Office of Student Life

Join Professor Megan Kashner as she hosts a Fireside Chat with business leader, social investor and social entrepreneur Dennis Barsema on Monday, May 22nd. Barsema’s career included more than thirty years of executive experience in technology and telecommunications. He was a highly successful executive for many years at several Silicon Valley tech companies including serving as president and CEO of Redback Networks, where he led the company through rapid growth and a successful IPO. In recent years, Barsema has shifted into the realm of social impact, serving as an instructor of social entrepreneurship and microfinance at Northern Illinois University’s (NIU) College of Business, as a managing member of the impact investing firm Impact Engine, and more. Barsema is a member of the NIU Board of Trustees, sits on any number of boards and advisory committees across the sector, and has the honor of being the father of a Kellogg alumnus, Jason Barsema, who graduated from the Evening & Weekend program in 2014.

In this interactive fireside chat, Kashner will ask Barsema about his path from the realm of telecom, technology and IPOs to impact investing, teaching, advising and becoming an expert on social startups, and more. Come prepared with your own questions about weaving impact into and around your own career, about social entrepreneurship, impact investing, leadership and community engagement.