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Georgia MBA Wants to Change How Students Think About Purpose-Driven Careers

On October 30th, the University of Georgia’s Net Impact chapter program kicked off the fall season with an incredible event at Creature Comforts Brewery. The Net Impact chapter is led by 2nd year MBA, Zack Godfrey, who was the master of ceremonies for the event. Other notable MBA students on the Net Impact board include: Ratna Govin, MBA ‘20 – VP of University Relations, Tina Pu, MBA ‘20 – VP of Strategy and Operations, Jeremy Walton, MBA ‘20 – VP of Community Relations, and Jakob Kagel, MBA ‘20 – VP of Social Impact Events.
(L-R): Matt Stevens, Christina Noel, Ariel Brassil, Nathan Stuck, Zack Godfrey

The event began with an incredible discussion by four panelists who work in careers that infuse purpose in the work. Their conversation, moderated by Zack Godfrey, focused on the topic of Careers with a Purpose. After this engaging conversation, the panelists and audience grabbed a Creature Comforts’ brew and networked into the evening. A recap of the advice given follows:

Matt Stevens, Director of Community and Culture at Creature Comforts – a rapidly growing brewery based out of Athens, GA – spoke about how engaged citizenship is important for communities to grow. He explained with passion about how Creature Comforts is doing exactly that with the Get Comfortable campaign to raise money for local non-profits. Launching its fourth season of Get Comfortable in January, Creature Comforts and Matt Stevens are driven to make a lasting impact in the Athens-Clarke County community.

Christina Noel, MBA ’14, is the founder and CEO of Arc Benders, a consultancy for purpose-driven companies. “Arc Benders was created to inspire & equip people that are using their unique talent to change the world.” This quote from Christina’s website encapsulates her words that evening at the Social Impact Event. She believes in helping businesses who are trying to make a difference in this world and compelled her audience to look for purpose in their future careers.

Ariel Brassil, MBA ’15, Strategic Programs LEAD at AT&T Smart Cities, proves that purpose can also be found in Fortune 500 companies. Ariel spoke about the purpose-driven work she engages in with AT&T Smart Cities to create a better, more sustainable environment for the future. Smart Cities is working to create cities with improved infrastructure, public safety, energy and utilities, and transportation.

Nathan Stuck, MBA ’17, Director of Corporate Culture at Ad Victoriam Solutions, gave us further insight into a growing tech company that has made the B-Corp certification a top priority, setting the bar for other tech startups. He also compelled the audience to find purpose in their work, as well as encouraging participants to get started now by attending Net Impact and B-Corporation events across the country.

Thanks to the Net Impact chapter at UGA for hosting this exciting event and to the panelists for their impactful words. The University of Georgia’s MBA program wants to expand the notion of what a business school can be and what our students can accomplish. Business for good is an empowering ideal. Through our Net Impact chapter, we are providing an infrastructure for students to have a social impact across all areas of business.

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