Impact Consulting Fellowship: Celebrating the Spring 2021 Cohort

The Center for Social Value Creation’s Impact Consulting Fellowship (ICF) program at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business provides for students (both Smith and non-Smith at UMD) at the undergrad, masters and doctoral levels to work in cross-functional teams to provide pro-bono consulting services to impact-driven organizations across the country, as well as internationally.

As summer cohort activities are under way, the CSVC recently closed out spring 2021 with a 74-student cohort diligently and collectively completing 10,000-plus hours of consulting for 10 clients on 12 projects spanning strategic consulting, brand development, financial modeling, and more.

A culminating, May 7 “ICF Huddle” brought the 12 teams together for, as described by the CSVC, “a celebration of their success and hard work, and to present their deliverables to their peers and a panel of esteemed judges.”

More details about the event and winning teams are in this statement from the CSVC:

“We would like to sincerely thank Dr. Protiti Dastidar (Maryland Smith Associate Clinical Professor and Associate Area Chair Management and Organization), Roy Thomason (UMD South Campus Dining Hall Assistant Director), and Alpana (Ana) Mittal (PwC Manager of Responsible Business Leadership) for their time to serve as ICF Huddle judges. We also congratulate the winning team: Team SASMHA (South Asian Sexual and Mental Health Alliance), led by MBA candidate Nguyet (Vivian) Chu, along with team members Linda Phung (senior business analytics/operations management and information systems double major), Tram Vo (sophomore information systems and marketing double major), and advisor Rahul Shah (UMD computer science major). SASMHA is a collective of South Asian youth seeking to create dialogue, space, and resources for South Asian youth on sexual health, mental health, LGBTQ+ issues, and more. The SASMHA ICF team developed a viable business plan model for the organization, with a focus on a plan for where to concentrate their efforts for sustainable growth in the upcoming 3-5 years.

“A special shout-out goes to our runner ups:

“Team Trent (second place) was led by MBA candidate Katarina Slobodova, and team members Joseph Lupo (sophomore information systems major), Talita Fernandes de Oliveira (senior operations management and business analytics major), Lizzie Wang (MS in Marketing Analytics ’21), and advisor, Zachary Azrael (’19 and strategy associate for Pew Charitable Trust). Trent Limited (a Tata Group subsidiary) is a leading player in the branded retail industry in India. The ICF Trent team developed market analysis and research for Trent’s flagship concept: Westside, and offered recommendations on expansion, pricing, and other operational matters.

“Team Fem-Equity (third place) was led by MBA candidate Courtney Mills, and team members Lingfeng Wu (MS in Business Analytics ’20), Chinmay Gupta (MS in Information Systems ’20), Priyad Sompura (MS in Information Systems ’20), Ronit Motiwale (MS in Information Systems ’20), Kainaat Javeed (senior accounting and management double major), and advisor Meg Goh (’18 and senior consultant at Guidehouse) Fem-Equity is an impact-driven, for-profit that envisions a world with an equitable society. They work to provide education, resources, and information that arms Black and LatinX women with the tools, support, and confidence needed to make empowered decisions for career success and financial security. The ICF Fem-Equity team formulated brand/rebranding, marketing, and development strategies, as well as utilized data analytics metrics to boost organizational success.”

For more information, including on applying for future cohorts, go to the Impact Consulting Fellowship homepage. Fall session starts in October, spring session starts in February, and summer session starts in the month of June.