June 2020 Newsletter - The Monthly ROR (Return on Relationship)
Welcome to the June ROR Summary!
The Wharton Club of the National Capital Region was founded in 2019 to provide authentic engagement and meaningful connections for our alumni community. We could never have anticipated how the dynamics of our community would change in 2020. We’re sure that, like almost everyone in the country, Wharton community members are feeling angry, saddened, frustrated and mournful about recent events, and the persistence of systemic racism and discrimination.
We share the sentiments expressed in President Amy Gutmann’s recent message to the Penn community, and hope that our own WCNCR community will find ways to engage in Penn’s Year of Civic Engagement. We would also like to share Professor Stephanie Creary’s lessons learned from teaching diversity, equity, and inclusion at Wharton, and her framework for leading conversations about race in and out of the classroom.
As part of our commitment to support events and programs that are most meaningful to our members, we are introducing our ‘Wharton Cares’ outreach program. We're going to be reaching out to many of you this month to ask you how the Club can engage and support our alumni during these challenging times and in the future.
In the meantime, if you have any suggestions about how WCNCR can engage and support the WCNCR community -- as our regional communities begin to enter a new phase to re-open businesses and to ease ‘stay-at-home’ policies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic -- please let us know by sending an email to [email protected] or by reaching out to any of our Board or Advisory Committee members found here!
Club programs for summer 2020 will strengthen our engagement with current members as well as with recent graduates, beginning with a "Call Home" virtual conversation on June 25th. We have also just launched our Investment Affinity Group, and their first event on June 23rd is a conversation with Mark Zandi W’81, Chief Economist at Moody's Analytics, on the economic recovery from COVID-19. Details are in the Upcoming Events section below.
During these extraordinary and uncertain times, we are reminded of the commitment of our alumni to make the world a stronger and better place.
WCNCR Board of Directors and Advisory Committee
Upcoming Events
Thur., June 18 - Penn & Wharton Club of Toronto and Wharton Alumni Angels - Wharton Alumni Angels Webinar
Please join us to learn about the Wharton Alumni Angels network and discussions with active VC's and two CEOs of funded startups. Click here for more details
Tues., June 23 - Creating Opportunities in a Time of Crisis with Prof. Jerry Wind, PHD (Livecast from Wharton)
Actionable Insights to Prepare for What's Next
Tues., June 23 - WCNCR Investment Affinity Group Presents: Implications of COVID-19 on our Economic Recovery
Please join us as Mark Zandi W'81, Chief Economist at Moody's Analytics, will assess how well the U.S. economy is recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.
He will identify and handicap the principal threats to continued growth, including the epidemiology of the virus, the monetary and fiscal policy response, and credit conditions. The longer-term economic implications of the crisis will also be considered, such as the nation's fiscal health, globalization, and changes to work and living arrangements. Click here to for more details
Thur., June 25 - Wharton Club of New York Presents - It’s About Damn Time: How to Turn Being Underestimated into Your Greatest Advantage
Join the WCNY as our club President, Regina Jaslow, interviews Arlan Hamilton, Founder and Managing Partner of Backstage Capital and Author of It's About Damn Time.
Arlan Hamilton built a venture capital fund from the ground up, while homeless. She is the Founder and Managing Partner of Backstage Capital, a fund that is dedicated to minimizing funding disparities in tech by investing in high-potential founders who are people of color, women, and/or LGBT. Click here for more details
Thur., June 25 - Please join us for a ‘Call Home’
During these extraordinary and uncertain times, we are reminded of the commitment of our alumni and their role to make the world a stronger and better place. This includes taking the strongest stand against institutional racism and discrimination.
We strongly believe that authentic engagement and meaningful connection is cornerstone to maintaining a strong and supportive alumni community. Click here for more details
Mon., June 29 - Wharton Club of Geneva Presents - Managing the COVID-19 pandemic
Two eminent experts will discuss the effects of the pandemic on the provision of health services by the state and private sector. Speakers include Raymond Loretan, President of the Board of several privately owned medical establishments such as GSMN Suisse SA, and Bertrand Levrat, General Director of the Geneva University Hospitals. Hear ideas to support the most meaningful engagement;Plan the highest quality programs & events that best support our members and local communities; Click here for more details
Tues., June 30 - Work Motivation and Engagement in a Work from Home World with Prof. Nancy Rothbard (Livecast from Wharton)
The global pandemic has fundamentally changed the order of business. From marketing to sales, manufacturing to research development, the ground has been shaken. The Wharton Ready Livecast Series, fueled by the stellar, groundbreaking thought leadership of the world-renowned Wharton faculty, is a twice weekly series of stimulating conversations brought to you by Wharton Executive Education. Click here for more details
Fri., July 10 - Wharton Club of Charlotte Presents: Into Africa with Tamara Cohen
One of these days we’ll be traveling again. For now, let your dreams take you to Africa.
This webinar will transport you to South Africa and show you its natural and man-made beauty, delicious wines, and breath-taking virtual safari experiences.
Tues., July 14 - Business Owners and CEOs
Exclusively for Wharton Alumni Business Owners and CEOs
Are you a Wharton alum CEO, Business Owner or Executive Director in the National Capital Region? It’s lonely at the top--especially when working virtually! Come build relationships with other alumni who are running their own businesses and delve into business issues, share resources, and learn best practices.
No business is too small or large to participate. First timers are welcome!
Wharton Resources
We also wanted to remind of several fantastic school-sponsored events and resources that are available to all alumni.
Weekly Webinars are led by Wharton faculty and cover a range of topics, including the job market after COVID-19. You can find a list of upcoming events as well recordings of past webinars at wharton.upenn.edu/webinars
Career Management Resources are available remotely to support MBA alumni, and range from the alumni job board and strategy videos posted online, to dedicated staff providing support and career advising.
Membership Renewal
It’s hard to believe that we launched WCNCR just over a year ago! You may have received messages in your inbox reminding you to
Please continue to support our awesome new club by choosing the auto-renewal option on your membership. If you have any questions about the Club, programming, financial status, or other issues, please send a message to [email protected].
Get Involved
YOU are what make our club programming successful, whether it’s your attendance or your ideas and help in coordinating the events. Please check out our Volunteer page here to see how you can get involved.
If you have access to a centrally located space that we can use for a nominal fee, email [email protected].
If you are interested in putting together an event or a series, please click here to our volunteer page to submit your ideas.