the existing body of accumulated knowledge and then go further, faster by using a dizzying array of new tools and connectivity available today. I'm excited and inspired by the possibility represented by each student as we pass the torch to them."
 

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Stern Solutions At-A-Glance 

• 20+ year legacy
• 30 academic courses
• 100+ corporate partners
• 11 industries 
• 100+ alumni volunteers

Contact solutions@stern.nyu.edu to learn more about how you and your company can support a Stern Solutions project.