Loyola to hold 4th annual Building a Better World Through Business events

All Building a Better World Through Business events, scheduled for March 24-March 26, 2020, are canceled.

Loyola University Maryland’s Sellinger School of Business and Management will present Building a Better World Through Business, an annual series of events celebrating ways that businesses create sustainable economic and social development in their communities. The series will take place March 24-26, 2020, on Loyola’s Evergreen campus. All events are free and open to the public, but registration is required.

“Building a Better World Through Business offers us a chance to recognize and honor the ways that businesses support and strengthen communities,” said Kathleen A. Getz, Ph.D., dean of the Sellinger School. “These events help the Loyola community think about how we can help bring about innovative and collaborative change in Baltimore.

The event series begins with a keynote address by Kavita Shukla, founder and CEO of The FRESHGLOW Co. and inventor of FreshPaper. Her presentation, “Changing the World, One Piece of Paper at a Time,” on Tuesday, March 24, at 7:00 p.m. in McManus Theatre will focus on the development of FreshPaper and the challenges she’s overcome as a young entrepreneur and activist for global social change.

Shukla’s idea for FreshPaper started as a middle-school science project, which was inspired by an Indian home remedy. Today, FreshPaper—a disposable, recyclable, and biodegradable paper that keeps produce fresh longer—is used by farmers and families around the globe. Shukla, who was the youngest woman ever to receive the INDEX Design to Improve Life Award, holds four patents, was a featured speaker at the Women in the World Summit, and was honored at Variety’s annual Power of Women event.

Shukla has given talks at the White House, United Nations, Global Entrepreneurship Congress, TEDxManhattan, and Harvard University, among others. Her FreshPaper innovation and quest to end global food waste has been featured by media outlets including CNN, Bloomberg, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Oprah Magazine. Shukla, who has been inducted into the National Gallery for America’s Young Inventors, holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard University.

The week will also include:

• A student poster and pitch competition, “Rising to the Challenge: Ideas to Help Build a Better Baltimore,” will take place on Wednesday, March 25, from 6–8 p.m. in McGuire Hall West. Students will respond to the prompt, “How might we build on Baltimore’s strengths and respond to a current need by creating a new initiative or business venture? Research and develop an idea that contributes to the economic and social well-being of Baltimore.” A reception for attendees will take place during the competition.
• A breakfast and roundtable discussion, “Stronger Together: Advancing Racial Equality and Business Growth,” will focus on how racial equity can help create and sustain financial growth. Employers and advocates will share their challenges and successes in building a diverse, equitable, and sustainable workforce. The panelists are: A. Adar Ayira, senior director, strategy and racial equity of Associated Black Charities; John Frisch, principal and executive leadership coach of Shawan Leadership; Angel St. Jean, assistant director for strategic initiatives for the Baltimore Mayor’s Office of Employment Development; Lolita Taub, chief of staff for Catalyte; and Danielle Torain, director of Open Society Institute in Baltimore. Elizabeth Kennedy, J.D., associate professor of law and social responsibility, will moderate the discussion. The event will be held on Thursday, March 26, with breakfast at 8:30 a.m. and discussion from 9 – 10:30 a.m. in Loyola’s 4th Floor Program Room located in the Andrew White Student Center. Shuttle service to and from the 4th Floor Program Room will be provided from the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen beginning at 7:30 a.m.