Can A Business Have A Heart? Jeff Furman, President, Ben & Jerry's Foundation; and Olivia Carpenter, Founder & Owner, Via's Cookies

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Can A Business Have A Heart?
Featuring Guest Speakers Jeff Furman, President, Ben & Jerry's Foundation; and Olivia Carpenter, Founder & Owner, Via's Cookies

Jeff Furman served on the Ben & Jerry’s corporate board for almost 40 years, providing in house legal counsel, top level management, and fostering many of the company’s social initiatives. Jeff’s current role is B.O.D Emeritus, a role he is happy to do alongside being President of the Ben & Jerry’s Foundation. Jeff resides in Ithaca where he is the president of Social Ventures, as well as a co-founder of the Community Dispute Resolution Center and a community micro-finance program. In addition, Jeff has also served on the local school board, working to eliminate race and socio-economic status as a predictor of student success, and is an advisor to the Dorothy Cotton Institute, Alliance of Families For Justice, and the Economic Hardship Reporting Project. Alongside his other commitments Jeff is on the Board of the Oakland Institute and currently he is developing a voting project to increase voting participation. Jeff has spoken in South and Central America, Europe, and across the United States on the power of business to impact social change.

Olivia Carpenter first sold her homemade cookies at a cafe near her home in Ithaca in 2021. When one professor tried some, they almost immediately encouraged her to enter a local business competition. Carpenter was hesitant to go pro at baking – until she realized she could use the profits from her business to help others. Then, she was all in, and she founded Via’s Cookies later that same year. Her company makes a delicious range of cookies, from regular chocolate chip to vegan and gluten-free options. Motivated by the financial struggles she herself faced when paying her tuition, Carpenter enacted a plan to donate a portion of her proceeds to struggling students of color, as well as those who are members of the LGBTQ community. Today, Carpenter is laser focused on continuing to grow Via’s Cookies.

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Co-hosted with: Dyson Student Experience (OWNER), Dyson Graduate Students

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