Lauren Chasanoff, Emma Conniff & Benjamin Overton

Teaches at Be Social Change

Lauren Chasanoff, Senior Manager, Marketing, Common Impact

Lauren leads Common Impact’s marketing, thought leadership and partnership initiatives and drives the implementation of the organization’s overall marketing strategy. Lauren is an organizational guru and works closely with all facets of the organization to make sure Common Impact’s systems and processes are both effective and efficient.

Prior to joining Common Impact, Lauren worked with Charitybuzz, an online auction platform that has raised over $130 million for nonprofits worldwide. Lauren also worked with several education nonprofits and is passionate about providing equal educational opportunities to all individuals. Lauren’s past experience has provided her insight into both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors and how they can work together to form mutually beneficial relationships. Lauren brings a wealth of knowledge in Corporate Social Responsibility from the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan, where she received her BA in Public Policy.

Emma Conniff, Corporate Relations Manager, Good Shepherd Services

Emma Conniff is the Corporate Relations Manager at Good Shepherd Services, one of the largest non-profits serving New York City’s youth and families. In this role, she creates, builds, sustains, and grows corporate partnerships including corporate employee volunteer engagement. In this role, she also created SpringBoard, Good Shepherd’s young professionals committee, fundraises and brand-raises to support the organization’s work.

Prior to this role, Emma managed Good Shepherd’s after-school contract portfolio which served over 2,000 youth each year. She has volunteered her time with the New York Women’s Foundation and various political campaigns. She received an M.S.W. degree from the Columbia School of Social Work and B.A. in English from Binghamton University.

Benjamin Overton, North America Programme Officer, Thomson Reuters Foundation

Benjamin Overton is a Programme Officer for North America at the Thomson Reuters Foundation, working on TrustLaw, the Foundation’s global pro bono program. In this role, he manages TrustLaw’s network of over 500 NGOs and social enterprises across the region. Benjamin is also deeply involved in the development of TrustLaw’s Social Enterprise and Impact Investing Training series. Prior to the Foundation, Benjamin worked in a number of roles for human rights and foreign affairs NGOs. Outside of his professional positions, he is an officer of the Sustainability Investment Leadership Council and a member of the American Planning Board of Humanity in Action. Benjamin has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Asian Studies, a Master’s of Public Administration and a Certificate of Nonprofit Management from the University of Washington.