Sharing knowledge and highlighting trends and challenges in the sector, as well as the work of unique nonprofits and social enterprises, through a broad array of channels to directly influence practice.
External Visibility
The Wilson Center is recognized by Ashoka, Echoing Green, and the US Department of State as a thought leader in best practices in social enterprise and entrepreneurship. Executive Director Rebecca Tekula serves as Communications Officer on the Executive Committee of the Academy of Management’s (AOM) Public and Nonprofit Management Division. The AOM is a professional association of nearly 20,000 scholars of management from 120 countries. Additionally, Dr. Tekula has also served on the Conference Planning Committee and as Co-Chair of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Track for the Association of Research on Nonprofit and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA).
Conferences and Events
Conferences and speaking events provide the Center with a platform to foster critical conversations with key stakeholders throughout the year.
True Partnerships Panel Series
Our True Partnerships series showcases best practices in collaborations for social impact. Unlike most keynote speaker events which showcase one person’s story of change, this event series serves as a lens into how meaningful change and sustainable social impact is really achieved – as a true partnership between passionate people, working both across sectors, and within their own organizations, to
accomplish joint goals and create real outcomes.
Not-for-Profit Leadership Summit
The Wilson Center is a long-standing co-sponsor of this full-day annual gathering of over 500 nonprofit leaders in Westchester. This yearly gathering is an opportunity for mid-level employees and managers in the nonprofit sector, the largest employment sector in the region, to learn about innovative strategies that can support, sustain and grow their organizations during times of change. In Spring 2022, the Summit was held at Pace University's Pleasantville Campus. As co-sponsor and location host, this unique opportunity enabled the Wilson Center to connect and engage with nonprofit leaders in the community and share a greater understanding of how the center can support nonprofit organizations and social enterprises in their research and engagement efforts, while also highlighting Pace University’s presence as an active and resourceful community partner in and around Westchester County. Keynotes include attorney generals and state senators. Pace University students are invited to attend for free.
U.S. Department of State Social Entrepreneurship Panel
Each year the Wilson Center leads a panel or course on social entrepreneurship for international delegates through the State Department's International Visitors Program; up to 90 delegates attend each year. Past panelists have included Acumen Fund officers and Pace Faculty. More recently. through the U.S. Department of State’s Community Solutions Program the Wilson Center has hosted Community Solutions Fellows (CSF) from Nepal, Sierra Leone and Cameroon.
Communications
Stay engaged with the Wilson Center for Social Entrepreneurship by following us on our social media channels. Connect with us on Twitter (X), LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram to get the latest updates on our initiatives, upcoming events, and the inspiring work of our community. Join the conversation and be part of our mission to promote social change through entrepreneurship.
Public Relations
The Wilson Center’s work has been covered prominently in both local and national press, including the Associated Press, Crain’s, The New York Times and Westchester Magazine’s 914Inc. The Wilson Center has also had stand-alone profiles of its research published in Fast Company, The Chronicle of Philanthropy and The Wall Street Journal.