Bridge Builders:
Spanning the Shareholder-Stakeholder Divide

Friday, April 4, 2025 | 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM

Prices start at $35

About

The 2025 Social Innovation Symposium — presented by the NYU Stern Social Impact & Sustainability Association, the Wagner Social Innovation & Investment Alliance, and the NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business — will focus on developing connections between current and future leaders committed to socially and environmentally responsible business growth.

The conference will bring together leaders from private industry and the public sector to discuss how to foster collaboration, implement practical solutions, and accelerate the pace of change. Together, participants will explore innovative ways to create the large-scale changes needed to achieve transformative social and environmental progress.

Agenda

11:00 am Registration

11:30 am Networking Lunch

12:40 pm Fireside Chat with Nishant Roy, Chief Impact Officer of Chobani & Distinguished Professor Tensie Whelan

1:45 pm Panel Discussions: Bridging Gaps in Housing

2:30 pm Networking Activity

3:00 pm Panel: Responsible Leadership in Food

3:50 pm “10 Minutes to Change the World” Speeches and Closing Remarks

4:30 pm Happy Hour and Alumni Networking

Keynote Speaker

Nishant Roy
Chief Impact Officer, Chobani

Nishant Roy is the Chief Impact Officer of Chobani, where he oversees sustainability, community impact, philanthropy, and government relations. He is also a Term Member at the Council on Foreign Relations.

After beginning his career as a Response Force Leader in the United States Air Force, Roy worked as a Domestic Policy Assistant for the Clinton Foundation, helping develop their Urban Enterprise Initiative and Earned Income Tax Credit awareness program. Prior to joining Chobani, he also worked as a Special Advisor to the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). At Chobani, Roy previously held the positions of Chief of Staff and Chief of Strategic Operations.

Roy holds an Executive MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business.

Panels

Bridging Gaps in Housing

This panel of real estate and housing professionals will engage in a discussion exploring how diverse public and private stakeholders in NYC’s real estate space can collaborate to address housing insecurity and displacement. By leveraging innovation, resources, and leadership, these experts will share insights on strategies for building bridges between community needs and development goals, creating equitable housing solutions that overcome systemic urban challenges. The focus will be on fostering cross-sector partnerships that drive sustainable, inclusive change.

JaVonna James
Assistant Vice President, Affordable Housing Development, Douglaston Development

Kim Darga
Deputy Commissioner, Office of Development, NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development

Ian Lundy
Director, Development & Investment | Mixed-Income, Sustainable Housing, MSquared

Andrew Foley
Director of Development, Jonathan Rose Companies

Moderator

Leading in the Food Industry

Panelists will discuss city agriculture, food sourcing and the supply chain, and restaurants' social impact within New York City. They illuminate how restaurants serve as hubs of cultural exchange and social impact, weaving community ties and contributing to the city's diverse fabric.