About this Event
Description:
Food security is fundamental to ensuring the health and well-being of communities worldwide. However, challenges such as food waste, supply chain inefficiencies, and economic disparities exacerbate hunger and food insecurity. Tackling these issues is crucial to creating a more resilient and equitable food system.
Join us on April 18th at 4 p.m. as we listen to leading experts discuss how their initiatives and strategies combat food waste, address world hunger, and strengthen global food security.
After the panel, we will offer an opportunity to connect with these experts through an exclusive networking session.
Reserve your ticket for free today!
Agenda:
4 p.m.: Panel
5 p.m.: Networking
The Jacobson Family Sustainable Impact Symposium is focused on sharing business-specific strategies and tools to help solve the world’s most pressing issues. Our panel of experts brings their diverse breadth of knowledge to our audience of USC undergraduate and graduate students in a variety of majors, local community stakeholders, and business professionals.
Light bites and refreshments will be provided. Doors will open 10 minutes prior to the start time.
Join us on April 18th at 4 p.m. to hear from our special guests.
Please see below to learn about our confirmed speakers! Additional speakers to be announced soon!
Christy Dawson, Founder and CEO at Christy's Foundation
Christy Dawson is a dedicated philanthropist, nonprofit leader, and advocate for food security, serving as the Founder and CEO of Christy’s Foundation Food Relief Program. Established in 2017, Christy’s Foundation has provided millions of pounds of food to families in need, ensuring that communities across Los Angeles have access to fresh, nutritious meals. With a background in finance, strategic planning, and nonprofit management, Christy previously worked in the tax departments at Deloitte & Touche and Thomson Reuters before dedicating her expertise to humanitarian efforts. Under her leadership, Christy’s Foundation has expanded to multiple locations, including Glendale and Northridge, distributing over 10,000 pounds of food weekly and hosting large-scale food relief events for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Christy collaborates with local government officials, corporate sponsors, and community partners to combat food insecurity and provide essential resources to underserved populations. Her initiatives have received recognition from city leaders, law enforcement agencies, and organizations committed to social impact. As a passionate speaker and advocate, Christy shares her insights on food security, community outreach, and nonprofit sustainability, inspiring the next generation of leaders to take action. For more information about Christy’s Foundation, visit www.christysfoundation.org.
Karlen Nurijanyan, Founder and CEO at Student LunchBox
Karlen Nurijanyan is the visionary founder and CEO of Student LunchBox, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering college excellence through comprehensive basic needs support. Founded in 2020, the organization provides nutritious meals and essential supplies to economically disadvantaged students across Los Angeles County. Karlen's mission was born from personal experience during his undergraduate years at Santa Monica College and UCLA, where he faced basic needs challenges firsthand. After graduation, he built a diverse career in HR, Operations, and Program Management, developing crucial organizational leadership skills. He further enhanced his expertise by earning a Master’s Degree in Public Administration (MPA) from California State University Long Beach, which provided him with the knowledge and strategic foundation necessary to launch Student LunchBox—a dream he had cultivated for a decade. His commitment to community service began early as Media-Advertising Coordinator at the Pan-Armenian International Volunteer Youth Center, where he helped create platforms for young artists and musicians. Today, Karlen oversees all aspects of Student LunchBox operations, transforming his personal experience into an innovative solution that enables thousands of students to focus on their education and achieve their full academic potential.
Rachel Sumekh, Founder and CEO Emeritus at Swipe Out Hunger
Rachel Sumekh is an entrepreneur and strategy consultant. She advises start-ups, nonprofits, and philanthropies. Rachel serves on the board of the Los Angeles Community College Foundation. Rachel learned how to make change happen as the Founder of Swipe Out Hunger where she was CEO until 2022. Swipe Out Hunger began in 2010 with a few friends at UCLA and its network has since scaled to over 850 universities, serving millions of nourishing meals. The organization is the leading nonprofit ending college student hunger. Rachel wrote the Hunger Free Campus Act which has been introduced in 22 states, sending over $100+ million to anti-hunger programs on campus. Rachel’s work has been recognized by The Obama White House and landed Rachel on the Forbes' 30 Under 30 list. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Rachel credits her Iranian Jewish parents for her intersectional perspective and warm leadership style.
Kayla de la Haye, Director of the USC Institute for Food System Equity
Kayla de la Haye is an associate professor at the University of Southern California’s (USC) Center for Economic and Social Research, where she directs the Institute for Food System Equity. She works to promote health and prevent disease by applying social network analysis and systems science to key public health issues. Her research engages family and community social networks, and broader social determinants of health, to promote healthy eating, nutrition security, and prevent chronic disease. It also explores the role of social networks in group problem solving in families, teams, and coalitions. This work has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the American Heart Association. Dr. de la Haye was previously an Associate Behavioral/Social Scientist at the RAND Corporation. She currently serves as Vice President of the International Network of Social Network Analysis (INSNA), and in 2018, she received the INSNA Freeman Award for significant contributions to the study of social structure. She holds a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Adelaide, Australia.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Ronald Tutor Campus Center, 3607 Trousdale Parkway, Los Angeles, United States
USD 0.00
