4th Annual Convening
January 16, 2026
The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
Our fourth annual invitation-only event includes a highly interactive design structured to maximize both learning and engagement among attendees. Attendees for the event include industry thought leaders, Wharton faculty and staff, and distinguished students. The program features presentations by academics and practitioners feeding into Q&A sessions on pressing topics including Warning Signs from the Insurance Industry, Climate and AI, Climate Adaptation and Mitigation, and Investing in the Social Determinants of Health.
Sessions, Speakers, and Topics
Friday, January 16
8:00 AM
Registration and Breakfast
Robertson Hall, 8th Floor, Jon M. Huntsman Hall
9:15 AM
Warning Signs from the Insurance Industry
Chair: Ben Keys (Wharton)
Pari Sastry (Wharton)
Cary Coglianese (UPENN)
Francis Bouchard (Marsh McLennan)
Susan Doering (AON)
Margaret Peloso (Chubb)
9:45 AM
Table Discussion
10:00 AM
Research Spotlights
Chair: Sarah Light (Wharton)
Britta Glennon (Wharton)
Heather Boushey (UPENN)
Yphtach Lelkes (UPENN)
Robert Farley (Factcheck.org)
10:20 AM
Table Discussion
10:35 AM
Break
11:15 AM
Table Discussion
11:30 AM
Climate Adaptation and Mitigation
Chair: Jennifer Wilcox (Wharton)
R. Jisung Park (Wharton)
David Edwards (Air Liquide)
Robert Brown (Resolution Investors)
Noah Deich (UPENN)
11:55 AM
Table Discussion
12:10 PM
Board Governance and Impact
Chair: Mary-Hunter McDonnell (Wharton)
David Risser (Ethics and Boards)
Bruce Freed (Center for Political Accountability)
Rosanna Ramos-Venita (Wharton Executive Board for Latin America)
12:30 PM
Table Discussion
12:45 PM
Lunch
1:45 PM
Reinventing Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability with Mutuality and Impact
Chair: Bruno Roche (ONE Society)
Sarah Leser (Wharton)
Patrick Dupoux (BCG)
Fran Seegull (US Impact Investing Alliance)
Marieke Spence (Impact Capital Managers)
2:10 PM
Table Discussion
2:25 PM
Insights from Impact Data
Chair: Tyler Wry (Wharton)
John Streur (Boston Common Asset Management)
Chris Bruno (Wharton)
Yakov Bart (Northeastern University)
Mahdi Shahrabi (Wharton)
Alex Pappas (Wharton)
2:50 PM
Table Discussion
3:05 PM
Break
3:20 PM
Investing in Economic Opportunities and the Social Determinants of Health
Chair: Damon Phillips (Wharton)
(Resilience)
Wharton Student (Wharton)
Rajith Sebastian (Wharton)
Ajeenah Amir (UPENN)
Janet Fu (Wharton)
3:50 PM
Table Discussion
4:05 PM
Oxford-Style Debate: Divest or Engage?
Chair: Witold Henisz (Wharton)
Divest:
Erika Karp (Green Alpha Investments)
Mary Anne Hitt (Climate Imperative)
Engage:
Michelle Dunstan (Janus Henderson)
Steven Rothstein (CERES)
4:35 PM
Questions from the Audience
5:00 PM
Reception and Hors d’Oeuvres
Harker Hall, 8th Floor, Jon M. Huntsman Hall
Hors d’oeuvres and Beverages provided.
About Wharton Impact
The Impact, Value, and Sustainable Business Initiative at the Wharton School (Wharton Impact) conducts evidence-based research on the gap between corporate and investors’ societal impacts and their financial valuations. Informed by this research, we offer 30+ courses that MBA and undergraduate students can assemble into a major and concentration, over a dozen co-curricular experiences, four Executive certificate programs, as well as speaker series, workshops, and events, and an expanding array of industry and policy convenings. We advance Wharton’s best-in-class education of current and future leaders, equipping them with the tools, skills, and perspectives needed to navigate a more complex and interconnected world.